{"id":6633,"date":"2025-02-22T15:11:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T14:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/?p=6633"},"modified":"2025-02-22T15:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T14:11:17","slug":"cirrus-aircraft-refuses-approval-for-unleaded-avgas-g100ul-material-problems-and-safety-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/cirrus-aircraft-verweigert-freigabe-fuer-bleifreies-avgas-g100ul-materialprobleme-und-sicherheitsbedenken\/","title":{"rendered":"Cirrus Aircraft refuses approval for unleaded AVGAS G100UL - material problems and safety concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background: Why is unleaded AVGAS needed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For decades, the general aviation industry <strong>AVGAS 100LL<\/strong> is used as the standard fuel, but it has a significant disadvantage: It contains tetraethyl lead, which is used to increase anti-knock properties but is harmful to the environment. Aviation authorities around the world are therefore calling for alternatives that minimise <strong>same performance features<\/strong> but are more environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GAMI's <strong>G100UL<\/strong> is one of the first completely lead-free AVGAS products to receive FAA approval (STC - Supplemental Type Certificate). Nevertheless, there are considerable concerns regarding the <strong>Long-term compatibility<\/strong> with existing aircraft components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Test phases and problems: Cirrus identifies material incompatibilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cirrus Aircraft is actively involved in the evaluation of alternative fuels and has developed extensive <strong>Laboratory tests and flight tests<\/strong> with G100UL. This resulted in <strong>Problems with material durability<\/strong> of the fuel systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Tank sealing<\/strong> of aeroplanes of the <strong>SR series<\/strong> showed according to Cirrus <strong>Significant signs of wear<\/strong>when it came into contact with G100UL. These findings were developed in close collaboration with the <strong>FAA, GAMI, and the engine manufacturers Continental and Lycoming<\/strong> obtained. The result: the fuel could potentially impair the airworthiness of the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Consequences of the Cirrus decision:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cirrus currently prohibits the use of <strong>G100UL<\/strong> in aeroplanes of the <strong>SR series<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guarantee and warranty claims expire if operators use G100UL.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The manufacturers <strong>Continental and Lycoming<\/strong> have confirmed that their motors only work with <strong>authorised fuels<\/strong> to avoid losing warranty claims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GAMI itself sees the concerns as <strong>exaggerated<\/strong> and points out that G100UL is already <strong>Extensive tests<\/strong> has gone through. The manufacturers emphasise that their own tests <strong>No negative effects<\/strong> for material compatibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What's next? Alternative fuels at a glance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">General aviation urgently needs a solution for phasing out leaded AVGAS 100LL. Besides <strong>G100UL<\/strong> two other lead-free fuels are currently being tested:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>UL100E<\/strong> from <strong>LyondellBasell\/VP Racing<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Swift 100R<\/strong> from <strong>Swift Fuels<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These fuels are covered by the FAA programme <strong>EAGLE (Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions)<\/strong> supported. Cirrus itself relies on a comprehensive evaluation process and emphasises that the safety of its aircraft is a top priority. <strong>top priority<\/strong> has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Shell brings 100VLL to Europe - a short-term alternative?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the complete transition to lead-free fuels will still take time, the <strong>Shell Aviation<\/strong> announced that <strong>100VLL (Very Low Lead)<\/strong> from <strong>April 2024<\/strong> will be available at European airports. Cirrus confirms that this fuel <strong>can be used in the SR series without any problems<\/strong>as it does not fulfil the existing <strong>ASTM D910 standards for leaded AVGAS<\/strong> corresponds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion: A difficult but necessary transition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion about <strong>G100UL<\/strong> shows that the switch to unleaded fuel for general aviation <strong>Not an easy process<\/strong> is. Manufacturers like Cirrus must ensure that new fuels are not only efficient, but also <strong>Compatible with existing aircraft components<\/strong> are. While GAMI continues to work on broad acceptance for <strong>G100UL<\/strong> it remains to be seen which unleaded fuel will prevail in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source references:<\/strong><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flieger.news\/cirrus-aircraft-raet-vom-bleifreien-avgas-g100ul-ab\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.fliegermagazin.de\/news\/fussball-em-2024-sorgt-fuer-zahlreiche-sperrgebiete-im-luftraum\/#:~:text=Drei%20Sicherheitsstufen%20w%C3%A4hrend%20der%20Fu%C3%9Fball%2DEM%20202&amp;text=Die%20Flugbeschr%C3%A4nkungsgebiete%20befinden%20sich%20immer,Luftraum%20vormittags%20normal%20nutzbar%20sein.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Flieger.News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General aviation is facing a significant change: the transition to unleaded aviation fuel is a key challenge that is becoming increasingly important for both environmental and regulatory reasons. One of the most promising candidates, G100UL from General Aviation Modifications, Inc (GAMI), has undergone intensive testing in recent years. Now a decision by Cirrus Aircraft is causing discussion: The manufacturer is refusing to approve G100UL for its SR series, citing safety concerns and material incompatibilities.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,55],"tags":[],"module":[],"class_list":["post-6633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allgemein","category-safety"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6635,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6633\/revisions\/6635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6633"},{"taxonomy":"module","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/module?post=6633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}