September 5-9 marks the dates for this year’s Triple Tree Aerodrome Fly-In near Woodruff, S.C., your blogger’s favorite sport aviation event of the year. Compared by many old-timers to the famed Rockford EAA conventions from years past, Triple Tree has all the ingredients needed for success: An incredible 7,000-foot smooth grass runway (SC00), camping, permanent […]
Stating the obvious: Higher fuel costs reduce flying
GAfuels readers won’t be surprised by the conclusions of a new study from MIT graduate student Kamala I. Shetty: Higher fuel prices lead to less flying. The study, “CURRENT AND HISTORICAL TRENDS IN GENERAL AVIATION IN THE UNITED STATES,” included a survey of pilots on their past and future flying habits and what affects this. […]
Ethanol under fire, on fire
Ethanol producers have found themselves under more pressure than ever in recent months, with numerous efforts afoot to grant waivers or even repeal the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) production mandates encompassed in the EISA 2007 Act that have resulted in the nearly complete adulteration of our nation’s fuel supply in recent years. The latest drought […]
Four more airports offer mogas
News reached your bloggers in recent days of four more airports that now offer lead-free, ethanol-free mogas: Hendricks County Airport – Gordon Graham Field (2R2), Indianapolis, IN Mifflintown Airport (P34), Mifflintown, PA Clarke County Airport (23M), Quitman, MS Putnam County Airport (4I7), Greencastle, IN You’ll find a complete list of airports offering mogas as well […]
Unleaded to Oshkosh
The dust has literally settled in Oshkosh, and there was a good deal of it on the first days of AirVenture 2012 when high temperatures and winds turned the headquarters of U2OSH — Unleaded to Oshkosh — into a blast furnace. A last minute mix-up (EAA had double-booked our space with Beechcraft) forced a move […]
North Carolina builders progress on Stits Skycoupe
Last September I reported on our efforts to complete a rare Stits SA-7D Skycoupe project first begun in the early 1960s. Our group of homebuilders in central North Carolina set a few basic goals to achieve by the end of the year: Form a club; recover all flying surfaces; and return the plane’s Lycoming O-290-D […]
Response to Cessna Pilots article on avgas
The June 2012 issue of the Cessna Pilots Association Magazine featured an article from Jim Cavanagh titled “Get the Lead Out!” The third part in a series, it dealt with alternatives to 100LL. While it includes a good review of efforts to find an unleaded 100-octane replacement, we felt the need to weigh in on […]
Autogas: Better than ever
Among the myths that one occasionally hears regarding autogas (aka mogas) is that it is of poor quality compared to avgas. We asked Todd L. Petersen, owner of more than 100 auto gas STCs, to comment on the changes he’s seen in gasoline quality in the three decades since the FAA approved the first autogas […]
U2OSH: Unleaded to Oshkosh
The Aviation Fuel Club is organizing a special event called “Unleaded to Oshkosh” — U2OSH — for the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the FAA’s approval of the first autogas STC, an effort led in part by EAA founder Paul Poberezny. All pilots flying […]