Unleaded Fuel Debate Heats Up in Oshkosh

During the public comment period after formal presentations, Tim Roehl, president of General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI), challenged a couple of points made during the presentations of members and support staff from the End Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions. He told the crowd—smaller than in previous years—that contrary to assertions made during the formal part of the forum, GAMI’s G100UL is indeed ready for distribution and sale.

Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative member Pete Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), stood up and dismissed Roehl’s assertion.

“I totally disagree, but that’s a discussion for another day,” said Bunce.

In earlier comments, Bunce said his organization remains adamant that any new fuel will be approved through “transparency and a peer reviewed process,” which has traditionally been done through ASTM International.

“Transparency is so absolutely vital for us,” said Bunce.

Refiner Vitol Aviation has 1.3 million gallons of G100UL in tanks in Louisiana and says it has been completely vetted as ready for sale through its supplemental type certificate (STC). GAMI and Vitol have consistently said the FAA approval of an STC covering all gasoline engines on the agency's registry satisfies all the regulatory and safety requirements to begin retail distribution of the fuel, but there are critics who contend it needs a consensus standard determined by an independent organization like ASTM to satisfy concerns about materials compatibility.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) president Mark Baker said his organization is using G100UL in a Beech Baron it operates and, based on the 200 hours of experience with the fuel, “GAMI is as good or better” than 100LL. He also said the process has to “move forward” to get the correct fuel.

The balance of the meeting was a reiteration of the stated goals of EAGLE, which increasingly has become focused on maintaining the supply of 100LL. The existence of the commercial quantity of G100UL has prompted politicians in California and Colorado to try to ban 100LL in favor of filling airport tanks with G100UL. Legislative and legal initiatives in both states are moving through their respective processes.

Meanwhile, testing of the last remaining candidate under the congressionally mandated Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative (PAFI) is slowly progressing at the FAA’s Atlantic City, New Jersey, test facility.

About 23 percent of materials compliance testing, 25 percent of durability testing, and a few percent of several other categories have been done on Lyondell/Basell/VP Racing’s entry. It’s also been fully tested on the airframe of a Lancair Legacy and on a Continental TSIO 550K engine.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.