{"id":6780,"date":"2025-03-22T20:03:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T19:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/?p=6780"},"modified":"2025-03-22T20:03:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T19:03:34","slug":"pioneering-work-for-a-lead-free-future-ganderkesee-is-the-first-airport-in-europe-to-refuel-with-swift-100r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/pionierarbeit-fuer-eine-bleifreie-zukunft-ganderkesee-tankt-als-erster-flugplatz-europas-swift-100r\/","title":{"rendered":"Pioneering work for a lead-free future: Ganderkesee is the first airfield in Europe to refuel with Swift 100R"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Swift 100R: The unleaded fuel from the USA<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Swift 100R is manufactured by the US manufacturer <strong>Swift Fuels LLC<\/strong> based in <strong>Indiana<\/strong> produced. This is a <strong>unleaded aviation fuel with 100 octane<\/strong>which was specially developed as a replacement for the previously used 100LL. The \"R\" in the name stands for \"<strong>Renewable<\/strong>\" - in other words, renewable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fuel contains at least <strong>10 per cent renewable components<\/strong>is complete <strong>Free from lead and other toxic additives<\/strong> and already has <strong>Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs)<\/strong> the <strong>US-American FAA<\/strong> and the <strong>European Aviation Safety Agency EASA<\/strong> - initially for the <strong>Lycoming IO-360-L2A<\/strong>as it was, for example, in the <strong>Cessna 172S and R<\/strong> is installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>German introduction via Saarbr\u00fccken - with a dedicated team<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company's European subsidiary, the <strong>Swift Fuel GmbH<\/strong>, has its registered office in <strong>Saarbr\u00fccken<\/strong> and is operated by <strong>Dr Thomas Albuzat<\/strong>, a chemist and pilot himself. He played a key role in the development and is contributing his expertise to the market launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For distribution in Germany, Swift is cooperating with the <strong>Bollinger Aviation<\/strong>whose managing director <strong>Clemens Bollinger<\/strong> acts as a link between the manufacturer and the aerodrome operator. In Ganderkesee, the infrastructure for utilising the fuel is already fully in place: <strong>Tankers, signs and specially labelled tank caps<\/strong> on the affected aircraft ensure clear processes in day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is Swift 100R so important for aviation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Avgas 100LL, which is still widely used today, contains <strong>Tetraethyl lead<\/strong>which is not only harmful to health, but also has a massive impact on the environment. The discussion about lead-free avgas is not new - environmental authorities, aviation associations and researchers have been calling for a lead-free avgas system for many years. <strong>Environmentally friendly alternative<\/strong>which can be used immediately without any technical modifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Swift 100R offers exactly that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Compatibility with existing motors<\/strong> (initially for certain types, later planned across the board)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No modifications to aircraft necessary<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Miscible with conventional avgas<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Material-friendly properties<\/strong> due to contained ether<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Green colouring<\/strong> for visual differentiation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A long development path - with a view to the future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Already <strong>since 2009<\/strong> Swift Fuels is researching alternatives to leaded avgas. The first product, <strong>Swift UL94<\/strong>has been certified for a large number of piston engines worldwide - including <strong>ROTAX engines<\/strong>which are used in many ultralight aircraft. According to the manufacturer, UL94 covers around <strong>70 per cent of the global piston aircraft fleet<\/strong> from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Swift 100R is now taking the decisive next step: it offers the octane rating of 100LL and is designed to maximise its <strong>Fully-fledged, environmentally friendly replacement<\/strong> become. One <strong>Certification for other motors<\/strong> is already in preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The next milestone: Ganderkesee to Friedrichshafen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to regular operations, a symbolic long-haul flight with Swift 100R is also planned: From <strong>Ganderkesee to Friedrichshafen<\/strong> to the <strong>AERO 2025<\/strong>Europe's largest trade fair for general aviation. Weather and logistics permitting, the flight will be the <strong>first long-haul flight in Europe with Swift 100R<\/strong> a strong sign of innovation and ecological responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Statements from the field<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ralf Sauer<\/strong>Managing Director of the airfield and the AAG Flight Academy, is convinced by the new fuel:<br>\"A passion for flying and innovative solutions are part of our company's DNA. Sustainability is not a marketing term for us, but a responsibility we live by.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Albuzat also emphasises:<br>\"We are on the verge of a historic turning point in aviation fuel supply. Swift 100R is a safe, proven product on the market that also meets environmental requirements.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A significant step for general aviation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The introduction of Swift 100R in Ganderkesee is more than just a local pilot project - it is <strong>a signal to the entire aviation industry<\/strong>that environmentally friendly innovations are already practicable and economically viable today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If the experience with Swift 100R in Ganderkesee proves to be consistently positive, many other airfields and flying schools in Europe could follow suit - and thus pave the way for lead-free aviation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><br>Swift 100R marks the beginning of a new chapter in general aviation fuel supply. The decision by Ganderkesee airfield to be the first European site to use the new unleaded fuel is courageous, pioneering and forward-looking. It will be exciting to see how quickly this development spreads in Germany and beyond.<\/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.fliegermagazin.de\/news\/ganderkesee-erster-flugplatz-europas-mit-bleifreiem-avgas-swift-100r\/\" 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\">Aviation magazine<\/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 in Europe is on the verge of a significant turning point: with the introduction of unleaded Avgas Swift 100R at Ganderkesee Airport (EDWQ), for the first time a European airport is using an environmentally friendly fuel as an alternative to AVGAS 100LL, which has been established for decades but is harmful to health.<\/p>\n<p>On 21 March 2025, the AAG Flight Academy at Ganderkesee airfield began actively using Swift 100Rs in training and charter operations - a milestone for sustainable development in aviation.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,75],"tags":[],"module":[],"class_list":["post-6780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allgemein","category-avionik"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6780","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=6780"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6782,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6780\/revisions\/6782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6780"},{"taxonomy":"module","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/module?post=6780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}