An existential threat

We helped pass long-overdue third class medical reform (more than 70,000 pilots have now qualified to fly under BasicMed since the program’s inception), we fought off the effort by the airlines to privatize air traffic control, helped pass the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, and enabled members and the GA community at large to navigate the ADS-B Out mandate. We achieved these successes together with a world-class advocacy team, engaged and energized AOPA members, and friends and allies on Capitol Hill.

Another major issue before us today is the need to remove lead from avgas. It is the number-one issue that threatens all of general aviation.

Yes, the issue has been around for some time and, if it were an easy fix, we’d be there already. The EPA recently indicated that it will pursue an endangerment finding regarding leaded fuel, which adds a measure of real urgency. But what is just as important is that a transition needs to be safe and smart. Rash and uniformed decisions to immediately scrap 100LL, like some airports in Santa Clara County, California, are doing, are at odds with safety. And with no regard for the emergency and rescue operations that are staged there and at many other local airports, as well as the economic benefits airports provide our communities.

With that clock ticking, you have probably read about AOPA and the GA industry joining with manufacturers, fuel developers, airports, and other stakeholders to create the EAGLE (Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions) initiative (see “AOPA Action,” p. 14). While the pursuit of a higher-octane unleaded fuel has been underway for several years, the EAGLE effort brings a broader base of constituents to the government-industry effort, now with the EPA threat hanging over all our heads. The protocols that were developed over the last decade through the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative—developing procedures and conducting tests of higher-octane unleaded fuel candidates—are in use today under the EAGLE banner.

EAGLE is about getting to lead-free by 2030, but truth be told, we’re looking to get there sooner.

We’re focused on the goal: a drop-in UL100 fuel for the entire fleet. AOPA continues to support all avenues to get us to the finish line, as soon as we safely can. In addition to the industry-wide EAGLE effort, progress is also being made through a supplemental type certificate (STC) pathway, from GAMI’s G100UL STC approvals by the FAA for hundreds of low-compression piston aircraft, to Swift’s availability of UL94 and its UL100 candidate fuel. There is progress and there is light at the end of this tunnel.

We have to keep in mind that the unleaded fuel formulation is just one piece of the puzzle. The fuel needs to be manufactured at scale, distributed across the country, and stored on the field. And the EAGLE initiative is composed of experts in various disciplines in the fuel chain who are working hard to address each link to help ensure a smooth transition.

On top of the work being done in labs and test aircraft, AOPA rallied the GA community to create the Avgas Coalition. The mission of the Avgas Coalition is clear: align dedicated organizations on a smart transition to unleaded aviation fuel as part of a proactive pathway to cleaner skies. The Avgas Coalition is about being better informed, engaged, and aligned in our collective goal of becoming lead-free.

In just the first few months, the Avgas Coalition has grown to more than 100 organizations that represent a wide range of perspectives. Members include AOPA, EAA, NBAA, GAMA, NATA, the American Petroleum Institute, Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, and the Commemorative Air Force—just to name a handful.

What can you do to help us enable this smart and safe transition? Stay informed. Stay engaged. As with other important issues, there may come a time when we’ll need to rally and mobilize our members to help the cause—we have successfully done that before. In the meantime, I invite you to visit our website (aopa.org/100UL). It will help keep you up to date on efforts, activity, and progress on this important issue.

Together, we’ll address this challenge for the betterment of general aviation. Let’s get this done. Blue skies!

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