Fuel Producers Submit Proposals to FAA for Alternative Fuel Project
Alexandria, VA, July 10, 2014 – NATA President Thomas L. Hendricks praised nine companies including Afton Chemical Company, Avgas LLC, Shell, Swift Fuels, and a consortium comprised of BP, TOTAL, and Hjelmco, for submitting proposals to the FAA for development of an alternative to leaded avgas. The formulations developed by these organizations will be tested through the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI). NATA serves as a member of its Steering Group.
“The Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI), comprised of aviation industry representatives, petroleum experts, and the FAA is committed to developing a safe and affordable alternative to leaded avgas by the FAA’s 2018 deadline,” said NATA President Tom Hendricks. “PAFI is making good progress thus far and we are hopeful the proposals from these organizations will enable piston aircraft to operate safely and in a more environmentally sound way.”
The FAA will now begin assessing the viability of the candidate fuels using the data packages provided during the submission process. Phase one testing on the most promising fuels will begin in September with the developers asked to supply 100 gallons of fuel. Fuels that are successful in the first phase will produce 10,000 gallons of fuel for aircraft and engine testing.
There are approximately 167,000 aircraft in the United States and a total of 230,000 worldwide that rely on low-lead avgas for operation. This legacy aviation fuel is the only remaining source in the United States that contains added tetraethyl lead (TEL) and provides required very high-octane levels needed to ensure safe operation of high-performance piston aircraft engines.
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NATA, the voice of aviation business, is the public policy group representing the interests of aviation businesses before Congress and the federal agencies. For more information about NATA, please visit www.nata.aero, www.twitter.com/nataaero or www.facebook.com/nataaero.