What Will Fuel Our Flight Training Fleets?

At Redbird Migration, industry experts address the question and offer limited solutions for now.

Friday, February 11, 2022 at 03:39 PM ET

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GAMA’s Walter Desrosier put it bluntly: the continuity of the avgas supply is key to the stability of the GA industry. [File Photo: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The general aviation industry is at an "inflection point," urgently needing to transition to sustainable power sources, including electric, hydrogen, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
While future technologies are promising, the immediate challenge is replacing 100LL avgas, which faces environmental pressure and relies on a single global source for its lead additive.
Unleaded fuels like UL91 and UL94 are currently available and suitable for 67 percent of the piston fleet, including many training aircraft.
Flight schools are advised to proactively research and source available unleaded avgas for compatible aircraft, particularly as bans on 100LL begin in some areas.

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Redbird Flight Simulations has contributed significantly to innovation in the flight training industry since it entered the market in 2007. So it makes sense that during the company’s annual user conference, Redbird Migration, the compelling need to evolve beyond current powerplant technology—primarily to enable sustainable fuel to drive those engines—would form a good part of the agenda.

Migration 2022 was held Tuesday and Wednesday this week at the Aerospace Center for Excellence’s Ramos Skylab at the Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) in Florida.