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Textron announces Cessna 172/182 can use 91UL, 94UL, or 100VLL
WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 26, 2021) – Textron Aviation announced today that many Cessna piston-powered aircraft are now approved to utilize a more environmentally friendly aviation gasoline (AvGas). Owners and operators of Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 182 Skylane can utilize 91-octane unleaded (91UL), 94UL or 100VLL (very low lead) fuel in their aircraft wherever it is available. The 206 Turbo Stationair HD aircraft is approved for 100VLL. Unleaded and lower-leaded fuels burn cleaner than higher-leaded fuels… (media.txtav.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
And where would one find these fuels? I have never seen any of them offered during my travels.
I have used 94UL which was available at two airports I use. Airnav will report some of these if you do not select any option when searching for local fuel. There are a few in Wisconsin, but one switched back to Mogas, which is also unleaded and ethanol-free at airports. The Swift Fuel UL94 (according to Swift) meets/exceeds specifications for AvGas 80 which went out of production sometime in the 1990s. It can be used without modification in all 80 Octane aircraft. In others (100/100LL or 91/94) an STC is available from Swift.
Necessary octane is directly related to compression ratio. We all think we need more than we actually do. 100 LL wont make your 700 HP Dodge Hellcat run any faster. Why? Cause it doesn't need it. A 9:1 Lycoming does not need 100 Octane at most cruising altitudes and power settings that we all utilize. Lead is the biggest reason to run aviation fuel. Why? Lubrication. But, do we need it? What are TBO's based on? OLD INFORMATION!!! In the 70's cars lasted 100.000 miles given the best of care. Oils and fules have made a little progress since then, TBO's have not taken this in to comsideration. Coupled with technologies used by mechanics(borescopes, 60 years history, and fuel and oil analysis) we should be able to run our low compression low RPM engines just a little longer than the standards we all are paying for at annual.
I beg to differ with that statement about 70's automobiles. My family routinely watched the odometer start at zero at least 3 times before passing the vehicle along to the next guy ... and who knows how many more times it rolled over. The bodies would usually rust out before anything, so we'd hose the undercarriages down with used motor oil. I still do this to my modern junks. My grandfather drove all over the country, and my dad pulled campers and everything else with his trucks for hundreds of thousands of miles. The key was MAINTENANCE. Oil, filters, points, coolant, and timing - keep all of those in good tune, and the engine will never stop.
Sounds like you had a great mechanical influence in your life.
Yeah, dad and grandpa taught me everything I know about the older stuff. Constantly learning with modern junk. Stuff is so frustrating today. It's like engineers hate mechanics now, and are all taking revenge ...
Lubrication? Lead in gasoline, usually in the form of tetraethyl lead was added to control the ignition properties of the fuel. At high power settings, the fuel was prone to pre-ignition of some of the fuel/air mixture.
It also cushioned the impact between the valve and seat, AND kept valves sliding nicely in their guides.
Google again!!! Resourcefulness is a great attribute..