EAA  Sky Writer Newsletter

Siouxland Chapter 291    Martin Field, South Sioux City, Nebraska            May 2008

Next Meeting

Due to Mother’s Day, The next meeting will be held this Sunday May 4th at 2 PM in the Chapter Hangar.

EAA Chapter 291 Minutes April 13, 2008

EAA Chapter 291 Minutes for April 2008

Meeting called to order at 2:15 pm by President Grant Fluent in Ira Menin’s hangar at 7K8 with 10 members present.

Grady Marx, John Bartholomew, Grant, Rick Alter, Scott Currie, Jim Schroeder, Ken Stanley, Alvin Roggatz, Scott and Jean Morgan.

Financial Report………Henry Bader

Henry is suffering from illness and was not present to give a report.

Old Business

Banquet: A motion and a second was made to pay the banquet speaker $100 in addition to paying his mileage and 2 meals for him and his wife. Motion carried.

Banquet meal will be at 6 with a happy hour preceeding at 5 pm on April 18.

New Business

The new office/pilot lounge to be erected at Martin Field was discussed. Gene Martin has given the chapter permission to hold it’s meetings there and the new facility will be air conditioned.

The annual flight breakfast at 7K8 has been tentatively set for September 4, 2008.

Young Eagles………John Bartholomew

John mentioned that the YE day at Tea, S.D. scheduled for May 3 has been postponed due to conflicts.

The Cherokee, Ia. YE day will be May 18. John needs pilots to help. The Cherokee folks have made a generous donation to Chapter 291 in past years for helping out.

Builder’s Reports

Rick Alter’s EAA Technical Counselor Authorization has been renewed.
Grant Fluent will be moving his Kitfox project to his hangar at the Vermillion, S.D. airport soon.

Scottie Currie is reassembling the Taylorcraft after strut rebuilding and other restorations.

Grady Marx mentioned that the Confederate Air Force (CAF) would like to fly their B17 to SUX sometime this Summer.

With no further business, meeting adjourned at 3:10 pm.

 Scott Morgan

Chapter Secretary

Can I use Auto Fuel in My Airplane?

This month’s newsletter is going to be dedicated solely to the pros and cons of using auto fuel in aircraft. All of this information is on the EAA website: http://www.eaa.org/autofuel/ . It is being provided here so you can make an intelligent decision on whether you want to use it or not. There are more FBO’s providing auto fuel every day including several in our area. EAA states airport provided auto fuel can save you from 65 to 85 cents per gallon depending on the FBO. You also have the option of carrying your own fuel, which will reduce the cost substantialy more, but safety must be considered. I will start with a letter to the EAA from the FAA endorsing the use of auto fuel in aircraft.

Read on, make your own decision and let’s make sure we keep them flying!!

Letter from FAA to EAA Concerning Auto Fuel

Mr. Earl Lawrence

Executive Director, Government Programs

Experimental Aviation Association (EAA)

EAA Aviation Center

P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086

Dear Mr Lawrence:

This letter is in response to your letter concerning a recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Program Newsletter that highlighted autogas use in a negative way. Several comparisons between autogas and avgas were cited in the newsletter that infer airplanes and engines that have Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) approved for autogas use are not as safe as airplanes or engines that use avgas exclusively. This is not an accurate representation of the operational service history for these products that use autogas. The sixteen year service history for airplanes and engines using autogas is good.

The newsletter cites a 1976 Textron Lycoming service information document and a Teledyne Continental Engine Technical Bulletin that defines certain concerns with autogas use. At that time, there were questions and issues that needed to be answered. However, since that time a tremendous amount of airplane, engine, and fuel testing has been accomplished among EAA, FAA, and other organizations. Autogas use has been extensively compared, tested, and analyzed.

Autogas has been shown to be an acceptable alternative to avgas for the airplanes and engines approved for such use. Airplanes and engines approved for autogas use have met the FAA certification requirements for engine detonation, engine cooling, fuel flow, hot fuel testing, fuel system compatibility, vapor lock, and performance. The newsletter also cited a report about aggravated engine valve seat recession (wear) with the use of autogas. Extensive FAA Technical Center testing concluded that valve seat recession with autogas use is not significantly different from avgas use.

In summary, there are numerous studies and technical reports available comparing autogas to avgas for use in certificated airplanes and engines. The service history for airplanes and engines using autogas has been good and is comparable to avgas.

We thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and we hope this clarifies the Small

Airplane Directorate's position on approved autogas use in 14 CFR part 23 airplanes.

