FAA Says Warranties Up To Manufacturers

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA has approved GAMI G100UL fuel via Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for all gasoline engines but maintains it will not comment on manufacturers' warranty policies, leaving coverage decisions to them.
  • Cirrus Aircraft and Lycoming have stated G100UL is not an approved fuel for their products and its use could affect warranty claims, with Cirrus citing inconclusive data on materials compatibility.
  • The issue creates a conflict where an FAA-approved fuel is not endorsed by some manufacturers, potentially leaving aircraft owners without warranty coverage if they choose to use G100UL.
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The FAA is staying out of the controversy over warranty issues concerning the use of GAMI’s G100UL. Cirrus Aircraft and Lycoming have both said they don’t consider G100UL an approved fuel and confirmed its use could affect warranty claims. Continental Aerospace has not yet commented to AVweb on the issue. The warranty debate arose from Cirrus’ issuance of a service advisory describing G100UL as unapproved because of inconclusive data on materials compatibility. The FAA has approved STCs for every gasoline engine on its registry but says warranty coverage is up to the manufacturers.

“The FAA does not comment on manufacturers’ warranty-related policies,” the agency said in a statement to AVweb. “A Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) is the FAA’s approval of a major change in the design of a previously type-certificated product. An FAA-approved model list STC for 100 Octane unleaded fuel (G100UL) is on the Building an Unleaded Future by 2030 webpage.”

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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