EAA Response to AOPA President’s Position on Avgas

EAA continues to support a smart and safe transition to an unleaded future. A key component of a smart and safe transition is having well-vetted fuels, which are fully understood by the aviation and petroleum industry before they enter the market and are used in our family’s, friends’, and members’ aircraft. EAA continues to participate in and support the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative, which relies on the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) testing protocols and the development of an industry consensus standard through ASTM International. Additional information about the PAFI testing protocols, including a list of the engines, airframes, and materials that are part of the testing, can be found on the EAGLE website at this link.

While we agree with the recent call by AOPA, in their President’s Position on Unleaded Fuel, for a “rapid and transparent assessment” of issues, we feel that a “transparent assessment” should occur prior to the fuel entering the market. Any mitigations needed to use a new fuel should be widely communicated and implemented before the fuel enters the market. While we agree that there needs to be a “rapid” response by the FAA and fuel sponsor to any issues that are encountered by users, we feel the need for this should be minimized through a transparent assessment. EAA agrees that we “…owe it to the entire industry to quickly assess issues as they arise…”; however, we also feel that pilots and aircraft owners should be able to rely upon a fuel that has been well vetted and is understood by aircraft manufacturers, fuel producers, distributors, and the owner and pilot communities.

AOPA also stated that EAA “has developed” guidance for the experimental community to transition to new fuels. We want to clarify that EAA “is developing” guidance for the experimental community to consider before using a new fuel. Additionally, AOPA discussed how the “…challenge is somewhat amplified for the homebuilt community because of the diversity of material used…” The November issue of Sport Aviation includes an article by members of the EAA Homebuilt Aircraft Council titled The Future of Fuel (Systems). This was developed to help builders and owners understand the importance of knowing what materials were used in the construction of their aircraft.

Material compatibility will be one of numerous considerations when transitioning to a new fuel. While knowing what’s in your airplane will be critical to determining if a new fuel is compatible with your aircraft, knowing what is in the fuel, how it has been tested, and what materials it has been tested on will also be important. This highlights the need for fuel sponsors to provide information about their testing, similar to that provided by the PAFI testing and the ASTM peer review consensus process. The FAA is also intending to provide information critical to assisting the experimental community’s transition in their Fleet Authorization.

EAA is also developing additional guidance that will become available for our members in the near future. This guidance, as well as the recent experiences reported from the field by early users of unleaded fuels, will be discussed directly with the FAA.

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