After a decade of research, Gami has partnered with Vitol Aviation to mass produce its 100-octane unleaded aviation fuel, G100 UL Avgas. This move is significant as the traditional aviation fuel Avgas 100 LL, which contains tetraethyl lead (TEL) and is therefore highly toxic, is due to be banned in Europe by 2025 and the USA is aiming to phase it out by 2030.
Gami's G100 UL-Avgas is a necessary innovation, as an estimated 116,000 small aircraft worldwide are still being fuelled with the leaded Avgas 100 LL. In addition to the elimination of lead, the new fuel also offers an energy density that is around three per cent higher than Avgas 100LL and leaves no deposits in the engine or on the spark plugs. The market launch of the new fuel is planned for the first half of the year in California, a state in which several airports have already banned the sale of leaded aviation fuel.
Approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for all engines that purchase a supplemental type certificate from Gami was granted in September 2022. The cost of this supplemental type certificate is around 425 dollars. Although the price per gallon for G100 UL Avgas is higher than that of Avgas 100 LL - with an expected price increase of between 85 cents and 1.15 dollars - this development marks significant progress towards greener and healthier aviation.
Source references:
Aerotelegraph
