Will 100LL Disappear in 2011?

The Economist , a widely read financial magazine, recently published an outstanding detailed article highlighting, from an economic standpoint, the future of Avgas in general aviation. The bottom line is Avgas has a gun to its head.

By 2011 the EPA under petition from Friends of the Earth using the Clean Air Act has directed a clean up of atmospheric lead. The current blend of Avgas we are all familiar with is 100 octane, Low Lead or 100LL for short. Not all aircraft require 100LL like my Aeronca Champ for example. Many aircraft could function on 93 octane automotive fuel. However, all automotive fuel today is mixed with ethanol. Fuel containing ethanol is bared from use in GA aircraft because ethanol, a form of alcohol, will dissolve seals in GA engines and can trap moisture in the fuel which could freeze at altitude, both issues making ethanol unsafe for aviation use. 100LL is currently the only fuel widely available that is sold without ethanol and approved for use in the vast majority of general aviation aircraft today. Keep in mind however, the aircraft that are capable of burning fuel other than 100LL are limited meaning the GA fleet world wide would wither and die without 100LL.

There are two feasible options to rid aviation of our toxic 100LL, replace the GA fleet of 100LL burning engines with another engine that burns JetA or some other type of fuel (with the same or better power to weight ratio for the engine), or we need a “transparent replacement” and quickly. While it would be nice to replace all 100LL engines with mini turbines, fleet wide engine replacement is cost prohibitive, so that leaves us with a revamped 100LL.

Researchers around the country are looking into replacement fuels. In the meantime, stock up on 100LL before 2011 and keep your aviation organization memberships up to date to keep your voices heard by the EPA.

If you know of 100LL “transparent replacements” drop a line below, we’ll research them for you, our readers, to keep you informed on the future of Avgas.