Demand was profound , Regulatory Authorities were under constant pressure to take a decision ! Members and Chairman of the 'Subcommittee on Environment' had criticized for immediate steps to Phase Out Dangerous Leaded Aviation Fuel in July 22.
In what could be termed as historic for the aviation industry , the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) has approved the supplemental type certificates (STCs) for the use of General Aviation Modifications Inc.’s G100UL 100-octane unleaded avgas in all general aviation piston aircraft.
The milestone approval is an outcome of more than 12 years of testing and hardship alongwith frustrating moments , before the FAA finally took a call to approve the fuel as safe for the general aviation.
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GAMI co-founder George Braly said that the fuel will be produced in small batches , while the manufacturing and distribution infrastructure gets established. Yet to put a price tag for G100UL , one can expect the cost to be more than "leaded Avgas - 100LL" , until large scale production is seen.
Known as G100UL, the fuel was initially approved in July 2021 for a limited number of engines, including Lycoming O-320, O-360, and IO-360 piston engines.
With the recent FAA certification , the Approved Model List now covers “every spark ignition piston engine and every airframe using a spark ignition piston engine in the FAA’s Type Certificate database.”
George Braly gave a summary of the situation with G100UL avgas so far, and an insight into the background of how G100UL came to be.
Aiming a public-private partnership to phase out leaded fuel by 2030 , FAA had been working with critical government and industry partners to develop a multi-layered strategy to reduce and ultimately eliminate lead and its potential harmful effects from fuel for piston-engine aircraft based on various recommendations in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report.
The strategy included continued FAA collaboration with industry through the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI).
“This is a big day for the industry,” said Braly. “It means that for a lot of our general aviation communities, and especially for a high fraction on the West Coast, relief is on the way. And it means that our industry will be able to go into the future and prosper, and provide the essential infrastructure for this country for everything from Angel Flights to critical training of our future airline pilots.”
The fuel is a drop-in replacement for 100LL that’s compatible with virtually all piston aircraft engines . It requires no changes to aircraft operating limitations, and it can be safely mixed with 100LL in any ratio.
Braly expects that the first customers of G100UL , after this approval , will be the airports where 100LL has been banned , such as Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV) in East San José and San Martin Airport (E16) in Santa Clara County in California.
Braly also believes , G100UL will be relatively easy to distribute because truck fuel tanks won’t be contaminated by lead . Aircraft engines will run cleaner without the buildup of lead deposits, and the use of synthetic oils eventually will allow greater time between overhauls and oil changes.
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GAMI has partnered with Avfuel Corporation through Avfuel Technology Initiatives Corporation (ATIC) to oversee logistics and distribution. Avfuel is a global supplier of aviation fuels and services, and currently sells 100LL to more than 650 FBOs.
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