A veteran airshow pilot says an unleaded biofuel gasoline undergoing testing in his Sukhoi Su-26M is providing power similar to conventional 100LL aviation fuel while greatly boosting his range. It is the latest sign that an alternative to leaded avgas may be within reach.
Rick Volker of Rick Volker Air Shows in Niagara Falls, New York, compared the performance of Swift Enterprises’ 100SF gasoline with conventional 100LL in flights of his Sukhoi at full power and in unusual attitudes to simulate air show flight. He said test results were supported by onboard engine monitoring.
“Swift’s 100SF provides similar power, but with less fuel burned at every power setting, which allowed for significant increases in aircraft range,” he said. Volker said he tested the compatibility of 100SF in his unmodified, 360-horsepower Vedeneyev M14P radial engine and confirmed it met all performance benchmarks in each trial. “These tests,” he said, “provide supportive evidence that 100SF will meet the performance needs of aircraft during the most severe use imaginable, without any equipment changes.”
Volker’s interest in finding a replacement for 100LL stems from environmental and national safety, he said.
“I’m anxious to contribute to solutions to our growing environmental problems. And my son is serving with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, so ending our dependence on foreign oil has gathered a new importance in my life,” he said. “My testing provides unbiased and independent validation that 100SF is a viable ultra-high-performance alternative fuel that is an answer to these problems.”
The EPA eventually wants to ban the sale of leaded avgas, and lawsuits in California seek to make it illegal to sell. More than 200,000 general aviation airplanes in the United States run on 100LL aviation gasoline.
Swift Enterprises, based in the Purdue Research Park in Lafayette, Indiana, has provided 4,500 gallons of fuel for a 150-hour test in a Lycoming piston engine, and has flown using the fuel in a Beech Bonanza G36 and Van’s Aircraft RV-3 and RV-4. Swift’s says its fuel has demonstrated 13 percent more energy per gallon than 100LL fuel, while showing normal engine wear and lower fuel system deposits.
The 100SF (SwiftFuel) alternative gasoline is made from renewable biomass that the company said will not compete with food crops and can be grown in low-irrigation environments. Swift Enterprises hopes to make 100SF fuel available at the pump soon.
To read more about where the industry is headed with biofuels, don’t miss Stephen Pope’s feature story, “Biofuel Future,” in the upcoming February issue of Flying_ magazine._
