More on Ethanol-powered planes

From Avweb this morning:

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ETHANOL AIRCRAFT READY TO FLY
Among the many intriguing sights at EAA AirVenture last month was an
array of four brightly painted little RV-3s, just off Aeroshell Square,
each with the word "ethanol" on its empennage and tail feathers.
Nearby, a Mooney 201 also sported ethanol livery.

The RV-3 E-Squadron has been flying for 13 years on corn-based ethanol
fuel, and the Mooney is part of the South Dakota Corn Utilization
Council's AGE85 aviation-grade ethanol research project. That project
has been working for 11 years to determine how to burn ethanol fuels in
general-aviation engines, in the event that 100LL becomes unavailable.
As the market shrinks for leaded fuel, the concern is that it will
become harder and harder to get, more expensive, and perhaps go away
altogether.

Currently, there is only one factory that produces the additives needed
in the fuel, and it's in the United Kingdom. Further, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has banned lead from other fuels, and
it could decide at some point to ban 100LL as well.
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I'm glad SOMEONE is taking this threat seriously. Funny how they saw
this thing coming over a decade ago.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"