California Lead Ban Passed
The California legislature passed a bill banning leaded aviation fuel by 2031. After passage by the State House 59-11, the Senate confirmed it 30-8. The final bill is a compromise on the original introduced by Democratic Sen. Caroline Menjivar earlier this year. She proposed a phased approach based on demographics of neighborhoods surrounding airports starting in 2026 leading to an outright ban a year after a federal deadline set by the FAA to eliminate lead in avgas. The compromise was reached after industry groups pushed back on the 2026 phase-in citing the lack of a widely distributed high octane unleaded replacement for 100LL.
Caravan Flies Air Force Mission Autonomously
An autonomously controlled Cessna Caravan flew multiple supply missions and a total of 3900 miles in support of a major Air Force training exercise in August. The Joby/Xwing Caravan went to nine airports and did the whole thing gate to gate without the onboard safety pilot touching the controls. The plane carried components and other small cargo needed for maintenance and supply during the exercise and relieved the Air Force of the need to deploy its regular cargo fleet to do the missions. “We were pleased to continue demonstrating the capabilities of our autonomy technology during Agile Flag 24-3, where we completed dozens of fully autonomous aerial missions and showcased an ability to perform rapid resupply,” said Maxime Gariel, Autonomy Lead at Joby.
