What Is Valve Recession?

According to Richard Scarbrough, A&P mechanic and contributor to FLYING, “exhaust valve recession is when the valve sits too low in the seat.” If the valve is not properly seated, there can be “blow-by” that can result in an uncommanded loss of engine power and compression and, in worst cases, valve failure.

“Exhaust valve recession can result in valve discoloration—first red, green, then purple. It can also erode the guide,” said Scarbrough, adding that at this time no one has attributed exhaust valve recession to a lack of lead in the fuel.

The Details

According to UND chief instructor Jeremy Roesler, the school switched the fleet back to unleaded fuel over the summer. UND boasts a robust flight training program, with the fleet of more than 120 aircraft logging more than 46,000 flight hours between June and October.

“The aircraft were flown to POH procedures,” Roseler said. “The UL94 fuel was on spec.”

When routine maintenance detected abnormal exhaust valve recession, Roesler said the decision was made to revert back to 100LL while the issue was investigated.

• READ MORE: UND Aerospace Transitions Full Fleet to Unleaded Avgas

“UND is working closely with Lycoming and Swift Fuels, providing them with data for their own evaluation,” he said. “We have sent cylinders to Lycoming for their analysis. Everything is being looked at. The analysis requires time, and we are hopeful good information will result to [facilitate] the move to unleaded avgas.”

According to an article on AVweb by Paul Bertorelli, UND set up a maintenance monitoring program to track any potential challenges with the use of UL94 prior to making the switch. To monitor for cylinder wear, the school conducted regular compression checks on its fleet of Archers and inspected the clearance between the rocker arm and valve stem. If the valve seat is recessing, this clearance will progressively diminish as the valve recedes farther into the cylinder head. If the recession becomes deep enough, the valve won’t close properly against the seat, and power loss or burned valves can result. 

UND director of maintenance Dan Kasowski said the Lycoming-specified minimum clearance is 0.028 inch, and some of the cylinders exceeded this limit.

According to Roesler, when the school started to find issues, it decided to switch back to 100LL because having a potential problem resulting in aircraft down for maintenance in a busy aviation program like UND’s creates an untenable situation.

FLYING reached out to Lycoming for a comment but did not hear back by press time.

UND is not the only busy school to utilize Swift’s UL94. In summer 2021, Walt Gyger, the longtime owner of Trade Winds Aviation at Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV) in San Jose, California, switched his fleet of Cessna 172s to Swift UL94 in anticipation of a ban on 100LL. Gyger was ahead of the curve, because in August of that year the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to ban leaded fuel at county-owned airports as a means of reducing lead pollution allegedly suspected of coming from the airports. The allegations were triggered by a county-commissioned, peer-reviewed study that linked the ongoing use of leaded fuel with elevated blood lead levels (BLL) in children living near Reid-Hillview. For decades, the medical community has known that lead exposure, especially for children, can lead to cognitive and developmental challenges.

• READ MORE: Aviation Community Livid With Santa Clara County Over Looming 100LL Ban

The ban on the sale of leaded fuel went into effect on January 1, 2022, and NOTAMs were issued for both Reid-Hillview and San Martin (E16), warning pilots that the airports no longer had 100LL for sale. At present, the airnav.com page for KRHV notes “Fuel available: A UL94 and beginning January 1, 2022, 100LL unavailable.”

Gyger and many other pilots expressed skepticism of the board’s interpretation of the lead study, suggesting it really isn’t about the health of local children but rather “the goal of the county to close the airport.” He pointed out that the study did not take into account the lead present in the paint and pipes used in the construction of many of San Jose’s older neighborhoods before the dangers of exposure were fully understood.

Aviation advocacy groups, airport businesses, and pilots, in particular, called the study a “manufactured health crisis” and “political move.”

FLYING contacted both Trade Winds Aviation and AeroDynamic Aviation, the flight schools located at KRHV, and neither reported issues attributed to the use of UL94 in their fleets. FLYING will continue to follow this story.

