$800 saved annually through autogas

AFC member Mark "Prigs" Priglmeier, an officer of EAA Chapter 551 in St. Cloud, Minn., contacted us recently on the use of autogas in his C-150F:

"I started using autogas in my 1966 C-150 at about 500 or so hours prior to my engine rebuild at just over 2300 smoh. I have had no issues. The engine actually ran better...no hiccups or burps that I used to get with 100LL. I built a new engine (w/new Continental cylinders) this past January. I have used only autogas, except during break-in. It's been running great!  I figure I save about 800 bucks a year using autogas. That could eventually pay for my next engine rebuild. I have convinced a number of persons at St. Cloud to switch over to autogas. I do not recommend it though for those flyers who don't get their planes out but a couple of times a year. I counter that if their flying is too expensive, burn autogas and fly more — it's a no brainer." 

Thanks, Mark!

U2OSH UPDATE

The high point of the AFC's 'Unleaded to Oshkosh ' (U2OSH) will be a forum at 11:30 AM on Thursday, July 26th during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. An announcement of the forum, entitled "Autogas at 30 Years" has been posted on the AirVenture web site. Speakers who have already confirmed their participation include LSA/LAMA representative Dan Johnson, autogas STC expert Todd Petersen , ADI developer Mike Kelley, owner of Air Plains, aviation fuel expert and GA News columnist Ben Visser, and USUA leader and PSF publisher Roy Beisswenger.

A flyer has been created to help AFC members promote U2OSH. Please feel free to distribute this to anyone interested in lowering the cost of aviation fuel. You can help by posting copies of this at your favorite airports - thank you!

Gasoline - better than ever for aviation

Among the myths that one occasionally hears regarding autogas (aka mogas) is that it is of poor quality compared to avgas.  We asked AFC Director Todd L. Petersen, owner of numerous auto gas STC's,  to comment on the changes he's seen in gasoline quality in the three decades since the FAA approved the first autogas STC in 1982:

"Today, some people criticize the auto fuel STC's obtained In the 1980s claiming that the fuel we have today isn't the same as it was when we conducted our testing.  When I hear that I always agree with them.  It's not the same.  It's better today than it ever was.  Gasoline today is cleaner, and the RVP is lower than ever, making it more like Avgas than ever before."

"Another issue are the detergents and additives that some companies add to their fuel. These have no effect on octane or on how it burns in an engine and are largely irrelevant.  Since they are usually added downstream of the terminal, if airports obtain the pure, ethanol & additive-free fuel there, they can be assured of having a high-quality aviation fuel that rivals all others. Remember too that when testing an aircraft/engine combination for an autogas STC, we used 89.5 AKI, although the STC specifies a minimum of 91 AKI. We also used a winter blend with its higher RVP in our hot fuel tests, to duplicate a worst-case scenario of a pilot using a winter blend on a hot summer day. So I would agree with those who claim that our fuel today is not the same as that used in our testing - it is far better!

The only caveat is ethanol, which is not approved for small airplanes and most likely never will be.  We recommend against using gasoline containing ethanol." 

Thanks, Todd!

Diesel vs. Mogas

As reported in the May 2012 issue of the AFC newsletter, this year's AERO Friedrichshafen show included a large display of advanced aircraft piston engines that, with few exceptions, operate on either autogas or jet fuel. AVWeb's Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli noted the apparent acceptance of European pilots for a multi-fuel solution to the problem of leaded avgas in this recent article entitled Diesel vs. Mogas.

airport business article on self-service fueling

Airport Business, a leading publication focused on airport operatons, recently published an article entitled "Self-Service Fuel: Airport Money-Maker" authored by AFC Director Kent Misegades.  This article includes details on modern safety features found in fuel stations as well as advancements made by AFC sponsor U-Fuel in recent years.

Aviation Fuels 101 - Recent News from GAfuels

Two AFC Directors, Dean Billing of Sisters, OR and Kent Misegades of Cary, NC, co-author the GAfuels blog at General Aviation News. Below are links to some of their recent postings on issues related to aviation fuels.

11 years and $73m more?, May 22nd, 2012

TEL: Is there a Plan B?, May 16th, 2012