It looks like General Aviation is going to be about the last group on earth to us leaded gasoline. The other big user of leaded gas, NASCAR, will begin using unleaded fuel at the end of February. Most piston airplanes use 100 octane low lead fuel commonly called 100LL or Avgas.
As less and less leaded gas is being produced the price should continue to rise. It seems that there will be a point when manufactures will not longer see it profitable to produce Avgas because of the small demand compared to other fuels. It seems now is the time to be looking for and testing alternatives to 100LL.
There is one group that has been testing an alternative fuel for some time now. They are developing an Aviation Grade Ethanol fuel. They have already flown a couple of thousand hours with out problems. Take a look at their website for more information, http://www.age85.org/index.htm.
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has been working on alternate fuels for years as well. Because of the work done by the EAA the Federal Aviation Administration has approved unleaded auto gas to be used in many different types of engines. You can see more information on this at http://www.aviationfuel.org.
This is a great start. However the major problem with both of these fuels alternatives is that you can not get them at most airports. Most people who use auto gas have to bring it to the airport themselves which is a big hassle. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for avgas and its alternatives.
No comments:
Post a Comment