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In this video, The Aviation Consumer’s Larry Anglisano Zoomed up with Audio Authority founder and CEO Jon Sisk, who recently conducted an exhaustive G100UL flight trial in his Lycoming-equipped Van’s RV-14, White Lightning. Sisk made side-by-side engine data comparisons burning G100UL and 100LL and reported his findings, while offering some advice on how you can add this approved fuel to the aircraft’s published operating limitations.

Editor’s Note: This video was produced by Aviation Consumer magazine.

The post Aviation Consumer Live: G100UL Unleaded Avgas Flight Trial appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Representatives from GAMA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) participated in the discussion.

The panelists cited progress toward fielding a replacement for 100 Low Lead (100LL) high octane gasoline that would be suitable for fleetwide use. While an estimated 70 percent of the current piston-aircraft fleet can safely use available lower-octane lead-free fuels, the remaining 30 percent that require higher-octane fuel to operate safely fly an estimated 70 percent of the hours flown by the entire GA fleet.

• READ MORE: EPA Releases Proposed Finding on Leaded AvGas

The panelists noted that the expected EPA endangerment finding, in itself, does not constitute a ban on continued use of 100LL fuel. In fact, the group stressed the priority of retaining the right to distribute and use 100LL until and acceptable replacement is in place.

However, the panelists did acknowledge that the EPA endangerment ruling does set a “pathway” to future rulemaking related to lead emissions in aviation fuels.

There was extended discussion on the difference between the supplemental type certificate (STC) route to acceptance of a replacement unleaded fuel, and the so-called ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) route, involving a “collaborative government FAA program to test candidate fuels, generate report and data, and distribute to fuel providers” enabling the FAA to gain “industry consensus” and issue a fleetwide approval.

• READ MORE: G100UL Avgas Replacement Set to Soon Hit Pumps

The panelists were careful to assure that the FAA, as the arbiter of safe aviation operations, is the final authority on approving a replacement for 100LL; not the EPA. That said, the discussion revealed that – for the first time – regulatory standards for lead emissions in aviation fuel will be established as a result of the expected EPA endangerment finding. GAMA assured the participating journalists that there would be further briefings once the EPA endangerment finding is finalized.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.com.

The post GAMA Hosts Pre-Brief on Life After EPA’s Ruling on Leaded Aviation Fuel appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In unveiling its intent, KBJC said it is already in the process of transitioning to UL94 unleaded aviation gasoline with a completion goal of fall2024. Additionally, as 100UL becomes more widely available, KBJC said it will “proactively and fully” transition to 100UL in the next two to three years—well ahead of the FAA’s 2030 deadline. 

“Our team’s commitment to innovative solutions and community collaboration is why the airport’s full transition will be well in advance of the FAA deadline,” said KBJC director Paul Anslow. “The aviation industry is working to scale production of 100UL for the larger market, and we feel confident that availability will rapidly increase while the price decreases. Our goal is to be the first airport in the state [of Colorado] that fully transitions to unleaded fuel.”

• READ MORE: G100UL Avgas Replacement Set to Soon Hit Pumps

Like several airports across the country, KBJC has faced harsh criticism from nearby residents raising health concerns when it comes to lead poisoning from piston aircraft. Residents have also complained of the uptick in air traffic at KBJC. According to AirNav, as the third-busiest airport in Colorado, KBJC sees an average of 718 operations per day with 476 aircraft based on the field including single- and multiengine piston, jets, and helicopters. It has also been reported that the additional activity has locals fearing the lead situation is worsening.  

According to a local news source, the town of Superior sent a letter to the FAA and Jefferson County Commissioners asking to make unleaded fuel available at KBJC.

• READ MORE: Federal Funding Could Speed Development of Unleaded Aviation Fuel

“The Superior Town Board [of Trustees] is concerned about the continuing and irreversible damage that lead air pollution from avgas inflicts on our community—particularly to the health and development of exposed children,” the letter stated.

Other Colorado airports have also taken advantage of UL94. In May, Centennial Airport (KAPA), located southeast of Denver in Englewood, became the first in the state to offer unleaded aviation gas. 

