kevinsky18
Well Known Member
I?m getting a bit tired of the whole "when 100LL" disappears scare. This chicken little, "the sky is falling" syndrome needs a bit of check and balance.
Yes there is an environmental concern and yes people would like to see all leaded gas removed. However that?s not going to happen anytime soon in the aviation community.
First environmentalists are mostly focused on over all carbon emissions. 100LL is only a minor part of that when compared to all the gas driven vehicles out there. In other words we are very small blip on their radar.
Second, every gas piston airplane engine uses lead gas. Therefore in order to get rid of it there would have to be an official announcement with at least a ten year grace period.
Third, as most know lead is not just an octane boaster it is also a lubricant for these engines. Even if you have low compression pistons, if lead is removed no aircraft engine will be getting the lead lubrication that it needs. In other word everyone is in trouble not just the high compression engines.
Fourth there are lots of additives out there to boast octane so that?s the least of anyone?s worries if or when lead is removed from aviation fuel. Everyone?s biggest worry is going to be lubrication and this can?t be made up by adding another quart of oil that?s a different kind of lubrication all together.
Fifth and this is very important. If lead was removed from aviation engines every certified engine would become decertified, period! There is no way that Lycoming or Continental would continue to say our engines are going to make TBO. Their response would be plain in clear, ?We can no longer reliably predict the life and reliability of our engines, either discontinue use of the engine or fly at your own risk.? And there are far too many vested interests in certified engines to let that happen: From the engine makers themselves, to airplane manufactures that use these engines to the hundreds of thousands of owners both commercial and private that would no longer have a certified aircraft.
People will say but car engines run just fine without lead. Yes today car engines are designed to run without lead. But older engines suffered consequences when the conversion was made years ago.
For a good example look at NASCAR they are having troubles converting from leaded race gas to unleaded and they are blowing engines in record numbers. But of all the troubles they are having getting the gas to the proper high octane they need is not one of them, it?s lubrication.
Will lead one day be removed from aviation fuel? Yes one day it will happen but when that day comes all leaded gas engines are in trouble not just high compression engines. If you want to be future safe then you need to be looking at alternatives; car engine conversions, turbines or certified aviation diesels.
I believe the aviation diesel engines will be the ones left standing when lead is removed. As it?s over all a better more efficient principle, runs on jet fuel and the cost of developing a diesel engine would be the same as developing an unleaded gas powered engine. And as far as I know there are a number of certified diesel engines flying already and I?m not too sure if there is even one certified unleaded gas engine even on the design table.
So for now I?m going to run high compression and not even think about the ?what ifs? of lead being removed. I?m betting that my engine will be well beyond TBO by the time that happens and I?ll have ordered a diesel retrofit.
Yes there is an environmental concern and yes people would like to see all leaded gas removed. However that?s not going to happen anytime soon in the aviation community.
First environmentalists are mostly focused on over all carbon emissions. 100LL is only a minor part of that when compared to all the gas driven vehicles out there. In other words we are very small blip on their radar.
Second, every gas piston airplane engine uses lead gas. Therefore in order to get rid of it there would have to be an official announcement with at least a ten year grace period.
Third, as most know lead is not just an octane boaster it is also a lubricant for these engines. Even if you have low compression pistons, if lead is removed no aircraft engine will be getting the lead lubrication that it needs. In other word everyone is in trouble not just the high compression engines.
Fourth there are lots of additives out there to boast octane so that?s the least of anyone?s worries if or when lead is removed from aviation fuel. Everyone?s biggest worry is going to be lubrication and this can?t be made up by adding another quart of oil that?s a different kind of lubrication all together.
Fifth and this is very important. If lead was removed from aviation engines every certified engine would become decertified, period! There is no way that Lycoming or Continental would continue to say our engines are going to make TBO. Their response would be plain in clear, ?We can no longer reliably predict the life and reliability of our engines, either discontinue use of the engine or fly at your own risk.? And there are far too many vested interests in certified engines to let that happen: From the engine makers themselves, to airplane manufactures that use these engines to the hundreds of thousands of owners both commercial and private that would no longer have a certified aircraft.
People will say but car engines run just fine without lead. Yes today car engines are designed to run without lead. But older engines suffered consequences when the conversion was made years ago.
For a good example look at NASCAR they are having troubles converting from leaded race gas to unleaded and they are blowing engines in record numbers. But of all the troubles they are having getting the gas to the proper high octane they need is not one of them, it?s lubrication.
Will lead one day be removed from aviation fuel? Yes one day it will happen but when that day comes all leaded gas engines are in trouble not just high compression engines. If you want to be future safe then you need to be looking at alternatives; car engine conversions, turbines or certified aviation diesels.
I believe the aviation diesel engines will be the ones left standing when lead is removed. As it?s over all a better more efficient principle, runs on jet fuel and the cost of developing a diesel engine would be the same as developing an unleaded gas powered engine. And as far as I know there are a number of certified diesel engines flying already and I?m not too sure if there is even one certified unleaded gas engine even on the design table.
So for now I?m going to run high compression and not even think about the ?what ifs? of lead being removed. I?m betting that my engine will be well beyond TBO by the time that happens and I?ll have ordered a diesel retrofit.