Transition Fuel While Testing Of 100LL Replacement Continues

As the industry continues to move toward a drop-in replacement for 100LL avgas, Swift Fuels has launched a new Unleaded 94 MON Avgas. UL94 is an intermediate unleaded blend that's now FAA certificated for use on hundreds of aircraft makes and models.

In a news conference at Sun 'n Fun, Swift Fuels CEO Chris D'Acosta said that the new fuel is usable by about 65 percent of the general aviation airplanes in service today.

The UL94 avgas will be a transition fuel while PAFI Phase 2 testing continues on a full 100LL replacement fuel for GA airplanes. Swift Fuels MON 100 is one of two fuels selected by the FAA for PAFI Phase 2 evaluation.

Recognizing that PAFI Phase 2 testing could take a few more years, Swift Fuels took the initiative to certificate and commercially launch the new fuel. Swift's Unleaded UL94 Avgas is available now on a nationwide basis.

The FAA, in collaboration with industry leaders, established PAFI as a nationwide effort to evaluate unleaded fuel alternatives to the current leaded option widely used today, 100 Low-Lead avgas. Historically, 100LL avgas had been sold worldwide, but it has been proven to contain harmful toxins including tetraethyl-lead. Fuels containing lead not only cause mechanical wear-and-tear to aircraft engines, they also release harmful lead emissions into the environment.

According to the FAA, the initial PAFI submissions in July 2014 totaled seventeen fuels from six companies. After initial assessment by the FAA, four fuels qualified for Phase 1 testing -- two from Swift Fuels, one from Shell, and one from TOTAL. Phase 1 testing included: basic fit-for-purpose and chemical property lab evaluations, six rig tests, materials compatibility testing, engine anti-detonation and performance testing, and toxicity / environmental impact. The FAA announced last week that two fuels best suited to serve the GA fleet and the fuel supply chain are: Swift Fuels' UL102 Avgas (an "all-hydrocarbon" fuel which complies with ASTM D7719), and a fuel formulation from Shell. These two fuels will undergo Phase 2 engine and aircraft testing scheduled to conclude in 2018.

"We are extremely thankful and proud to have Swift Fuel's achievements recognized by the FAA," D'Acosta said. "It is a true testament to the tireless work of the entire Swift Fuels team as we join industry-leading oil companies like Shell and TOTAL in the full-scale movement toward unleaded avgas. That the FAA has orchestrated the nationwide PAFI in itself clearly demonstrates their full-on support of this effort, and we are grateful that they have taken on this initiative.

"We applaud the thorough testing and evaluation criteria of each Phase of PAFI, as it will undoubtedly help us attain our dream of seeing the day when toxic lead will be permanently removed from avgas in favor of environmentally-friendly, high-performance unleaded fuels," D'Acosta said. "It's been the ongoing mission of Swift Fuels to eliminate lead-caused damage to aircraft engines, and to eliminate lead's impact on the environment we live in."

(Source: Swifts fuels news release)

FMI: https://swiftfuels.com