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 flight training industry is at an inflection point, needing to transition from traditional leaded aviation fuels to sustainable alternatives.
While electric aircraft, hydrogen, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offer promising future solutions, they currently face limitations in infrastructure, utility, and widespread availability.
The general aviation industry faces an immediate challenge due to the vulnerable supply of 100LL avgas, which is essential for a significant portion (33%) of the fleet.
Many training aircraft can already utilize readily available unleaded fuels like UL91 and UL94, prompting flight schools to proactively source these alternatives, especially as some regions are banning 100LL.

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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.