According to Anslow, KBJC’s purchase of a new fuel truck and storage tank for the unleaded fuel has charted the course for the transition to be complete by 2024. 

“This transition is about balance and innovation,” said Jefferson County commissioner Tracy Kraft-Tharp. “Responsible airport development brings jobs and opportunity to the county’s residents and businesses while protecting the quality of life of our citizens.”

The post Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport Announces Ambitious Plans for a Lead-Free Future appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In 2022, we introduced the Readers’ Choice Award to recognize a product or development in the GA space that resonates most with our audience—and we continue that honor this year. 

But there’s more. We also felt there was a gap—an emphasis on things—and a place we needed to make to salute a person who has contributed in a comprehensive way to the aviation community with years of commitment, expertise, and spirit. 

A New Award

That’s why for 2023 we’re inaugurating the Sean D. Tucker Award, to do just that. And for the initial award, we’re presenting it to the legend himself, Tucker.

Tucker’s resumé as an aerobatic star and air show performer is well known, and perhaps, too, his propensity to give back to the industry that has nurtured him from his modest beginnings and early struggles to the success he is today. But Tucker is a person who measures himself not by the scores on a championship run, but by the lives he’s touched through the Experimental Aviation Association’s Young Eagles program, and most recently, the Bob Hoover Academy in his hometown of Salinas, California. At BHA, he and his fellow volunteers not only introduce disadvantaged area youth to the magic of flight but also help them achieve a pilot certificate and follow-on goals.

For those contributions ongoing to improve the lives of those around him with his joy, FLYING is thrilled to launch this award in his honor.

Innovation Award: Swift Fuels UL94

While the spark of inspiration may transpire in a moment, transforming an innovative creation to a market-ready and delivered product takes time, money, and persistence. There are no shortcuts to enduring success. In the current environment where so much attention is focused on cleaner solutions for GA, the critical element of bringing a viable unleaded fuel to aviation consumers must be recognized—because it has taken more than a decade to accomplish and realize in full.

For accomplishing this with its UL94 aviation gasoline, we’re proud to bestow the 2023 FLYING Innovation Award upon the team at Swift Fuels. The company’s “mission every day for the last 10 years,” according to founder and CEO Chris D’Acosta, has been to develop “a solution to the 100LL problem” and drive that progress in a tiered approach. 

Swift debuted a lower octane unleaded fuel, UL94, in 2015. It serves as a drop-in solution for more than 130,000 aircraft on the FAA registry that can operate on a 94-octane or lower fuel. Swift accomplishes this through a supplemental type certificate that will be good for any unleaded avgas it produces in the future. 

And UL94 is not just avgas with the lead out—it’s a better fuel in many ways, according to D’Acosta. “There is a market draw to our fuel,” he says, because all Swift fuels burn cleaner, with lower toxicity overall. The need to clean lead from the engine every 50 hours no longer exists, for example.

But announcing the availability of a product, and getting it to the customer are two different things. Swift has done the legwork to ensure pilots can trust the fuel—that it meets the ASTM unleaded avgas specification—and that it reaches them in a geographically distributed way, direct to the airfield. With roughly 81 airports, universities, and private users on the U.S. map—and distribution at events like EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin—Swift continues to expand its reach.

And that’s important, because the company is far from finished. Its UL100 fuel is in the confirmation and approval process via ASTM and STC to serve the remainder of the piston market requiring a higher octane level. 

Readers’ Choice: Garmin’s Smart Glide

When we posed the question earlier this year to FLYING’s audience as to what innovation made the most impact on the community, the choice was clear among the contenders.

Garmin’s Smart Glide functionality was introduced in late 2021 and expanded through the STC process to dozens of additional single- and multiengine airplanes. Smart Glide builds upon other aftermarket GTN Xi navigator features, and the GFC 500 or 600 digital autopilot, in a wide range of airplanes. Smart Glide includes the GTN’s range ring optimized for an engine-out situation. It aviates, navigates, and communicates for the pilot—partially—and gives the option to squawk 7700, for example. If the autopilot is engaged, the sequence begins by pitching for best glide speed.

An airport glide indicator helps the pilot determine which airport to go to, setting up a direct-to course to the nearest, if one is in range, and putting the CTAF or tower frequency in the standby—or the emergency frequency of 121.5 if not within gliding distance of anything in the database. It will also tell pilots if the destination becomes unreachable according to the data. If the airplane is less than 2 nm from the airport, the autopilot will not couple, anticipating the pilot’s prompt action instead.

It’s all in the service of assisting pilots—not flying the airplane for them. With the host of “helping hands” that Smart Glide provides adding significantly to safety of flight, pilots who read FLYING confirmed Garmin’s latest tech made the best choice for innovation of the year.

Editors’ Choice Awards

Aircraft: Daher Kodiak 900

Merging two “aviation families” into one cohesive aircraft manufacturer—as Daher and Kodiak have accomplished over the past four years—deserves a round of applause. To bring forth as its first consolidated effort a backcountry beauty like the Daher Kodiak 900 within that time frame is impressive indeed—and we won’t even mention the pandemic. 

The 900 began as a Kodiak 2.0 vision years ago within the original Quest team. Daher’s horsepower in advanced aircraft design and manufacturing propelled the project into FAA type certification in July 2022. The new model took the high-performing, short-field wing of the 100 series, stretched the fuselage, incorporated the cargo pod cohesively into the belly, powered it with a new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140A turboprop, and streamlined it all behind a cowl that performs wonders in reducing drag.

The answer to the question, “What’s next in town-and-country flying?” has been firmly answered with the Kodiak 900, which is why we gave it our Editors’ Choice Award this year. With the 900, Daher has opened up a new market segment—and kept the good habits of the series from which it has been born.

Avionics and Apps: ForeFlight Terrain Awareness

It’s common to chase “feature fever” in app development, adding gee-whiz elements to already robust programs that do little more than clog up the works. Not so with the folks at ForeFlight, who continue to evolve their flight planning and navigation app in ways that truly add safety and efficiency benefits.

In our estimation, one feature added last year to ForeFlight’s palette is the Hazard Advisor suite, which takes terrain and obstacle data it first launched 10 years ago and repackages it in a way that truly adds to the pilot’s situational awareness. For those using ForeFlight Pro Plus, Hazard Advisor altitude preview allows them to manually control Hazard Advisor’s altitude before flight, and Auto Hazard Advisor, which transitions HA into auto mode after takeoff, following the current altitude for a view of the surrounding terrain. 

Combined with per leg altitude planning—giving pilots the ability to select multiple attitudes within a flight plan—ForeFlight starts situational awareness early during the flight planning process. The upshot? We feel it makes a bold move toward combating a perennial cause of GA accidents, controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). 

Gear: Lightspeed Delta Zulu

Our editors do a lot of their own flying, both in aircraft they own as well as rent or use for instruction, and the investment in a headset is a real debate amongst the team. But for the last year one option has stood head and shoulders—intended—above the rest, and that’s the latest from Lightspeed Aviation, the Delta Zulu.

The active noise reduction (ANR) Bluetooth-enabled headset gives the pilot the ability to customize its auditory acuity with the help of an app, and it also has a built-in carbon monoxide detector that provides an auditory warning if there is CO present in the cockpit. The free Lightspeed app allows the pilot to check the CO sensor data visually during flight and review it later. The app also makes it possible for the user of the headset to fine-tune the device to meet the wearer’s hearing needs. 

And how does it wear? According to our testers, it’s one of the lightest-feeling ANR headsets out there, with ear seals comfortable enough that one tester noted she “forgot it was there.” That’s awesome praise for a vital pilot tool.

Training: Redbird Flight Simulations for Redbird Pro 

Known for its low-cost, full-motion flight training devices, Redbird Flight Simulations expanded its remit in the training arena last year with the launch of a pilot proficiency app called Redbird Pro. The app is designed to assess pilot knowledge and tailor training options through artificial intelligence to help them improve their weak points. The app utilizes articles, simulator scenarios, and quizzes as training tools. 

