EAA Sport Aviation - September 2009

www.EAA.org

No “Magic Bullet” to Replace 100LL

After 19 years of work to find a lead-free substi- tute for 100 low-lead aviation fuel (100LL), there is no solution that offers a seamless transition from leaded to unleaded fuel for high-performance aircraft engines.

AirVenture’s Aviation Learning Center, supported by Chevron Global, hosted a panel of representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, FAA, GAMA, Coordinating Research Council, and FAA Technical Center who collectively have conducted or coordinated much of the fuel research to date.

“We are no longer seeking a ‘transparent’ or ‘drop-in’ replacement for 100LL—one that wouldn’t require modifications to the aircraft or FAA approval for each aircraft,” said Walt Desrosier, a vice president of GAMA.

Alternatives under study include low- or medium-oc-

tane unleaded avgas, high-octane synthetic fuels (mainly biofuels), and new blended fuels. The solution has to be a worldwide standard, panel members agreed, and it has to be a long-term solution.

High-performance aircraft engines—powering about 30 percent of the U.S. general aviation fleet—are designed to use leaded fuel to control engine detonation.

Any potential alternative to 100LL will require extensive testing to determine its effects on the engine and fuel system, aircraft systems and performance, as well as engine cooling and weight. In addition, researchers will have to identify certification issues and the costs of the fuel, as well as needed aircraft modifications.

States will need to meet the new lead air quality standard by 2016 or 2017, and aviation gasoline may need to be part of the solution.

Another Generous
Outpouring at
Gathering of Eagles

This year’s Gathering of Eagles gala during AirVenture proved once again the aviation community is stead- fast in its support of aviation’s future. More than 1, 100 people attended and raised $1.97 million, which will help support programs and experiences that inspire and motivate kids to pursue their aviation dreams.

The donations will help build the Young Eagles First Flight and Next Step programs that engage kids in aviation-related activities.

The event’s signature item—the AirVenture Xperimental 2010 Mustang (AV-X10) Dearborn Doll built exclusively for the event by Ford Motor Company—brought the night’s highest single bid of $250,000.

The Windsock Challenge totaled $300,000, silent auction items raised $100,000, and the Sean Tucker Experience, which includes lunch with Bob Hoover and Harrison Ford, sold for $50,000.

Jeff Skiles offered the flight jacket and shoes he wore the day he and Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger were forced to ditch Flight 1549 into the Hudson River in January 2009. Those items alone brought in $38,000, an amount that was doubled by Airbus.

WomenVenture a Success

Hundreds of women gathered on AeroShell Square July 31 to celebrate women’s success in aviation and to encourage other women to follow their dreams of flight.

The second annual WomenVenture day at AirVenture brought an estimated 600 women to AeroShell Square for the photo, including Women Airforce Service Pilots; air show performers Debby Rihn-Harvey, Julie Clark, and Jill Long; the Misty Blues; and others.

Peggy Chabrian, president of Women in Aviation International, said there are two reasons events like WomenVenture are important. “It’s the camaraderie, meeting other women pilots and interacting,” she said. “But as these women are walking around wearing their WomenVenture T-shirts, hopefully other women and children will talk to them about flying. Hopefully this event will spark interest in aviation for women. It tells them it’s okay to be involved.”