Sincerely,

Michael Gallager
FAA Small Airplane Director

Engine and Airframe Models Approved

Engine models approved for the use of Auto fuel in airframes are listed below. The cost of the STC package (airframe, engine, and placards) is based on the engine models as follows:

AIRFRAME MODELS APPROVED

NOTE:
* Airframe Approvals Only

Revised 6/7/2006

• Order STCs

Is It All Right to Fuel My Airplane Using Five Gallon Cans?

A question frequently asked is, "Is it all right to fuel my airplane using five gallon cans?" The answer is "yes," but you must know it is risky business to handle gasoline in this manner. There is an added risk of contamination when putting gasoline into your aircraft. Fuel contamination with aviation gasoline or automobile gasoline, or any fuel is a significant safety problem in aircraft. Using five-gallon cans exposes you to the possibility of contaminating with rust or perhaps solder droplets from brand new cans and, in particular, from water formed by condensation or water otherwise entering the fuel system. Our recommendation, when this method of fueling must be done, is to take extreme care in making sure no water or other contaminant is put in your airplane fuel tank. Farm stores sell large funnels with flanges that will screw on your gasoline tank inlet to support the funnel and at the same time provide a 100-mesh stainless steel screen. This should help ensure the absence of water in the fuel tank. It is also a very good idea that a grounding strap be attached to the airframe and either the metal or plastic container you are using. 

301-3
Revised 5/20/96

The problem still remains, as with all aircraft and fuel systems, of possible condensation forming enough water in the fuel tank to cause a problem. The recommended practice has been to leave the fuel tanks full whenever possible in the small aircraft we fly. We highly recommend reading FAA Advisory Circular AC 20-43 regarding the contamination of aviation fuel.


 

Fuel Water Separator Funnel

 

This one is available from Aircraft Spruce

Filters out solids down to .005 and provides detection of water in gasoline, diesel, kerosene, or 2 cycle gas/oil mixture. Dirt and water in fuel tanks can cause microbial growth, corrosive acids, electrolysis, and rust. The contaminants can restrict fuel flow, plug filters, corrode fittings, decrease the energy potential of the fuel, and cause engine damage and system failure. Water is easily detectable as it backs up in the funnel. You can combat these problems by refueling with a funnel fuel filter. The fuel filter funnel is a heavy-duty fast-flow funnel that works with gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and mixed 2-cycle fuels.

F8C Large Fuel/Water Funnel 10.00" 8.5" 5.0 gpm 05-01055 $25.65

Or this one from Wicks

8" FUEL/WATER FUNNEL Utilizes a special thermoplastic-coated stainless steel base with a high-flow hydrophobic, mesh separator membrane that has an affinity for petroleum but repels water. The element can be removed easily, cleaned with a solvent and a soft non-scratch brush, low air pressure, steam or approved liquid cleaners. Funnel can be used for fast checking of potential contaminants, passes fuel, collects water and solids. Flow rate: 5.0 gpm.


SKU: FSF-4  Our Price: $18.00

Is it all right to mix aviation gasoline and automobile gasoline?

Aviation gasoline and unleaded automotive gasoline may be mixed in any proportion. Any mixture containing unleaded automotive gasoline in the aircraft must be handled in accordance with the placards or precautions established for unleaded automotive gasoline. One popular mixture is 25% 100LL and 75% auto fuel which provides about the same amount of lead as was available years ago in 80/87 octane aircraft fuel. The present 100LL fuel was designed for use in modern engines with high compression ratios and must be used in approximately 10% of the aircraft fleet.

Can an Airport Stop me from Fueling My Own Aircraft?

An airport cannot stop you from fueling your aircraft and continue to be eligible for Federal and State aid.
In accordance with guidelines per FAA AC 150/5190-2A, section 4.D, "Any unreasonable restriction imposed on the owners and operators of aircraft regarding the servicing of their own aircraft and equipment may be considered as a violation of agency policy. The owner of an aircraft should be permitted to fuel, wash, repair, paint, and otherwise take care of his or her own aircraft, provided there is no attempt to perform such services for others. Restrictions, which have the effect of diverting activity of this type to a commercial enterprise (FBO), amount to an exclusion right contrary to law. Local airport regulations, however, may and should impose restrictions on these activities necessary for safety, preservation of airport facilities and protection of public interest. These might cover, for example, restrictions on the handling practices for aviation fuel and other flammable products, such as aircraft paint and thinners, requirements to keep fire lanes open, weight limitations on vehicles, and aircraft to protect pavement from over stress, etc."

