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When will a diesel be available for my aircraft? |
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News, facts, and comments on the coming revolution for piston-engine aircraft.In 1998, one diesel engine flew on a converted airplane for the first time since 1945. Today, close to 4,000 singles and twins are flying. This is the beginning of a worldwide trend which will eventually allow a rebirth of the piston-engined aircraft, around new specs and new missions. DieselAir Research, Inc., the publisher of The DieselAir Newsletter, offers strategic intelligence services to the aircraft industry, its suppliers and its customers who ambition to benefit from this global change of paradigm which will mean new markets, new concepts, new services, new materials and components… You may be interested in our services if your firm designs and/or manufactures aircraft and components, aero engines, avionics, propellers and engine components, fuel systems or additives, advanced materials, or industry specific machinery for manufacturing of these; or provides aviation services such as fuel production or distribution; flight training, aircraft chartering, maintenance and operations (FBO’s); or airport management and design, traffic control, hangar, materials handling and storage equipment; or consulting and financial services for these industries; or advertising, sales promotion, trade shows, specialized publications. To know more, send a confidential email inquiry to Dr. Eng. André Teissier-duCros at atc@geanoverseas.com News of April 26, 2010GA Industry and EPA Prepare to Get the Lead out of Avgas: With my comments.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has formally begun the regulatory process required by the Clean Air Act that may ultimately result in standards mandating the general aviation industry’s transition to unleaded aviation gasoline (avgas). The EPA has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), which is a key opportunity for the GA community to comment on this possible new environmental standard and the development of a plan for identifying, evaluating and transitioning to an unleaded fuel. This is particularly important given the technical complexity and safety implications of removing lead from aviation gasoline because there is not a high-octane replacement unleaded avgas available today that meets the requirements of the entire GA fleet. In the ANPR, the EPA recognized the complexity by stating, “Converting in-use aircraft/engines to operate on unleaded aviation gasoline would be a significant logistical challenge, and in some cases a technical challenge as well.” Remark: Research for such a replacement has been going on for some 40 years for a 100 Octane no-lead gasoline. Many possible substitutes are known, whether different fuel compounds or additives. Each of them faces a practical impossibility: either cost, or too corrosive notably for the higher performance engines, or too toxic to handle. The agency also acknowledged that a joint effort will be critical in the likely case that engine modifications will need to be developed and certified. “Given the potentially large number of affected aircraft and the potential complexities involved, a program affecting in-use aircraft engines would need careful consideration by both EPA and FAA and the two agencies would need to work together in considering any potential program affecting the in-use fleet,” EPA wrote. Remark: 30% of the US fleet of piston-engined airplanes which represent 70% of Avgas consumption needs such a no-lead 100 Octane fuel. The remaining 70%, which fly less and less and use less performing engines, could be refitted to fly with a 95 Octane fuel (Mogas possibly). We expect that a significant fraction of these airplanes, the average of which now exceeds 40 years and which fly very little now, will be scrapped. This means several tens of thousands of planes on the US Register. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) have devoted more than 20 years of research and development to identifying a viable alternative to the 100 “low lead” avgas formulation used today by most piston-powered aircraft. The industry stakeholders look forward to continuing their work with the EPA and the FAA on establishing a realistic standard to reduce lead emissions from GA aircraft along a transition timeline that balances environmental benefit with aviation safety, technical feasibility and economic impact upon the GA industry. Remarks: We are not sure yet whether EPA and FAA will finally agree on phasing out leaded Avgas in 2015 or 2017. But we are sure that phasing out will not be delayed further. Meanwhile, outside USA/Canada, Avgas availability is getting worse and worse, and General Aviation is getting ready for a single fuel for all airplane engines: Jetfuel. We can appreciate this by the fact that the fleet of diesel planes is bigger and developing faster outside North America. posted at 11:56 PM |
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