Taking A Different Approach To Find A Creative Solution

There is a lot of talk these days about the future of GA fuel, and we all know that 100LL will be phased out at some point in the likely not-too-distant future. ANN spoke with representatives from GAMI/Tornado Ally Turbo at Oshkosh this summer which took a different approach to the problem. Head of Engineering, George Braly, told us that what they did was find a fuel that works, and then write a specification around that fuel.

The GAMI solution was to pick a high-compression normally-aspirated piston engine, add a turbo-normalizer, and apply for an amended STC. After a great deal of wrangling with the FAA, including one fairly obstructive project manager, GAMI managed to move the project forward.

Braly said that in practice, getting the approval should not be a long and drawn out process. He said rather than being in the fuel business, the company is striving for a solution that is workable, meaning it has to work in the airplane, and it has to work in the pocketbook. He says that the G100UL fuel meets both of those criteria.

Braly says that all of the components in the G100UL fuel are readily available in large quantities, and are made in such volumes that, if you take up the necessary quantities to support the entire GA fleet on an annual basis, it won't disrupt the existing market stream or supply chain on those items. "One of the beauties of this," he says, "is that there are only seven to nine places in the United States that make 100LL," and any one of those small to medium sized refineries could make G100UL next month, if they wanted to.

FMI: www.gami.com, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews