FAA‘s Approval of 100UL

In a move that surprised everyone, the FAA this fall approved the use of GAMI's 100UL fuel essentially fleetwide for piston-powered light planes. The approval was a godsend, as the window for developing and delivering a new sufficiently high-octane unleaded fuel was closing fast. And with the Santa Clara decision still clearly in the rearview, the availability of 100UL will provide a safety cushion at airports where low lead becomes unavailable. The approval is not by any stretch an immediate fix, as it will take years for the company, working with AvFuel, one of the largest avgas distributors in the United States, to roll out the fuel nationwide.