UND Aerospace Transitions Full Fleet to Unleaded Avgas

The University of North Dakota program expects the switch to UL94 will improve maintenance costs for its aircraft and lead to more productivity for student pilots and flight instructors.

Amelia Walsh

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 03:13 PM ET

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UND expects the switch to UL94 will improve maintenance costs for its aircraft. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

University of North Dakota (UND) Aerospace has transitioned its 100-aircraft fleet to Swift Fuels' UL94 unleaded avgas, becoming the largest collegiate aviation institution to adopt the cleaner fuel.
The move, delayed until cost parity improved, is expected to reduce environmental impact, lower maintenance costs by extending inspection intervals and decreasing spark plug replacements, and enhance operational productivity.
UND plans to use its data to assist the FAA in policy development, though widespread adoption of unleaded avgas faces a major hurdle due to limited mass refining capacity for this specialized fuel.

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University of North Dakota (UND) Aerospace has become the largest collegiate aviation institution to transition its aircraft fleet to unleaded avgas, according to the program.

Since June 22, the school’s fleet of 100 aircraft have been running on UL94—a cleaner unleaded fuel alternative developed by Indiana research and design firm—and FLYING Innovation Award winner—Swift Fuels. While other collegiate flight academies, such as Utah Valley University and California Aeronautical University, have also made the switch to unleaded fuel, none have done so to the scale of UND.