The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the establishment of an industry group to research and plan for the transition to unleaded Avgas.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt signed the Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT-ARC) charter on January 31 in Washington, D.C.. The FAA has tasked the ARC with investigating the current issues relating to the transition to an unleaded fuel, and recommending the tasks necessary to investigate and resolve these issues.
The committee will produce an industry-government framework and implementation plan intended to guide the GA community towards the deployment of unleaded Avgas as an alternative to 100 Low-Lead.
The committee will be comprised of members who encompass all constituencies surrounding the unleaded fuel issue, including aviation trade associations, aircraft and engine manufacturers, petroleum and other fuel producers, environmental groups, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the FAA.
Babbitt said the signing was a significant step towards bringing the GA community together to plan for the transition to unleaded Avgas.
“It’s our goal to bring together all the industry stakeholders to be able to achieve the goal of a drop-in fuel in a timely fashion,” he said after signing the charter.
The FAA has received industry support for establishing the UAT-ARC, with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) applauding the move.
“The FAA has an essential role to play in assessing and approving any potential replacement unleaded fuel,” GAMA’s president and CEO, Pete Bunce, said.
“The formation of this group is a critically important step in moving forward with identifying and prioritising specific tasks necessary to resolve the issues related to the transition to an unleaded Avgas for our industry and finding the best solution for the piston aviation community.”
As we reported in our September/October 2010 print issue, formal regulatory proceedings began in the US in mid-2010 that could lead to the introduction of standards mandating the transition to unleaded Avgas due to increasing concerns from some environmental groups in the US.
However, any mandatory move to unleaded Avgas would have a major impact on the GA industry as a large percentage of the GA fleet would be grounded immediately due to their inability to safely operate on any currently available replacement fuels.
More will come to light on this critical issue and the direction that will be taken in the coming months. Once its membership is finalised, the UAT-ARC is expected to meet for the first time in late March or early April, with the investigation intended to be completed by mid-year.