3 ms·

Only in piston engines, which are a minority of propeller planes. Most commercial propeller aircraft are turboprops, and they use jet fuel. And diesel engines

by mr_toad 3mo ago

Only in piston engines, which are a minority of propeller planes. Most commercial propeller aircraft are turboprops, and they use jet fuel. And diesel engines are slowly taking over from gasoline in piston engines.

mh- 3mo ago
Correct. For others reading this though: virtually all piston-engine GA aircraft in the US today are still burning 100LL (leaded), and there are nearly 200,000 of them actively flying. There is a timeline to transition to UL, but very low collective confidence it'll happen by the 2030 goal. edit: to the commenter that fired off the reactionary reply and deleted it before I could help you. No, not because "[rich people] won't do the right thing." It's because lead is an anti-knock additive for piston engines, and a safe replacement has to go through unimaginable amounts of testing. Once it's certified, one must still figure out scaling production, distribution, etc. Aviation is a very slow moving industry and regulatory environment, which I'm personally thankful for. PDF (77pgs): https://download.aopa.org/advocacy/2026/2026-01_Draft-Unleaded-Avgas-Transition-Plan.pdf https://download.aopa.org/advocacy/2026/2026-01_Draft-Unlead...
- deleted 3mo ago
  [deleted]
- ck2 3mo ago
  the amount of lead that is acceptable is ZERO ZERO, thirty years ago when there was definitive proof is it forever and irreversible all lead exhaust aircraft should have been phased out a decade ago if not two decades ago if they cannot be converted again, there is no acceptable amount, imagine it being sprayed on you, your car, everywhere your body tries to process it like calcium and stores it forever how much damage and disease to you and your family are you willing to accept just so someone can keep using their prop aircraft for another decade to make profit? yes it's all about the money, it's pretty obvious, if there wasn't profit involved it would have been phased out with cars THIRTY YEARS ago all that lead sprayed all around the land and on people is FOREVER, it doesn't go away, it doesn't wash away, it doesn't evaporate
  - mh- 3mo ago
    I'm unclear who you're arguing with. I don't fly GA and I live under the approach to a GA airport, which is why I'm well-read on this subject.
  - dalyons 3mo ago
    personally i think we should just stop selling the leaded version, tomorrow. alternatives exist, update your planes or dont fly, but no more leaded fuel.
  - cucumber3732842 3mo ago
    It's mind boggling that people will screech about how the professionals say zero but then turn around and act like GA is a big deal, despite the fact that the same professionals will say that unless you have occupational exposure other vectors are going to be what dominate your lead level. And by "mind boggling" I just mean a more polite way to say "condemnation of people's logic and reasoning abilities or honesty" Yeah, sure we should get rid of GA leaded gas and we're working on it but it's not really a front burner priority because of how little it gets into people.
  - s1artibartfast 3mo ago
    You say that like it is a fact. The acceptable amount of lead is non-zero, just like the acceptable level of deaths are non-zero. The amount of lead I am willing to expose my family to so that prop planes can keep flying is also non-zero. That doesnt mean progress cant be made on the issue.
    - deleted 3mo ago
      [deleted]

by mr_toad 3mo ago

mh- 3mo ago

Correct. For others reading this though: virtually all piston-engine GA aircraft in the US today are still burning 100LL (leaded), and there are nearly 200,000 of them actively flying. There is a timeline to transition to UL, but very low collective confidence it'll happen by the 2030 goal. edit: to the commenter that fired off the reactionary reply and deleted it before I could help you. No, not because "[rich people] won't do the right thing." It's because lead is an anti-knock additive for piston engines, and a safe replacement has to go through unimaginable amounts of testing. Once it's certified, one must still figure out scaling production, distribution, etc. Aviation is a very slow moving industry and regulatory environment, which I'm personally thankful for. PDF (77pgs): https://download.aopa.org/advocacy/2026/2026-01_Draft-Unleaded-Avgas-Transition-Plan.pdf https://download.aopa.org/advocacy/2026/2026-01_Draft-Unlead...

deleted 3mo ago
[deleted]
ck2 3mo ago
the amount of lead that is acceptable is ZERO ZERO, thirty years ago when there was definitive proof is it forever and irreversible all lead exhaust aircraft should have been phased out a decade ago if not two decades ago if they cannot be converted again, there is no acceptable amount, imagine it being sprayed on you, your car, everywhere your body tries to process it like calcium and stores it forever how much damage and disease to you and your family are you willing to accept just so someone can keep using their prop aircraft for another decade to make profit? yes it's all about the money, it's pretty obvious, if there wasn't profit involved it would have been phased out with cars THIRTY YEARS ago all that lead sprayed all around the land and on people is FOREVER, it doesn't go away, it doesn't wash away, it doesn't evaporate
- mh- 3mo ago
  I'm unclear who you're arguing with. I don't fly GA and I live under the approach to a GA airport, which is why I'm well-read on this subject.
- dalyons 3mo ago
  personally i think we should just stop selling the leaded version, tomorrow. alternatives exist, update your planes or dont fly, but no more leaded fuel.
- cucumber3732842 3mo ago
  It's mind boggling that people will screech about how the professionals say zero but then turn around and act like GA is a big deal, despite the fact that the same professionals will say that unless you have occupational exposure other vectors are going to be what dominate your lead level. And by "mind boggling" I just mean a more polite way to say "condemnation of people's logic and reasoning abilities or honesty" Yeah, sure we should get rid of GA leaded gas and we're working on it but it's not really a front burner priority because of how little it gets into people.
- s1artibartfast 3mo ago
  You say that like it is a fact. The acceptable amount of lead is non-zero, just like the acceptable level of deaths are non-zero. The amount of lead I am willing to expose my family to so that prop planes can keep flying is also non-zero. That doesnt mean progress cant be made on the issue.
  - deleted 3mo ago
    [deleted]