Can alcohol, methanol and ethanol be used?

Do not use fuel which contains methanol or ethanol. They are not compatible with materials in your fuel system and will cause malfunction of the fuel delivery system. There is a simple test to determine significant alcohol content in fuel. EAA Field Information No. 306 provides details on how to do it yourself.  The FAA has tested Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) and found no harmful effects in aircraft engines and typical fuel systems at various concentrations up to 100 percent MTBE. (Reference: Report DOT/FAA/CT88/05 "Alternate fuels for General Aviation Aircraft with Spark Ignition Engines."). As of late 1992, FAA clarified the policy allowing the use of MTBE for STC-approved installations. As of December 1995, the FAA has also tested and approved Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE). See EAA Field Information No. 305.

Savings with Auto Fuel

In 1982 EAA received approval from the FAA to provide an STC that allowed certain types of aircraft engines to use auto fuel instead of more costly avgas. This was the result of years of research and testing conducted by EAA staff and volunteers.

Recently we featured the development of the EAA Autofuel STC as the topic in an advertisement promoting membership in the association. This advertisement stated that the typical recreational pilot saves an average of $325 per year when they fly an aircraft that uses auto fuel. The fact is also stated that the results of EAA autofuel research save recreational aviators an excess of $11 million each year.

Below is the data that supports these statements:

Auto fuel saves the average recreational aviation pilot $325 / year (based on 2001 prices and on-airport purchase).

In 1999 data FAA reported 70 hours flown on average by pilots of single engine piston aircraft flown for personal use. However, we elected to use a more conservative figure of 50 hours /year because it reflects the number of hours typically used to describe a recreational pilot.

FAA reports the average single engine piston aircraft consumes 10.8 gallons of fuel per hour.

On September 6, 2001 Fillupflyer.com reported the average price of a gallon of auto fuel sold on airport at $1.88/gallon and the average cost of a gallon of 100 LL selling for $2.53/gallon. There was a $.65 price difference between the costs of these two fuels.
50 hours flown X 10 gallons consumed per hour = 500 gallons of fuel used per year.

500 gallon of fuel X $.65 per gallon price difference between auto fuel and 100LL = $325 saved per year.

The EAA Autofuel STC saved Recreational Aviators more than $11 million during the past year.

Data Points

• As of September 5, 2001 there were more than 40,000 aircraft that were modified with an autofuel STC. 22,165 of these aircraft were specifically modified with the EAA Autofuel STC.
• In 1999 the average single engine piston (SEP) aircraft burned 10.8 gallons of fuel per hour of operation. ¹
• In 1999 the average SEP aircraft flew 128 hours. ¹
• FAA reports that 8,907,000 hours were flown in 111,574 personal aircraft in 1999. ¹
• On September 6, 2001 the average on-airport price for a gallon of auto fuel was $1.88 and the average price for a gallon of 100 LL was $2.53 creating a $.65 per gallon price difference.²

Computation

1. 1. Number of average personal hours flown in single engine piston (SEP) aircraft:
   8,907,000 total hours flown in 111,574 airplanes = 79.83 average hours per aircraft. ¹

2. 2. Average annual volume of fuel used by each of these airplanes: 79.83 hours flown x 10.8 gallons per hour = 862.16 gallons / year.¹

3. 3. Total gallon of fuel consumed by aircraft with the EAA Autofuel STC: 22,165 STC’d aircraft x 862.16 gallons per aircraft = 19,109,776.4 gallons consumed.¹

4. 4. Total money saved by EAA Autofuel STC’d aircraft in 1999. 19,109,776.4 x $.65 gallon price difference between auto fuel and 100LL = $12,421,345.66. ²

This is a very conservative estimate because…

• Cost difference used between auto fuel and 100 LL is conservative. $.65 difference is computed from the on-airport cost of auto fuel. Many people who use auto fuel in their airplane purchase the fuel off airport. The off airport cost of a gallon of gas is nearly always lower than the on-airport price.
• This computation is based only on the 22,000 aircraft modified with the EAA Autofuel STC. There are currently more than 40,000 aircraft that have been STC’d to use auto fuel. Applying these computations to the entire fleet of auto fuel STC’d aircraft would indicate savings in excess of $20 million per year!

What is the shelf life of avgas?

Reprinted with permission from General Aviation News

by Ben Visser

12/16/2005

Bill Albrecht, who has a heli-pad and hangar in his backyard, recently installed a 2,000-gallon avgas

tank. His question: "What is the shelf life of avgas?"

