> This really makes me wonder how much of the lack of innovation in recent years is regulatory capture. A relatively large amount. For instance, general aviat

> This really makes me wonder how much of the lack of innovation in recent years is regulatory capture. A relatively large amount. For instance, general aviation use of lead-based fuels. The lead content has been reduced, but building new engines (and certifying them) is not economical. Very few people actually _like_ 100LL fuel. Regardless, such engines have been built. But then you need to certify aircraft equipped with such engines too. However, there are plenty of aircraft in the "experimental" category that will gladly take "MoGAS" (aka automotive gasoline). Pilots also like it because it's cheaper and there's no spark plug fouling. Some may be concerned with the environment too. Avionics on the experimental category are arguably better. I'm torn on this issue, because regulation saves countless lives and we don't even notice. We do notice when they don't regulate enough (for instance, let companies like Boeing self-regulate) and we get crashes as a result.