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What engines really don't like is constantly switching between leaded and unleaded fuel. Deciding that on a per-state basis would mean you'd need a California p

What engines really don't like is constantly switching between leaded and unleaded fuel. Deciding that on a per-state basis would mean you'd need a California plane that only operates in California, and another Nevada plane for Nevada. Crossing the state line would become dangerous. Cross-country GA would quickly die that way.

bushbaba 4y ago
Or...if California banned leaded aviation fuel. All airports wanting to service CA airplanes would need to offer unleaded aviation fuel. Thus accelerating the change quickly with market forces. Somehow cross country travel works without issue. Not sure how that is so different from a state "FAA" type agency.
- DocTomoe 4y ago
  Cars - when the switch came from leaded to unleaded fuel - were more robust machines by an order of magnitude, and engine failure in cars means you have to call a garage. Engine failure in a plane means you are likely dead. I'm all for market forces - where they make sense. In aviation, oversight saves lives.
  - aeternum 4y ago
    This might be true in the short-term but unfortunately all the oversight means that a huge proportion of GA aircraft are still running carbureted engines with manual mixture control. Modern car engines are generally much more reliable than cars made 40+ years ago. It's quite possible that this oversight is actually costing lives by limiting innovation.
    - DocTomoe 4y ago
      Outside of hobbyist circles (may their brains match their guts), car engines in planes have a rocky history. There was a big push in the 1990s to put "modern car engines" into GA planes, mostly diesel. It ... didn't go well. Turns out these car-derived engines were a lot less reliable than the good old Lycoming IO series, and much more expensive to maintain due to higher complexity (not to mention heavier, which always is a concern with airframes). And then there was the question on how long the manufacturer would provide replacement parts... There is a push to make car engines happen with some EU-based manufacturers, most notably Diamond Aircraft, today. We'll see how that works. Add that to the fact that new aircraft are prohibitively expensive, and we'll see manual mixture control-based engines for decades to come.

bushbaba 4y ago

Or...if California banned leaded aviation fuel. All airports wanting to service CA airplanes would need to offer unleaded aviation fuel. Thus accelerating the change quickly with market forces. Somehow cross country travel works without issue. Not sure how that is so different from a state "FAA" type agency.

DocTomoe 4y ago
Cars - when the switch came from leaded to unleaded fuel - were more robust machines by an order of magnitude, and engine failure in cars means you have to call a garage. Engine failure in a plane means you are likely dead. I'm all for market forces - where they make sense. In aviation, oversight saves lives.
- aeternum 4y ago
  This might be true in the short-term but unfortunately all the oversight means that a huge proportion of GA aircraft are still running carbureted engines with manual mixture control. Modern car engines are generally much more reliable than cars made 40+ years ago. It's quite possible that this oversight is actually costing lives by limiting innovation.
  - DocTomoe 4y ago
    Outside of hobbyist circles (may their brains match their guts), car engines in planes have a rocky history. There was a big push in the 1990s to put "modern car engines" into GA planes, mostly diesel. It ... didn't go well. Turns out these car-derived engines were a lot less reliable than the good old Lycoming IO series, and much more expensive to maintain due to higher complexity (not to mention heavier, which always is a concern with airframes). And then there was the question on how long the manufacturer would provide replacement parts... There is a push to make car engines happen with some EU-based manufacturers, most notably Diamond Aircraft, today. We'll see how that works. Add that to the fact that new aircraft are prohibitively expensive, and we'll see manual mixture control-based engines for decades to come.