by Craig Fuller, President & CEO, Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
Just about every pilot I meet has questions about the future of avgas, and I believe it’s important for the entire GA community to stay on top of this issue, so I’ll start with the least you need to know:
1. Supplies of 100LL will remain readily available;
2. The GA community is working cooperatively to find a fuel without lead;
3. We have embarked on a process that will take a number of years, but must, and will, lead us to an alternative fuel formulation.
Of course this is a complex and nuanced issue, and one that AOPA is deeply engaged in. You should also know that the GA community has not found a specific solution at this time, but is exploring all the available options, as well as searching for new ones.
With U.S. policy calling for the removal of lead from fuels and just one remaining provider of the tetra-ethyl lead used in avgas, we have to face the fact that 100LL probably won’t be around forever. To date, researchers have investigated more than 200 possible fuel formations, with more in the works.
What we need is a way to research potential solutions, resolve the unknowns, and better understand how each potential solution will affect production, distribution, the environment, aircraft performance and safety, and the economics of aviation. The ultimate solution must be a fuel that we can rely on for decades to come, just as we have long relied on avgas.
To help find that way forward, aviation and petroleum industry groups have banded together as part of an organization called the General Aviation Avgas Coalition. In addition to AOPA, the members include EAA, GAMA, NATA, and NBAA, as well as the American Petroleum Institute and the National Petrochemical Refiners Association. The members of this group have pledged to work together to find solutions that will keep the GA fleet in the air while being affordable, safe, and environmentally sound.
Together, we will evaluate the past 20 years of research, as well as new work, to find the best possible solution. And, in the coming weeks and months, we will continue to visit many of the key players in this issue, including suppliers, aircraft and engine manufacturers, and companies that are developing potential solutions.
The coalition is committed to working with the rest of the aviation industry as well as EPA, FAA,
and other agencies. Because FAA is responsible for approving and certifying products that use any alternative fuel, we have asked the agency to convene a working group to help manage the safety, technical, logistical, and economic issues to ensure the best possible outcome for all concerned.
So, while we are very busy behind the scenes on this issue, don’t expect to see any immediate changes. Rest assured AOPA will make certain everyone concerned takes the needs of the entire general aviation community into account at every step along the way.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Learn more about this and other issues that affect your flying at www.AOPA.org.
August/September 2010 Midwest Flyer Magazine
