Following the launch of the government/industry initiative Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) earlier this year, Aeroplex Group Partners announced that the self-serve avgas pumps at California’s Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) have transitioned to Swift UL94 unleaded aviation gasoline.
UL94, which is now dispensed from KSMO’s self-serve station at the southwest corner of the field, is not a full replacement for 100LL and is compatible only with aircraft engines requiring 94 motor-octane fuels or lower. That accounts for more than 125,000 aircraft or roughly 66 percent of the current fleet. For those remaining aircraft that cannot utilize the UL94, the Atlantic Aviation FBO on the field will still supply 100LL.
The move makes the city-owned airport the first in the Los Angeles area to offer the replacement for conventional avgas at commercially competitive prices. Aircraft owners who want to use UL94 will need to purchase a supplemental type certificate from Swift Fuels for a one-time fee of $100.
Aeroplex president and CEO Curt Castagna said his company partnered with the airport and the fuel manufacturer on the process, which he described as a “first step in an evolutionary process to deploy a 100 percent 'unleaded' alternative drop-in replacement aviation gasoline that will eliminate the need for toxic lead in avgas altogether.”