Many of the training scenarios are drawn from I.L.A.F.F.T. and Chart Wise content from FLYING, as well as content from the AOPA Air Safety Institute. Yes, Redbird Pro is aimed directly at those GA pilots who don’t typically spend the hours logged between flight reviews practicing toward proficiency. The gist? We’re really not as good at retaining that proficiency as we could be. Just as an app such as Duolingo encourages you to daily practice a language, Redbird Pro gamifies the proficiency quest and rewards you for frequent engagement. 

For giving shape and life to that practice—and making it fun—Redbird deserves a nod for making real strides toward improving pilot competence and confidence.

The post FLYING Reveals Innovation Award Series for 2023 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

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At the GA Town Hall hosted by the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo on Wednesday at the Lakeland Aero Club in Florida, the heads of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) gathered to address what Mark Baker, president and CEO of AOPA, called “probably the single most threatening [issue] to GA,” the impending sunset of leaded avgas, nominally the 100LL and previous fuels we’ve used to power the general aviation fleet since high-octane juice was introduced during World War II.

But Baker—along with Jack Pelton, president and CEO of EAA, and Pete Bunce, president and CEO of GAMA—spoke mostly to assembled press in the lively LAC hangar, surrounded by the ongoing aircraft-building activities of Lakeland-area youth.

EPA’s Endangerment Finding Is Coming

So what’s the issue? It must feel to many pilots as though we’ve heard this alarm before, that leaded fuel has left just about every sector of transportation except for general aviation’s piston fleet, so we must be prepared for its departure.

The threat is more than just idle fist-shaking in 2022.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of evaluating whether emissions from piston-engine aircraft powered by leaded fuel contribute in a significant way to the endangerment of public health. 

The EPA proposal will be issued for comment by the end of 2022, with a final action determined in 2023.

The panel confirmed the timeline isn’t just a bureaucratic spitball, but a very real one—and one that GA’s associations cannot affect. While many efforts to curtail general aviation in the U.S.—through restrictions such as user fees and additional regulation—have typically been staved off through association efforts with Congress, the panel agreed that won’t be possible with this proposal.

“There’s no appetite in Congress to take the issue on,” Pelton said. “We’ve had some of our biggest supporters on environmental issues in aviation who have already told us they are not getting in the way of this one.” Baker added, “We don’t want to be the last pollutant, putting airborne lead in the air, in general aviation.”

There’s also tacit consensus that the “final action” the EPA will issue is likely to include the sunsetting of leaded fuel by 2030. That’s only seven years away—a tight timeline when it comes to the aircraft certification, infrastructure changes, and regulatory framework needed to solve the problem without leaving pilots of high-performance pistons stranded—or worse.

‘Huge Safety Issue’

With no single drop-in unleaded avgas replacement available for aircraft running 220-hp-plus engines, this is soon to become a worldwide problem, unless there is significant effort put into it now.

While the PAFI (Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative) sought a complete replacement for 100LL and fell short of that mark, it was successful in outlining the testing protocols needed to evaluate and validate proposed fuels into the myriad of powerplant and airframe combinations that make up this portion—roughly 30 percent—of the GA fleet.

But it’s still far from easy to put a new fuel through those paces. Current replacement fuels that partially answer the problem, such as Swift 94UL and GAMI’s 100UL rely upon the supplemental type certificate (STC) process to gain acceptance for use. STCs are proprietary, however, and because they are produced and owned by a commercial entity they run the risk of being orphaned. And those STCs cover quite a few aircraft, but still not the high-performance corner of the GA market that’s most affected—and that uses 70 percent of the 100LL that’s pumped every day in the U.S.

Without a solution, Baker outlined the looming safety concerns brought about by putting the wrong fuel into these machines, because of detonation—the explosion of the fuel-air mixture inside the cylinders in a piston engine—rather than the even burning of fuel.

