NATA, GA Groups Seek Funding for Unleaded AvGas Fuel Research

Last week, NATA joined six other general aviation groups in a letter to House and Senate Appropriators requesting the inclusion of $7 million in the FY2018 Transportation appropriations bill to continue support for the FAA’s NextGen — Alternative Fuels for General Aviation (GA) program.

Prior year support from the Appropriations Committees led to the establishment of the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI), to identify, test and evaluate suitable unleaded fuel replacements with the least impact on the existing fleet of GA aircraft. In their letter, the GA associations noted the “continuing investment in the PAFI program is essential to ensuring that a transition to an unleaded replacement fuel effectively balances environmental improvement with aviation safety, technical challenges, and economic impact to the U.S. general aviation transportation system.”

If approved by Congress, the FAA will use the funds to build upon its earlier testing with full scale engine and flight tests, cooperative agreements and independent laboratory testing, and further engineering, technical, and management support. The data, according to the GA groups, “will provide a basis for the agency safety determination and ability to provide FAA approvals and authorizations necessary to enable piston aircraft to operate on an unleaded fuel.”