Unleaded to Oshkosh - an update

Plans are shaping up for U2OSH - Unleaded to Oshkosh - this coming summer. The display from U-Fuel, sponsor of the Aviation Fuel Club, will serve as headquarters for U2OSH, located near the displays for American Legend Cub Aircraft and Beechcraft, not far from ConocoPhillips Square. All pilots who have flown to Oshkosh on an aircraft capable of operating on autogas will receive a decal for their airplane and a T-shirt to demonstrate that they're doing something to lower the cost of flying and reduce lead emissions. On Thursday morning, July 26th, we'll hold a forum celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first autogas STC, and award prizes to U2OSH participants. We expect strong participation, including nearly all who join the Cubs2Oshkosh, since the Piper Cub and most of its variants can operate on lead-free autogas.  To see if your airplane qualifies, check its POH for approved fuels. For older airplanes, see the list of available autogas STCs from Petersen Aviation.  Stay tuned for further details on U2OSH!

Walla Walla adds autogas

Pilots in southeastern Washington are enjoying some of the least expensive aviation fuel in the country since lead-free, ethanol-free 91 AKI autogas recently became available at Martin Field (S95), just outside of Walla Walla.

Doug Cheney, whose family owns the airport, describes the motivation to offer more choices to pilots: “Why are we doing this? We already had two tanks with separate pumps and dispensing systems. About 10 years ago we bought a load of unleaded but had very few takers. With 100LL now aimed for $6 territory, flying activity has dropped substantially and we figured it is time to try mogas again. In one of the self-service fuel stations we now offer mogas at roughly $2/gallon cheaper than 100LL. We are getting up to speed on mogas topics so we can better educate the local pilots.  Not clear how long we can continue selling at this price but we already have documented cases of people flying more due to the $4 gas and that, of course, is very positive.”

Doug also reported that he’ll be presenting information on autogas provided by your bloggers at the upcoming annual Walla Walla Pilot’s Forum on Wednesday, March 7th.

New Hampshire votes to ban ethanol

The New Hampshire House has approved a conditional ban on the use of ethanol in gasoline. As described in HB1214: "No seller of gasoline shall sell or offer for sale gasoline that has corn-based ethanol as an additive.   The ban however has a contingency clause: "...this act shall take effect upon certification by the department of environmental services to the secretary of state and the office of legislative services that at least 2 of the 6 New England states have adopted similar legislation banning corn-based ethanol as an additive to gasoline."  Airports in this state have struggled in recent years to find suppliers of ethanol-free fuel; this news signifies that pilots and airports are not alone in their desire for more choices in the fuel they use.

FOE moves forward with Avgas lawsuit

This week the environmental group Friends of the Earth (FOE) has taken the next step in their efforts to reduce the use of leaded Avgas in America, as described in this news release. During the past year, a number of organizations, including the FOE, have contacted the directors of the Aviation Fuel Club to understand our position on the subject, and the role that existing unleaded aviation fuels such as autogas and 94UL could play in the future.  In their news release the FOE kindly included mention of the AFC : "Recently, members of the aviation community have come on board calling for more immediate action. A group of pilots known as the Aviation Fuel Club has started a grassroots movement to make unleaded fuel available at airports." As we described to officials at the FOE, the Directors of the AFC favor free-market solutions to aviation fuel consisting of multiple options, and rejects the one-size-fits-all solution promoted by the FAA and some aviation organizations.

Do not 'wash' ethanol from gasoline

A recent thread on an EAA forum suggests that it is possible to separate ethanol from an E10 ethanol blend and use the resulting fuel in an airplane. We can not stress enough that this is not only a dangerous practice, but the resulting fuel is not approved for any use, neither in an airplane, boat nor highway vehicle. For details, see this recent article published at General Aviation News.

Rotax 912iS designed for lead-free autogas

The announcement of the long-anticipated Rotax 912iS fuel-injected engine was widely reported in the aviation press last week. Unfortunately, many reports failed to mention that the 912iS is the latest in a series of engines from Rotax and other leading aircraft engine manufacturers designed to operate on lead-free autogas, a lower-cost, more environmentally friendlier fuel than leaded avgas.

AirBP and EPIC part ways

AirBP and EPIC Aviation, the company who has sold BP's aviation fuel in the past, have parted ways, according to this press release from AirBP.   "BP’s global aviation fuelling business, Air BP, announced today that it has entered the U.S. general aviation business as a direct fuel supplier to Fixed-Base Operators (FBOs), business aviation companies, and other direct aviation customers and airfields coast-to-coast...Air BP had previously supplied the U.S. and Canadian general aviation industry through a joint venture license agreement with Epic Aviation LLC. That license agreement concluded on Feb. 15."

According to this press release from fuel supplier EPIC Aviation, the company remains a supplier of aviation fuel to FBOs across the country.  The same press release describes a strategic alliance with the UVair® Fuel Program, a service aimed solely at Jet-A users.

Freak jet fuel fire at Daytona 500

The rain-delayed Daytona 500 race became the scene of a freak accident involving jet fuel. Under a caution flag required to dry the rain-soaked track, driver Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a jet dryer, as shown in this video.  Images of the fire and efforts to extinguish it should remind all pilots to treat aviation fuels with the utmost respect. This includes proper grounding of the aircraft and fuel system during refueling, and availability of the correct form of fire extinguishers near all fuel stations or during self-fueling of aircraft. For Class B (autogas, avgas, Jet-A) fires, the recommended kinds are CO2, foam and dry chemical extinguishers, which smother a fire with an inert solid substance of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate or monoammonium phosphate.

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.

Do fuel prices affect hours flown?, March 8th, 2012

AirBP and EPIC part ways, March 6th, 2012

Martin Field in Walla Walla ads Autogas, March 6th, 2012

Autogas passes the quack test, February 27th, 2012

Florida panhandle airport adds autogas, February 16th, 2012

Study claims ties between avgas and lead in children's blood, February 15th, 2012

LGB air quality to be studied, autogas cited as partial solution, February 14th, 2012

Cloudy skies ahead for ethanol, February 13th, 2012