Ownership

Piper Aircraft issued a “Customer Communication” this afternoon (Feb. 25) informing Piper operators it does not approve using any fuels that have received FAA Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) in its aircraft. The letter (copied in full below) said, in part, “At this time, without additional information regarding fuels that have undergone the STC approval process, […]

The Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions group has issued its second in a series of three information bulletins, this one explaining the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) and the role it plays in the FAA’s potential issuance of a “fleet authorization” for a fuel being developed by Lyondell/Basell. If the fuel passes the battery of […]

Last week, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) weighed in on the controversy surrounding G100UL unleaded aviation gasoline from General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI). As an advocacy group for Experimental-Amateur Built (E-AB) aircraft, among others, EAA’s statement focused on specific concerns for E-AB builders and operators. While EAA noted that G100UL has been authorized for use […]

Cirrus says it doesn’t approve of the use of G100UL or any other unleaded fuel in its SR series aircraft, but G100UL’s developer says that position flies in the face of the airframer’s own FAA-supervised testing. Cirrus issued a statement on Thursday saying it now believes that G100UL that leaked from an SR22 in California “resulted […]

California A&P Michael Luvara says he’s been told by the owner of a Cirrus SR22 that its composite structure has been damaged by exposure to GAMI’s G100UL unleaded fuel to the point where it will have to be ferried to an authorized repair center to be fixed. But GAMI founder George Braly says he’s personally […]

Lawyers for a California environmental group say a collection of FBOs and fuel distributors are trying to convince a court that they know better than the FAA what makes an acceptable aviation fuel. The Center for Environmental Health is trying to compel 17 California FBOs and the four fuel distributors that serve them to switch […]

The new president of AOPA wants everyone using new unleaded fuels to report their experiences through a new survey page on the group’s website. Darren Pleasance, who took over from Mark Baker on Jan. 1, said in a statement the association believes in a “burn and learn” philosophy to rapidly gain insight to any issues […]

ForeFlight unveiled its Insurance Fair Price Tool this week, offering aircraft owners increased transparency into what the company calls “one of the most opaque financial aspects of aircraft ownership.” The tool aims to help aircraft owners navigate the complexities of insurance pricing. According to ForeFlight, the Insurance Fair Price Tool uses anonymized insurance policy data […]

The FAA is now reportedly investigating reports of damage to aircraft related to their use of GAMI’s G100UL unleaded fuel in California. Inspectors looked at several planes involved at Watsonville Airport south of San Francisco. Various incidents of peeling paint, leaking fuel tanks and even a bent pushrod/seized valve have been reported in various forums. […]

General Aviation Modifications Inc. has completed its own version of a 10-day simulation of a slow leak of its G100UL unleaded fuel and no paint damage resulted. In the video results below, GAMI founder and chief of engineering George Braly says the fuel was allowed to drip and evaporate on a side panel from a […]