The short answer is that, under most conditions, the shelf life of avgas is about one year. If you are

a commercial operator, this is the end of the discussion.

For a private pilot, however, there are several points to consider. First, there is a large margin of

safety in the one-year storage life of avgas. The main concern when storing fuels is oxidation and

subsequent formation of gum. Once the fuel starts to form gum, it can cause problems in the entire

fuel system. I've checked numerous avgas samples after two years or even more and found no

degradation, with the samples meeting all specification requirements. The samples will last even

longer if the container is blanketed with nitrogen or stored in a colder climate.

The second point is that the one year shelf life applies to avgas and not auto gas. If a pilot is using

auto gas, he should make a serious effort to use all of the fuel supply within six months of

purchase.

So if avgas is good for one year, how long can you store lubricants? Let's start with engine oils. The

specifications generally state that the manufacturer must guarantee a product will meet physical

property limits for at least three years. Here again, I've tested oils after five and 10 years — from

sealed containers — and found them to meet the spec. There was a small amount of additive

settling after 10 years, but the oil was still on spec. I've also checked samples from open drums

after three to five years and found them to be on spec except for a amount of moisture dissolved in

the oil. This is not a serious problem if your engine is running with a proper oil temperature and can

evaporate the moisture on the first few flights. However with a low usage aircraft, especially one

with an oil temp below 160°F, the moisture can contribute to increased rust activity in the engine.

The mil spec for aviation greases calls for the manufacturer to guarantee that the product meets the

limits for at least three years. This is for a product in a sealed container. The problem with grease is

that much of it is used from an open-top container, which is generally open to the atmosphere. Here

the product is prone to absorb moisture. This can be a problem because many of the applications

for these products do not get to a temperature high enough to boil off the moisture. This can lead to

increased rust activity and decreased component life. Therefore, it is important to always smooth

out the top surface of the grease to limit the surface area exposed to air. I also have found

numerous containers that were not properly covered. Many of these samples contained an excessive

amount of dirt and foreign matter which could decrease component life. Greases should be stored in

a dry place with the lids tightly sealed.

Ben Visser is an aviation fuels and lubricants expert who spent 33 years with Shell Oil. He has been

a private pilot since 1985. You can contact him at Visser@GeneralAviationNews.com.

Why is the exhaust stack of my engine black with soot after using auto gasoline?
A black soot is the natural by-product of burning unleaded gasoline and is to be expected. This is not an indication of a rich mixture, nor an indication of internal build-up or potential for spark plug fouling. The black soot is graphite-type deposit. The gray deposit we usually see when using 100LL aviation gasoline is a lead-type deposit.

 

Comments by Central Cylinder
Central Cylinder, a family owned Aircraft Engine Rebuilder who has been in business since 1973 has for years, not recommended the use of auto fuel. Now, after years of seeing its use, they have changed their opinion. They have rebuilt quite a few engines and are presently rebuilding an O-470 that went completely past TBO using nothing but auto fuel with no problems. Their opinion is that an engine should be run during the break-in period with 100LL and once the break-in oil is removed at approximately 50 hours the engine can then be switched over to auto fuel.

In Conclusion

 

You now have most all of the facts to make the appropriate decision. Do you start carrying gas from a filling station, with it’s risks, to save $2 a gallon ($2000 a year if you fly 100 hours a year with an airplane that burns 10 gallons an hour), fill up at an FBO that offers auto fuel for 65 to 85 cents less a gallon that 100LL, or continue to absorb the ever rising cost of aviation fuel?

Yes, this newsletter pointed out mostly the positive aspects of using auto fuel, but with the continuing increases in the cost of aircraft ownership, this is one cost saving option you do have control over if your aircraft or engine is listed in the approved list.

Disclaimer and Other Stuff

The information printed herein is from many sources. There can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher of the information. Likewise, no guarantees or endorsements are made on advertised products.

Membership dues are $15 for the calendar year. Payment of dues entitles you to receive the Sky Writer and other benefits of membership in EAA Chapter 291. Your dues contribute to the strength of the chapter. You can find a membership form on the Chapter 291 website at http://myweb.cableone.net/ralter/Join.htm. Please send your payment, along with the membership form, to:

Henry Bader, 31364 195th St., LeMars, IA 51031.

Contribution of information, articles, photographs, and artwork to the newsletter editor is graciously requested. Send submissions to:

Rick Alter, Newsletter Editor ralter@cableone.net

Visit the web site at www.eaa291.org