toto Posted September 29 Report Posted September 29 Kind of interesting. FAA has granted one STC for 100R on one Skyhawk engine, but Swift says they’re also pursuing ASTM certification. This was already mentioned by @hammdo in the recent G100UL thread but might be worth a separate discussion. I’m excited to see unleaded options on the horizon to eliminate the cloud hanging over piston GA for the past 50 years, but buying UL anything still seems a long way off. Maybe ASTM certification would suddenly make FBOs want to carry this stuff? https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/safety-ops-regulation/faa-approves-100r-avgas-cessna-172s 2 Quote
Pinecone Posted October 1 Report Posted October 1 Except that Swift has already stated that their 100 UL will not work for a good percentage (15%??) of the GA fleet. Quote
M20S Driver Posted October 1 Report Posted October 1 From AI (Perplexity) : Based on the search results provided, it appears that the statement "Swift has already stated that their 100 UL will not work for a good percentage (15%??) of the GA fleet" is not entirely accurate. Let's break down the information available: Swift Fuels' Unleaded Aviation Gasoline Options Swift Fuels offers two main unleaded aviation gasoline (avgas) products: Swift UL94: This is a 94-octane unleaded avgas that is compatible with lower-compression, naturally aspirated aircraft engines. Swift 100R: This is a 105-octane (R+M)/2 rated gasoline (100 MON) designed to replace 100LL leaded avgas in all piston aircraft Compatibility and Availability Swift UL94 is indeed limited in its compatibility, as it's only suitable for low compression, naturally aspirated aircraft engines. This represents less than 85% of the fleet However, Swift 100R (their 100-octane unleaded product) is designed to replace 100LL in all piston aircraft. This suggests a much broader compatibility than the 85% figure mentioned in the query. As of September 2024, Swift Fuels' 100-octane unleaded aviation fuel received its first Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for use in Cessna 172 R and S models. This indicates progress in the certification and approval process for wider use. Distribution and Future Plans Swift has indicated that they will replace their 91/94 distribution with 100UL when it becomes available, suggesting a planned transition to the higher-octane unleaded fuel The company is working on expanding its distribution network, with partnerships like the one with AvFuel mentioned in the search results. It's important to note that the transition to unleaded avgas is an ongoing process, with multiple companies working on solutions. The exact percentage of the GA fleet that can use Swift's 100-octane unleaded fuel may change as more STCs are granted and more testing is completed.In conclusion, while there are limitations for Swift's lower-octane UL94, their 100-octane product (100R) is designed for broader compatibility across the GA fleet. The statement in the query appears to be mixing information about different Swift fuel products. Quote
Pinecone Posted October 1 Report Posted October 1 Swift has stated that their 100 will NOT work in all aircraft in the past year or two. The statement that it will replace 100LL across the fleet was from 2021. See many threads on BeechTalk Quote
toto Posted October 1 Author Report Posted October 1 5 minutes ago, Pinecone said: Swift has stated that their 100 will NOT work in all aircraft in the past year or two. The statement that it will replace 100LL across the fleet was from 2021. See many threads on BeechTalk The Swift FAQ page says 1 Quote
1980Mooney Posted October 1 Report Posted October 1 1 hour ago, toto said: The Swift FAQ page says Yes Swift says "Swift 100R is a 100-Motor-Octane aviation gasoline designed to fully replace 100LL Leaded Avgas across the entire global piston fleet". The key words are "designed to" - that doesn't mean it actually works as "designed" and it certainly has not been proven so. UL94 did not work "as designed" at the UND flight school fleet. Swift Fuels’ 100-octane unleaded aviation fuel granted first STC - AOPA Swift CEO Acosta said to AOPA in the announcement “We’re following a very similar approach where we approve a certain set of engines and airframes and then we expand from that, just like we did nine years ago with UL94,” D’Acosta said. “It’s exactly the same architected program except that’s it’s for the 100-octane fuel." Exactly the same...and that worked out really well for the UND Flight School. Considering that the FAA approval is only for the newest C-172 Skyhawk R's and S's which almost all are found at flight schools, I wonder what flight school will want to risk engine damage for Swift (i.e. UND Ver. 2.0...) I find it really interesting that after the FAA approval, the stories by AOPA, AviaitonWeek, every aviation publication, that if you go to the Swift Fuels website, there is no mention of the approval or the limited STC. There is no mention in the "News" tab/drop down and nothing new on the R100 page. It is almost as if Swift is not proud of the milestone. I bet that Swift thought that they would get a broad sweeping approval - Instead only one engine on one Cessna model News — SwiftFuels Quote
toto Posted October 2 Author Report Posted October 2 2 hours ago, 1980Mooney said: I find it really interesting that after the FAA approval, the stories by AOPA, AviaitonWeek, every aviation publication, that if you go to the Swift Fuels website, there is no mention of the approval or the limited STC They did put it on their FAQ page. It might be as simple as the FAQ being maintained by someone at Swift, and the main site being updated by an outside agency. Dunno 1 Quote
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