California FBOs Told To Stop Selling 100LL, Switch To G100UL [This is the end of leaded fuel for small propeller planes in California]
California FBOs Told To Stop Selling 100LL, Switch To G100UL [This is the end of leaded fuel for small propeller planes in California]
Leaded fuel has a long history of causing brain damage to kids exposed to the fumes, and it demonstrably does for kids living near airports as a result of propeller planes burning leaded fuel. The recent development of an unleaded fuel which can work in all the existing aircraft fleet has resulted in a small number of locations needing the sale of leaded fuel, and this will represent a full state-wide end to the use of leaded fuel.
I expect to see improvements in childrens' intelligence and reductions in crime as over the coming decades as a result.
I hadn't heard of G100UL, but the gist is it's 100% octane. If I remember school right 100 Low Lead was 90-something percent octane and uses lead to get to a 100% equivalent. The octane has a slower burn rate than the other % of fuel that was in there.
G100UL is quite new; it was only approved by the FAA in the fall of 2022. Should be downright amazing to make the switch and not have another generation of kids grow up with cognitive impairments.
I am no expert in Aviation or fuel, but there has been high octane unleaded ethanol free fuel options for years (Racing Fuel comes to mind aka mogas) and G100UL has been around for > 15 years aside from other competitors with similar products. It feels like regulations like California’s are the only reason the FAA even started doing anything.
The True Inside Story of the G100UL Fuel Approval (in 22 seconds) by AVweb