Pointing to the number of airports in California that have taken action to stop selling 100LL, he said, “I consider that to be a huge safety issue, because we know that if you put a 94 or…no-lead fuel in a high-compression engine…you have a very high likelihood of detonation. This is a huge safety issue today.” It will only take a handful of misfueled aircraft suffering power loss and engine failures to critically impact GA operations nationwide.

Therefore, wholesale localized bans of leaded fuel at random airports pose a serious problem.

“We have an industry that’s committed to change, in the next seven or eight years,” continued Baker, “but if you start having this fuel unavailable, and people show up with their Cirrus or Baron or Bonanza, or whatever it is, there’s a high likelihood you’re gonna have a real big problem.”

A Distribution Problem, Too

Once a new fuel or set of fuels comes online, then it will be time to get the fuel to the aircraft operator, through the network of airports and FBOs that currently deliver avgas and jet-A.

Pelton outlined the airport-by-airport issue at hand—we can’t expect those entities to simply stand up a new tank—or tanks—next to the self-service pumps.

Indeed, finding a replacement fuel is “a piece of it,” he said. “You still have distribution, you still have storage, you still have our petroleum companies’ willingness to stand [it] up.”

The EAGLE program announced earlier this year at GAMA’s State of the Industry conference addressed this as one of its pillars. The overarching goal of EAGLE is that, no later than 2030, the industry will no longer produce or distribute leaded fuel in North America.

Baker laid it out plainly: “The thing I’m most concerned about today is keeping low-lead available until we find the solution.” 

If the industry fails to find a 100-octane solution by 2030, Bunce outlined the Band-Aid that the industry would need to slap on. “In our discussions with a lot of the fuel companies, what we would probably have to do is ask them to get us the highest octane they possibly can, and then test that properly.”

Running on High Octane

I couldn’t help but note that the panel discussion was taking place on April 6, what would have been Donald Douglas’ 130th birthday. The founder of the Douglas Aircraft Company brought to life the Douglas DC-3 and its military brethren, the C-47 and other variants that lifted the Allies to victory in World War II. In his comments, Bunce related the genesis of 100- and 130-octane avgas during that time. 

Our ability to use that fuel to power the C-47’s massive 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasps gave us military advantage over the Nazis. Our solution then allowed the U.S. to overcome a formidable, existential threat to democracy and our collective humanity.

The clock is ticking loudly right now—and it cannot be ignored or brushed off as another “green initiative” unworthy of our attention. I used to believe that the DC-3 would keep flying to her 100th birthday in 2035, if only we could keep those 1830s in good cylinders. Now, I see that the true threat lies in the loss of the high-octane fuel that powers them.

If climate change doesn’t feel like an existential threat to you, maybe the loss of our ability to fly high-performance aircraft—and icons like the DC-3—should, and will resonate.

The post Fuel Should Be On Your Mind appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The purpose of EAGLE is to chart the safe and smart transition to an unleaded future for the entire general aviation fleet. According to Earl Lawrence, the FAA director of aircraft certification service, that won’t happen unless all the stakeholders from the aircraft manufacturers to the alphabet groups and the fuel manufacturers work together.

EAGLE is based on four pillars of action that involve: 

• The FAA
• The Environmental Protection Agency
• Fuel suppliers and distributors
• Airports
• Engine and aircraft manufacturers
• Research institutions
• Aviation and pilots associations
• Environmental experts
• Communities
• Other key stakeholders 

The four pillars are:

• Develop unleaded fuels infrastructure and assess commercial viability: Industry stakeholders will coordinate production of commercially viable unleaded fuels and establish the necessary infrastructure, efficient distribution channels, and widespread usage of these fuels.
   
• Support research and development and technology innovations: The FAA and industry stakeholders will support research and testing of piston engine modifications and/or engine retrofits necessary for unleaded fuel operations. They will also focus on new technology development and the application/adaptation of those technologies, including electric/hybrid engine technologies to enable transition to a lead-free general aviation fleet.
   
