cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/1604327

In particular, whatever politicans say, the Republican-controlled House has a rider in the FAA authorization bill which requires airports to continue selling leaded fuel for propeller aircraft forever:

The House version of the bill would require airports that receive federal grants to continue selling the same fuels they sold in 2018 in perpetuity.

While the Democratically-controlled Senate requires a phase-out:

The Senate version would require these airports to continue selling the same fuels they sold in 2022, with a sunset date of 2030 or whenever unleaded fuels are “widely available.”

For context, the FAA approved sale of unleaded fuel for all propeller planes last year, and there are local efforts to ban the sale of leaded fuel in locations where the unleaded fuel is now available

  • Dankenstein@beehaw.orgEnglish
    2·
    11 months ago

    From the FAA:

    There are approximately 167,000 aircraft in the United States and a total of 230,000 worldwide that rely on 100 low lead avgas for safe operation. It is the only remaining transportation fuel in the United States that contains the addition of TEL.

    TEL meaning Tetraethyl Lead, it is used as a fuel additive in avgas to increase octane ratings (required for safe operation of engines).

    Now, the post says “propeller” aircraft but this isn’t exactly true.

    Turbine-driven propeller aircraft (Turboprops) don’t use avgas.

    The unleaded fuel they’re talking about is probably G100UL and that’s only been around for like a couple years.

    Nobody wants to use leaded fuel (unless someone inhaled too much of the emissions) and it’s on the way out whether our representatives want it to or not.