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August 27, 2009
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Lycoming is educating pilots and piston aircraft owners on the future of piston aviation fuels. |
What will be the next generation of piston aviation fuels? Lycoming Engines, a leader in the piston aircraft engines, is helping the industry to come up with answers to that question.
Through a series of educational programs for pilots at air shows, its work with several industry committees and its support of the Federal Aviation Administration’s research of alternates to aviation fuels, or “avgas,” Lycoming is taking an active role on future fuels development, a critical issue for pilots and piston aircraft owners.
With fuels like 100LL, which are used for general aviation aircraft, expected to be phased out over the next several years, decisions will have to be made about its replacement and the potential impact this will have on aircraft owners and pilots.
So far, there has been no consensus on what that replacement will be and how it will impact the piston engine aircraft fleet. “There’s been no magic bullet discovered for a 100LL replacement,” says Michael Kraft, the senior vice president and general manager for Lycoming.
Lycoming, which designs, develops and manufactures piston aviation engines, has stepped in to share its expertise on the relationship between high performance fuels and aviation engines. Its goal is to educate customers about the issues the different constituencies will face when leaded aviation fuels are history.
“We’re trying to make certain that, through our participation in these programs and forums, that people understand what the larger picture is,” Kraft says.
Kraft and Randy Jenson, the director of Lycoming’s Advanced Solutions Center, have been out front in keeping aircraft owners and pilots updated on changes and potential solutions.
In July, they led a presentation at the Experimental Aircraft Association Airventure 2009 to update aircraft owners and pilots on what’s happening with aviation fuels. Kraft also spoke earlier this year on this topic at Germany’s Aero Friedrichshafen, Europe’s leading trade show for general aviation, while Jenson spoke at the FAA Forecast Conference in Washington DC in March.
“As we design new products that customers want to buy, we think it’s important for them to be educated about the issues we face as manufacturers,” Kraft says. “Informing customers of the benefits and drawbacks of potential fuel alternatives will help them make more informed decisions about where to spend their money, how changes may affect the value of their investment and how they can participate in the resolution of this complex problem.”
Lycoming has also been active on the policy side, serving as a voting member on the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Avgas Subcommittee, participating on the ASTM Synthetic Turbine Fuel Committee, and together with Cessna, being an active member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) Fuels Transition Committee.
Lycoming recently teamed up with the FAA and Swift Enterprises to research 100SF, a renewable fuel that Swift is developing as a possible replacement for 100LL aviation fuel. While Lycoming is not endorsing this fuel, it is providing the engines for testing of the Swift fuel at the FAA’s Aviation Fuel and Engine Test facility because Lycoming believes that it is important to aid in the research.
This study of synthetic renewable fuels that achieve high octane ratings without the tetraethyl lead additives required by crude oil-derived fuels is one of several worldwide aviation fuel research projects currently underway. Such synthetic fuels hold “great promise as they are not constrained by the results of crude oil refining processes,” Kraft says.
The new technology in Lycoming’s iE2, its breakthrough integrated electronic engine that is steadily moving to market, offers a bridge to future fuels with alternative-fuel capable control systems. Also, certification of new models designed for more common lower octane fuels, such as the IO-233-LSA, are key elements of Lycoming’s new product development programs. Engines can no longer be designed around 100LL.
Taken together, Lycoming is looking out for its customers as well as the general aviation industry.
“We are taking a leadership role in the definition of the next generation of fuels that make piston aircraft engines go because it’s important to this industry,” says Kraft. “It’s part of our commitment to the pilots flying our engines today and in the future.”
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