4 ms·

> How do you feel about leaded gas? I think it should be banned. Sadly, aviation has enough political muscle that they're still allowed to use it. Which is am

> How do you feel about leaded gas? I think it should be banned. Sadly, aviation has enough political muscle that they're still allowed to use it. Which is amazing to me, given lead's extremely harmful effects.

cypress66 4y ago
Do you really think the people flying their small cessna with 100LL have so much political muscle? I strongly doubt so.
- jeffbee 4y ago
  It's not the pilots alone, it is also the piece-of-shit-airplane industry which employs a handful of people here and there, enough to have a little suction in Congress.
  - jabl 4y ago
    Also GA is, in the end, a relatively small-scale activity, so leaded avgas isn't much of a public health hazard like leaded automotive gas was back in the day. More of an occupational hazard for people working on and flying those planes, and higher maintenance requirement on the engines. Hopefully they can manage to roll out G100UL at scale so 100LL can finally die. And then that final TEL plant on the planet can be shut down for good.
    - r00fus 4y ago
      Let's not forget those small airports where nearby residents are at higher risk due to leaded avgas. That's why small airports have been forced to close. Get rid of leaded avgas and we can have less municipal airports closures.
  - slackdog 4y ago
    The general aviation industry is protected because it's part of the pilot training pipeline, and that is important because airplanes (both commercial and military) have a great deal of importance to governments. About 5% of the American GDP is attributed to commercial aviation. Compare that figure to the number of deaths caused by leaded avgas, and you don't need conspiracy theories to explain the outcome.
outworlder 4y ago
> Sadly, aviation has enough political muscle that they're still allowed to use it. Does it? GA is a shadow of its former self. There's already a substitute. But it's precisely how small general aviation has become that's stifling the transition. The volume of avgas made today is already pretty small, compared to other gas users, and there's ony a handful of plants that can make it. Then there's all the small airfields with existing avgas pumps. Without a big push, it will take time. The fastest way would be with a carrot; the stick can come later.

cypress66 4y ago

Do you really think the people flying their small cessna with 100LL have so much political muscle? I strongly doubt so.

jeffbee 4y ago
It's not the pilots alone, it is also the piece-of-shit-airplane industry which employs a handful of people here and there, enough to have a little suction in Congress.
- jabl 4y ago
  Also GA is, in the end, a relatively small-scale activity, so leaded avgas isn't much of a public health hazard like leaded automotive gas was back in the day. More of an occupational hazard for people working on and flying those planes, and higher maintenance requirement on the engines. Hopefully they can manage to roll out G100UL at scale so 100LL can finally die. And then that final TEL plant on the planet can be shut down for good.
  - r00fus 4y ago
    Let's not forget those small airports where nearby residents are at higher risk due to leaded avgas. That's why small airports have been forced to close. Get rid of leaded avgas and we can have less municipal airports closures.
- slackdog 4y ago
  The general aviation industry is protected because it's part of the pilot training pipeline, and that is important because airplanes (both commercial and military) have a great deal of importance to governments. About 5% of the American GDP is attributed to commercial aviation. Compare that figure to the number of deaths caused by leaded avgas, and you don't need conspiracy theories to explain the outcome.

outworlder 4y ago

> Sadly, aviation has enough political muscle that they're still allowed to use it. Does it? GA is a shadow of its former self. There's already a substitute. But it's precisely how small general aviation has become that's stifling the transition. The volume of avgas made today is already pretty small, compared to other gas users, and there's ony a handful of plants that can make it. Then there's all the small airfields with existing avgas pumps. Without a big push, it will take time. The fastest way would be with a carrot; the stick can come later.