Unleaded Fuel Candidate Advances into Next Stage of PAFI Testing

Members of the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative announced that the first candidate fuel has passed the toughest part of the toughest PAFI phase, paving the way for another lead-free alternative to traditional 100LL.

The Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) sports an initial phase testing for detonation with a 150-hour engine durability exam, seen as a simple way to weed out unworkable fuel types from a field of submissions. The winner this time comes from LyondellBasell Industries and VP Racing, known as UL100E. Now the fuel will move on to full-scale engine and airframe tests, with 10 different engines and 8 aircraft. The process will take anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

The FAA commented on the event, recognizing the importance of a promising unleaded avgas candidate.

“This is another important milestone for a safe General Aviation transition to unleaded fuel and for our goal to eliminate lead emissions by the end of 2030. The joint industry/government effort continues to make strong progress,” said Lirio Liu, FAA Executive Director of Aircraft Certification Service and Government Co-Chair of the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) government-industry partnership.

“The LyondellBasell/VP Racing’s achievement marks an important waypoint on the path to a more environmentally friendly future for aviation fuel and demonstrates the progress we’ve made through our government and aviation community partnership. EAGLE celebrates this milestone and looks forward to more opportunities to recognize industry ingenuity and innovation,” said Curt Castagna, President of the National Air Transport Association (NATA) and Industry Co-Chair of the EAGLE initiative.

FMI: www.flyeagle.org