Fuel News

Savvy Aviation master mechanic Mike Busch is questioning the methodology of tests done by the University of North Dakota that resulted in it abandoning the use of Swift 94UL and going back to 100LL in its training fleet. The school made the switch back to leaded fuel last fall because it detected significant valve seat […]

The lawyer for a California environmental group says a court settlement that will mandate the sale of G100UL avgas will not necessarily prevent FBOs from also selling 100LL. Mark Todzo, who represents the Center for Environmental Health, clarified part of his December 2023 letter to FBOs and fuel distributors informing of the imminent commercial availability […]

Swift Fuels CEO Chris D’Acosta says a legal threat against California FBOs to sell a new-to-the-market unleaded 100-octane fuel is based on the premise that G100UL, developed by General Aviation Modifications Inc., will soon be commercially available, something he says is unlikely to happen anytime soon. In public comments and in emails to AVweb, D’Acosta claims that […]

Lawyers for a California environmental group say most if not all FBOs in California will be required to offer 100LL with General Aviation Modifications Inc.’s (GAMI’s) G100UL starting in the first half of 2024 thanks to a nine-year-old court ruling. The consent judgment, issued in favor of the Center for Environmental Health in December of […]

A series of studies commissioned by the town of Superior, Colorado, found virtually no evidence of airborne and surface lead contamination in three towns nearby Jefferson County’s Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (KBJC – also known as Jeffco Airport). But it took a Freedom of Information request to bring the test results to light. In all […]

The first FAA-approved 100 octane unleaded fuel is virtually indistinguishable from 100LL in operation and offers some important benefits beyond the environmental ones. Rick Durden, a regular contributor to our sister publication Aviation Consumer, logged 3.3 hours in a Beech C55 Baron with one engine running on General Aviation Modifications Inc.’s (GAMI’s) G100UL and the […]

Aircraft operators in California will likely be the first to be able to fill their tanks with unleaded 100 octane aviation fuel. General Aviation Modifications Inc. head of engineering George Braly told AVweb the company has signed a licensing agreement with petroleum company Vitol Aviation and that company is now in the process of producing the first large-scale batches of G100UL® avgas. At this time, the […]

British Airways is among the investors in a $200 million plant that will make sustainable aviation fuel from ethanol derived from corn. The plant officially opened in rural Georgia last week and will produce about 10 million gallons of jet fuel and diesel. As electric cars and trucks displace gasoline-powered vehicles there will be massive […]

The City of Long Beach, California, is offering to pay piston aircraft operators to switch to unleaded fuel. Last week the city council of the Los Angeles suburb voted to have the city cover the $2-$4 per gallon difference between Swift Fuels and 100LL. In November, the city council voted to cover the cost of […]

Phillips 66 has “paused” evaluation of its unleaded avgas alternative after what sources have told AVweb was a major test failure. Phillips 66 confirmed to AVweb that evaluation of the fuel it is developing with Afton Chemicals through the Piston Engine Aviation Fuels Initiative has been suspended, at least temporarily. “We can confirm that PAFI […]