ADVOCACY UPDATE
GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES
TOP STORY
All Ideas
Welcome
Innovation is key to 100LL replacement
FOR FOUR DECADES, 100LL HAS BEEN the mainstay of the general aviation
(GA) fuel supply. The blue-tinged aviation gasoline is commonplace
at even the smallest airport with a fuel pump. Aircraft companies and
engine manufacturers have developed their products based on its well-known performance specifications.
With the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement earlier
this year that it is beginning the process toward a rule eliminating lead
in aviation fuel, that’s going to change. And that news has touched off
a flurry of comments and debate not often seen in the GA community.
Any change can be disconcerting, but change that threatens the ability of
pilots to keep flying their aircraft is most disturbing.
While an angry mob might make everyone feel better temporarily, it
doesn’t change the situation. Eventually, lead is coming out of aviation
fuel; 100LL will be gone, and something will need to take its place. What
that “something” is will be one of the major issues facing GA this decade,
but there is no need to panic.
EAA is determined to find the answer. That’s why we have been
facilitating ways to find technical and practical solutions. EAA also
joined with other aviation groups, as well as the American Petroleum
Institute, to work together on a solution. Already more than 20 years of
research has gone into aviation fuels, studying more than 200 blends.
More importantly, EAA remains dedicated to welcoming any and
all ideas that may be part of a solution. Many people are working
independently on fuel innovations. Some of those people have talked
with EAA or appeared at Oshkosh in past years to describe their ideas.
That’s great. It’s what makes EAA unique: a membership that has the
ability to learn from all ideas and create solutions that benefit the largest
group possible.
Some researchers already believe they have made some progress
with new fuel blends. The success of any one of them, though, will
depend on whether it can meet the following checklist of requirements:
• The ability to be widely produced and distributed by fuel refiners;
• Production in high-enough quantities to meet the demands of the
entire GA community;
• The versatility to power a broad range of engines and aircraft (from
a Cessna 120 to a Beech Bonanza);
• A level of safety that would be at least as high as 100LL;
• Acceptable performance in all environmental extremes;
• A single-fuel solution that won’t force airports to add more tanks,
pumps, and costs; and
• A price point that doesn’t keep pilots from flying because of
significantly higher fuel costs.
That’s a daunting checklist. It’s also part of the
reason that no easy solution has been found in two
decades of research.
But, just because a solution hasn’t been found yet
doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Each time a potential blend
doesn’t work takes us one step closer to finding one that
does. It’s essential that we keep working with anyone and
everyone who might be able to provide ideas and insight.
It’s also critical that the GA community work
together. With fuels, as with many issues, it’s not a time
to be parochial and think only of one particular type of
aircraft. The answer must be one that serves the greatest
spectrum possible.
Former astronaut Jim Lovell, EAA 320945,
commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, described
his crisis management style to an audience at Oshkosh a
few years back: “Sure, a person can bounce around the
room for 10 minutes, but when you get done, you’re still
in the same place. It’s better to start solving the problem
right away.”
He’s exactly right. Debating side issues or dividing the
GA community over the issue is just bouncing around the
room. Let’s strap in together and get it done.
