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Is this true, airplanes are still using leaded fuel?

Geo-TH,In

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
If Leaded Fuel Is so Bad, Why Are Airplanes Still Using It?

piston-based aircraft running on leaded gas are the largest contributors to airborne
lead in the nation.
leaded fuel
 
It's simple; They've not been able to come up with a widely approved, distributed or cost effective alternative with the same antiknock capability that will work in ALL aircraft.
 
No. Ethanol attracts water. Water in airplane fuel tanks will kill people. Aircraft fuel systems are not designed to use ethanol.
 
Thanks,
This explains why some people say use aviation fuel in chainsaws. Ethanol free, and has lead. Old school fuel..
 
Cannot say about all piston aircraft but I was the lead Lab 92L in Afghanistan back in 2014 and most of the larger drones like the predictor run on Avgas. Which cause problems since everything but those drones ran on JP4 type fuels.
 
Not only that, but US military vehicles need not comply with the Tier (whatever) nonsense because it makes the engines unreliable.

Do as I say, not as I do.

Dean
 
Many aircraft run unleaded mogas under a Supplemental Type Certificate. 100LL avgas is is problematic for engines designed to use 80/86 octane fuel.

A lot of work is being done to find an acceptable 100LL replacement.
 

Considering the relatively tiny numbers of piston aircraft compared to gasoline autos, why worry about it?
 
The DoD exemption has nothing to do with reliability, but fuel availability. You cant always pull into a Love's truck stop to fill up with low-Sulphur diesel during a war.

Semis that can- with engines built to tier 1-4 specs- travel millions of trouble-free miles every day.
 
I'm not worried
Thought it was simply informative.
Now I know why some people recommend av
fuel for small engines and chainsaws.
 
Good question George .... but considering all the issues the planet and the people who live on it have these days, lead in piston driven airplanes is probably not in the top 10,000 list. Still, a good question .....
 

We have some 87 and 91 octane gasoline dealers around here for that and boats that spend a lot of time sitting....without a water separator.
 
The DoD exemption has nothing to do with reliability, but fuel availability. You cant always pull into a Love's truck stop to fill up with low-Sulphur diesel during a war.

That's why they bring their own fuel
 
(quoted from post at 08:17:01 09/03/21) Thanks,
This explains why some people say use aviation fuel in chainsaws. Ethanol free, and has lead. Old school fuel..
Click to expand...

Chainsaws and other two strokes do not have valves and do not benefit from the use of 100LLs valve/seat protection . there is the lack of corrosion, varnish and gum while in storage .
While actually using a two stroke . Burn premium unleaded that has no ethanol .
100LL is roughly equivalent to 96 pump octane fuel . Enough for most performance cars/boats/tractors etc that do not have O2 sensors .
 
(quoted from post at 09:33:22 09/03/21)

Semis that can- with engines built to tier 1-4 specs- travel millions of trouble-free miles every day.
Click to expand...

Trouble free Tier I to Tier IV spec engines trouble free ? You are a so idealistic that you are ignoring the facts and are l y i n g .
Tier I to IV engines have cost hundreds of billions in lost production , shop labour and replacement parts . Not to mention fires causes by the high temp exhaust systems .
For tiny little bit of difference that it makes . Tier II is the highest level practical and effective in the real world .
Even the fanatical green weenies at the EPA realize that Tier III and IV make engines unreliable . Emergency power generators and pumps etc are speced Tier II . Otherwise the failure rate is too high .
 
True! But you also need the capability to burn what you can find locally when your convoy cant make it (Multifuel).
 
Emergency Generators are typically classified as not running for more than 200 hrs per year, so the EPA considers the PM and NOx emissions as having little
impact. It has NOTHING to do with reliability. Because it must already meet tier 2-3 standards, it is already far cleaner than earlier gensets.

If the generator sees regular use as a stationary power source, it must meet Tier 4 standards.
 
Hey Mel--If you put the fuel you use in you pulling G's in a Piper Cub you could break the sound barrier!!!---Tee
cvphoto99875.jpg

770 mph at sea level!!!
 
Wow, thats a really great comeback! How long did it take you to come up with that bon mot?

Unfortunately (as always) you forgot to list some examples that might bolster your position...
 
I demure to your obvious expertise!

Somewhere in the distance I can almost hear the band Kansas on the radio-->And if I claim to be a wise man, well, it surely means that I dont know...<
 
I doubt there are many piston aircraft engines in use that are actually neglected enough to be in poor tune. Those that are in poor tune may not run long enough to complete their next trip.
 
> Why?

Why what? I made two statements.

The reason for auto gas STCs is primarily that 80/87 octane is pretty much unavailable, and the high lead content of 100LL causes fouling in low-compression engines. Cost is also a factor, of course.

The search for an alternative aviation fuel is driven by the realization that sooner or later 100LL won't be available. Given that aviation is now the largest producer of atmospheric lead, there will be continue to be pressure to eliminate lead from avgas.
 
Run 100LL in my original 454 high compression engine in my 70 Chevelle. Engine was designed for it, starts instantly, runs better than ever, inside tailpipes are clean as a pin, zero carburetor issues. Get it at the local airport, $4.75@gallon.

cvphoto99959.jpg
 
They now claim its the biggest producer of airborne lead, but is it really a dangerous amount? I wonder, what other sources are there to produce airborne lead these days? It is possible it could be the only one left? Im in my piston single plane about 6 hours per week, and thats a lot more than most. So figure 17x6= 102 gallons per week used which is not much.
 
I don't know as it's been decades since I filled up on the water. Gut feel.....gasoline. You look at all the boats at all the marinas around the world. Some boats sit for years unattended. I often wonder what do you have if one day you decide to take your boat out.....probably a big mess.....probably why they just sit.
 
Gas sold in marinas is automotive-grade unleaded, although typically ethanol-free. E10 gas has a very bad reputation among boaters, which may or may not be entirely deserved.
 
(quoted from post at 08:08:50 09/05/21) Gas sold in marinas is automotive-grade unleaded, although typically ethanol-free. E10 gas has a very bad reputation among boaters, which may or may not be entirely deserved.
Click to expand...

Boats do not have closed loop fuel systems.
Just like older cars, trucks and tractors the vented system lets the tank breath air and the ethanol pulls the water out of humid air.
 
(quoted from post at 09:52:14 09/04/21) They now claim its the biggest producer of airborne lead, but is it really a dangerous amount? I wonder, what other sources are there to produce airborne lead these days? It is possible it could be the only one left? Im in my piston single plane about 6 hours per week, and thats a lot more than most. So figure 17x6= 102 gallons per week used which is not much.
Click to expand...

Whether it's a dangerous amount or not doesn't matter. It's a political issue.
 
(quoted from post at 09:22:50 09/04/21) Run 100LL in my original 454 high compression engine in my 70 Chevelle. Engine was designed for it, starts instantly, runs better than ever, inside tailpipes are clean as a pin, zero carburetor issues. Get it at the local airport, $4.75@gallon.

&lt;img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto99959.jpg&gt;
Click to expand...

Mine was blue and white. Sold it for $2500. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil:
 
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