Unleaded Avgas

Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 01:38 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A reader criticizes the magazine's assessment of new unleaded fuel, arguing its 12.5-pound weight increase is significant, impacts useful load, and requires careful weight and balance calculations.
Concerns are raised about the new unleaded fuel's potential for monopolistic pricing, questionable maintenance benefits, and risk of paint damage, while acknowledging its environmental necessity.
Additional letters offer corrections and elaborations on propeller theory, specifically addressing P-factor, spiraling slipstream, gyroscopic effects, and the relationship between angle of attack and airspeed during climbs.

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I enjoy your very good magazine quite a lot, but…I just read your editorial in November’s issue, “Bravo Foxtrot Delta,” as well as your reply in December’s UNICOM.

You discuss in both cases the added weight’s effects on unusable fuel for empty weight only. Clearly the bigger issue is the added weight’s effects on full-fuel takeoff weight and useful load. My 160-hp PA-28-161 Warrior II holds 50 gallons of fuel. Clearly, the new weight and balance (W&B) calculation for unleaded fuel will now add 12½ pounds to the fuel load.