– Steve Hitchen
The GA industry world-wide seems to be settling into two choices of alternative fuels: SAF to replace Jet-A/1 and electricity to replace avgas. Right now, that's where the money and the effort is being spent. There is still some movement on unleaded avgas, but that's not considered sustainable because even without the lead, it's a fossil fuel. Supply of 100UL is also a problem; by the time we get it in Australia we'll likely be ready to obsolete traditional piston engines. SAF is now a fait accompli, although it is facing some challenges from hydrogen-electric powerplants for the regional airline and charter markets. Electric motors in smaller GA planes are still a long way from being practical because of the limitations of current battery technology. It is very interesting that CAE and Piper are collaborating on making Piper PA-28s electric; if they can pull that off, the 60-year-old design could make it to 100! But even electricity won't have a free run at the market. Smaller designs have been successfully using diesel engines for years, and projects are underway to approve these engines to use SAF. It is, therefore, not totally inconceivable that in future there may be only one aviation fuel: SAF. Small electric motors could replace Rotaxes in LSAs once battery technology gets better and aircraft endurance becomes practical, but there is a lot of development work needed yet for that to even be a consideration.
After taking on Wings over Illawarra, AMDA Foundation has backed-up their GA support by expanding their involvement with Fly'n for Fun. The potential of this match-up is immense. AMDA Foundation has the industry contacts and relationships to help RAAus build something valuable at Parkes. There is already some evidence of this with HARS making newly-acquired land available to Fly'n for Fun so people can camp under the wing outside the boundary of the airport. AMDA and HARS have a history of working well together and having that level of can-do helping out with Fly'n for Fun is a boon to the GA community. RAAus has made a promise to double the size of the event from the last one, which is a very aspirational thing to say given the number of variables outside their control. Although they can influence the number of GA companies that display or conduct seminars, what they can't control is the volume of people who show up on the day, which ultimately will have a say on how big the event is in 2024, and perhaps an even bigger impact on 2026. I've said it before that the act of organising a national fly-in for Australia is one of the most thankless tasks that has a very good chance of breaking the hearts of the people who do it. Natfly, Ausfly, OzKosh, AirVenture Australia; none of these have cemented themselves as a gotta-go in the GA community. Fly'n for Fun has a very good chance of breaking the hoodoo and becoming the place to be. All it has to do is persuade the wider GA community that it's not going to be just another ghost-town event.
AERO 2023 is on at Friedrichshafen in Germany at the moment, as you can see by this week's Friday Flying Video. AERO is the big GA event in Europe and virtually mandatory on the calendars of manufacturers. As a result, some of the newest technology and innovation is first seen on the floor of the exhibition halls or on the taxiway out the front. And this is stuff that we may not see in Australia for some time, or indeed ever. New helicopters, LSAs, gyrocopters, corporate jets, GA pistons ... if it flies it's at AERO. The focus at AERO is almost completely commercial. There are no flying displays to drag in the general non-flying public, so manufacturers know that the people coming to their stands are aviation people who are genuinely interested in the material offered. Whether its seeking buyers, talking to suppliers or attracting investors, the interaction is mutual. That's what makes AERO so valuable to the GA industry in Europe and around the world, which is evidenced by the number of exhibitors that invest their time and money and size of the crowd that comes every year to see and learn. It's worth thinking about for your next overseas aviation excursion.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch