An editorial earlier this summer (“Don’t let children near Colorado’s airports suffer the same fate as kids in Flint, Mich.” July 11, 2023) focused on an important issue, but grossly oversimplified the solution. The concern over the use of lead in aviation gas is understandable, and shared by the general aviation industry, which has been working diligently towards the development, production and distribution of an unleaded alternative that can be safely used in all aircraft.
But such a complex transition, with aviation safety at the center, cannot be done overnight.
The use of lead in aviation gas is a matter of safety. Low-lead aviation gas – known as 100LL avgas – is used in aircraft with piston engines, generally smaller, single engine aircraft because these high-compression engines require equally high-octane levels in their fuel to prevent detonation, which can result in catastrophic engine failure. This high-octane level has historically been attained by the addition of a lead-based additive.
Finding a safe alternative has proven to be an enormous technical challenge. Lead-free formulas have been tested for decades, and only recently has there been some promising success. One company has produced a 94-octane unleaded fuel, which can safely be used in certain lower-compression piston engines, and just last fall the FAA finally granted preliminary approval for a 100-octane unleaded aviation gas formula, with final approval expected later this year.
However, this formula has not yet received the critical, industry standard ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) certification – without which no responsible airplane owner is able to use it. As a result, to date no 100-octane aviation fuel has been refined, let alone distributed to any airports. But even as approvals are obtained and the distribution process started, it is not as simple as turning a valve.
Aviation gas accounts for roughly 1/3 of one percent (0.003%) of gasoline sold in the country, and it will take time for production to ramp up to meet demand. Infrastructure is another limiting factor; leaded and unleaded aviation gasoline cannot be mixed in the same vessels. Therefore storage tanks and other fuel-handling equipment must be replaced at airports, FBO’s and elsewhere. Even with these improvements, distribution to the more than 5,000 public use airports in the country will take time.
Despite these challenges, Colorado’s aviation community has been pushing for Colorado to become one of the first states to make change happen.
Last October the EPA released a finding on lead air pollution that said “emissions from certain aircraft cause or contribute to lead pollution.” While we applaud the EPA for their finding, we note that the agency is several years behind the aviation industry in this matter. A joint industry-FAA initiative called the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) coalition, has been championing a safe transition to unleaded aviation fuel for years.
But that replacement must be done thoughtfully, carefully, and prudently. In the meantime, it is not helpful to overstate the problem; for instance, aircraft are not “raining lead down on homes, schools, playgrounds, and businesses.” And misleading studies commissioned by local entities with financial incentives to shut down a public airport are no substitute for hard empirical data.
General aviation in the state of Colorado generates more than $50 billion annually, supports more than 35,000 jobs, and adds substantially to the quality of life, providing not only swift and convenient transportation, but vital services such as wildfire fighting, medical flights, and humanitarian relief. Everything we do in aviation – from the regulations we follow, to the training and certifications we require, to the type of fuels we use – is centered on safety, and is usually born of lessons learned from a life lost. As the aviation industry continues our transition to unleaded fuels, it is imperative that it be done in a manner that does not compromise aviation safety, but which benefits everyone.
Brad Elliott is chairman of the board of directors for the Colorado Aviation Business Association. Cooper Anderson is president of the Colorado Airport Operators Association.
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