Why many GA aircraft still run 50 year old engine designs

https://airfactsjournal.com/2022/10/the-20-hour-cessna-172-experiment-update/

by imoverclocked • 4 years ago

10 6 4 years ago

100LL is still in use in 2022 and many have asked why. Despite significant interest from the aviation community as well as technical possibility, it’s no small task to navigate processes in the US.

toomuchtodo• 4 years ago

The FAA recently approved G100UL, a 100LL lead free alternative (developed by GAMI), and in lock step, the EPA is proposing declaring 100LL a danger to public health now that a drop in replacement is available.

The wheels turn slowly, but they do turn.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32682990

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33127880

dsfyu404ed• 4 years ago

Amazing to see how quickly people forget an egregious fumble when they like the team.

6mo ago all the health and environmental types were (rightfully) calling the status quo a disgrace. The usual pro-“cut the .gov slack that no other entity would be afforded” cheerleaders were nowhere to be found because even they knew the government was in the wrong on this one. But here’s we are one stroke of a pen later and people are acting like this is an example of the system working satisfactory.

imoverclocked2• 4 years ago

While G100UL is approved, it’s not everywhere or even in most places. I’ve flown with the new fuel but as soon as I leave my local airport, I’m refilling with 100LL.

The article talks about the serious problems in making change in the general aviation world. Some of the resistance is cultural but there are a lot of issues that are long-standing problems with FAA policy/bureaucracy. Eg: Pilot health is another hot-topic in this arena.

PaulHoule• 4 years ago

It’s little appreciated how aviation is a technological backwater. Even in military aviation there was a choice between the F-22 with a cutting edge airframe and mediocre avionics and the F-35 with a mediocre airframe and cutting edge avionics.

There are a few spots of competition such as wide body aircraft but narrow bodies are a race between a 1968 and 1982 design. The #1 thing that every unit at my university says is holding them back is the local airport, which sucks because they are flying 1990 jets. Jet makers would like to make regional jets that are much more economical and a little bigger, they’d have no trouble filling them because lower costs would lead to a ‘southwest effect’ that would increase demand. Pilot unions won’t let US airlines buy them because of ‘scope clauses’.

MichaelZuo• 4 years ago

What were the more advanced avionics in the mid 90s that the F22 could have had?

Why many GA aircraft still run 50 year old engine designs

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