• Continue to evaluate and authorize safe unleaded fuels: The FAA will address fleet-wide authorization of unleaded aviation fuels of different octane levels. The Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative will continue to evaluate, test, and qualify high-octane aviation unleaded fuels with the objective to ultimately transition the fleet to unleaded aviation fuel.
   
• Establish any necessary policies: The EPA is evaluating whether emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel contribute to air pollution that endangers public health or welfare. If the EPA issues regulations on lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft, the FAA would subsequently publish regulations that certify piston engine modifications, new piston engines that do not require leaded aviation fuel, and regulate fuel components for aviation fuels. The FAA will consider policies/programs to support unleaded fuel infrastructure.

Challenges with Retrofitting

Lawrence noted that most of the piston-powered aircraft in use today were certified with engines that require leaded fuel, and the concept of a “drop-in replacement” must be considered from “both a regulatory and hardware standpoint,” meaning that the owners of the aircraft will likely have to modify their aircraft and obtain the required supplemental type certificate.

Most of the general aviation fleet is more than 50 years old, so part of the certification process for fuel is to make sure that it is compatible with older fuel bladders and sealants that were used in decades past.

Lawrence added that the FAA is creating a new path, working with the Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative, which evaluates unleaded replacement fuels, and the American Society for Testing and Materials, which provides guidance for aircraft manufacturers.

“There are eight or nine refineries that produce avgas,” Lawrence said. “We have to have them understand the source of the problem and have them all at the table, all here in one room as soon as possible.”

Leaded Fuel as Anti-Airport Ammo

AOPA president and CEO Mark Baker warned that societal concerns about leaded fuel is a threat to all airports, noting that pollution allegedly caused by leaded fuel is being used as ammunition by groups who are trying to force the closure of these facilities.

“Currently there are a handful of airports in California that are under threat by local entities that are using the fuel issue as the latest reason for closing,” Baker said. “That is why it’s important to educate local communities on the great benefits of general aviation—including economic and safety response.”

Baker was referring to Reid-Hillview (KRHV) and (E16) San Martin Airport. Both are located in Santa Clara County. In August of 2021, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to ban the sale of 100LL at county-owned airports. The ban took effect on January 1.

The post Aviation Leaders Discuss How They’ll Get the Lead Out appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The STC comes after years spent by GAMI in the research and development of an unleaded avgas solution. This initial result is the proprietary, high-octane G100UL fuel, optimized for the series of normally aspirated, 4-cylinder engines that power a significant portion of the light GA fleet. It’s a step towards the big goal of a replacement fuel for 100LL that will incur no loss in safety and performance for those aircraft and can be delivered reasonably within the GA community.

A trio of GA associations applauded the announcement and what it means for the fleet’s ability to transition to a more sustainable operating environment. “We commend GAMI for its hard work and commitment to producing a high-octane unleaded avgas and support its continued testing on a broader range of engines and airframes,” said GAMA’s president and CEO Pete Bunce. “While this STC is a start, demonstrating the safety and viability of a high-octane fuel as a replacement for 100LL requires significant testing on high performance engines, as well as certain airplanes and helicopters at the most demanding boundary of the performance envelope encompassing the existing fleet of aircraft.”

“We appreciate GAMI’s long-standing commitment to addressing the immense technical challenges of replacing leaded high-octane avgas with an unleaded solution intended to satisfy the safety and performance needs of the fleet,” said EAA’s president and CEO Jack Pelton. “This STC is a positive first step and we look forward to GAMI’s continued efforts to add additional engines and ideally working toward a path for fleet-wide authorization.”

“This STC is a positive step as we seek a fleet-wide solution for an FAA approved unleaded fuel,” said AOPA’s president and CEO Mark Baker. “We look forward to learning more about how the STC will be used, and next steps in expanding the number of engines that can safely take advantage of it.”

The associations have worked together in partnership with the FAA under the umbrella of the Piston Aircraft Fuels Initiative (PAFI), which was formed to evaluate and test various potential replacement fuels for 100LL. Several fuels by other manufacturers are also under consideration.

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