Pilots living in or flying through the Pensacola, Florida, area have good reason to cheer the news that autogas is now available at the Peter Prince Airport (2R4) in Milton. According to an airport spokeswoman, “We added autogas last summer. We are currently selling 93 octane fuel for $3.95 per gallon.” That’s $1.20 less than […]
avgas
Study claims ties between avgas and lead in children’s blood
In what is sure to provide more fodder for the ongoing debate over the future of leaded avgas, the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative, at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment in Durham, N.C., recently released a study “A Geospatial Analysis of the Effects of Aviation Gasoline on Childhood Blood Lead Levels”. In this research, […]
LGB air quality to be studied, autogas cited as partial solution
According to an article in the Long Beach Business Journal, the air quality at Long Beach Airport (LGB) in Southern California will soon be the subject of a major study. As cited in the article, “A regional air pollution control agency in Southern California, in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is planning […]
Cloudy skies ahead for ethanol
On Dec. 31, 2011, the 45 cent per gallon federal “blender credit” for ethanol finally ended with little fanfare, as described in this article from U.S. News. Since fuel producers are still required to meet the RFS ethanol mandates in EISA 2007, the end to the credits will have no effect on the continued adulteration […]
Negotiations begin for California avgas settlement
AVweb is reporting that aviation interests and the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) have started negotiations that could lead to an out-of-court settlement regarding the use of leaded avgas in California. Read Glenn Pew’s report here.
Fracking, Bakken, Marcellus and GA
Some of the best energy news in recent years is the discovery of massive oil and gas reserves in the Bakken and Marcellus fields, among others. Thanks to advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), deposits once thought unprofitable have now created an economic boom in Montana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and other places where […]
Ethanol: It will get you coming and going
Recently, reader Frank Klein asked if he should be concerned about filling up containers of auto gas for his plane if the previous customer pumped 10% ethanol fuel from a pump island that uses a common dispensing hose for several grades of auto gas. When I do some rough calculations, I figure that the amount […]
Lead fuel usage not known to non-aviators
“Lead in paint has been a well known public health problem for decades and that product was banned decades ago. No news about that,” said John Ryan, a reporter for Seattle’s KUOW, when I asked why his story focused on avgas rather than the “much bigger threat” of lead paint. “I think most people outside […]
Upgrades continue at MAO
By BILL WALKER A growing list of improvements, a reputation for pilot friendly service, and competitive fuel prices are helping to make South Carolina’s Marion County Airport (MAO) a popular stopover for East Coast flyers. Airport manager Margaret Pittman notes the air field is in the second phase of a $500,000 project to upgrade infrastructure […]