Last month we started our two-part piece on the FAA-approved, high-octane unleaded avgas, G100UL, now that it is being sold commercially. We reviewed early comments from users, addressed a concern from an avgas vendor and went through the quality control procedures under avgas that is FAA-approved for aircraft engine use via the ASTM/FAA approval route and the FAA STC route.
We pointed out that the production testing of G100UL avgas as approved by FAA STC is more rigorous than that of avgas approved by the ASTM/FAA route. ASTM avgas is tested by its producer who creates a Certificate of Analysis and then ships the avgas if it meets spec—the producer self-certifies its own avgas.
Under the FAA STC for G100UL the producer sends a sample of each batch of G100UL to an independent laboratory where a more rigorous test is performed—that testing also includes a Detailed Hydrocarbon Analysis, per either ASTM D6730 or 6733 test methods.
The test results are sent from the lab to GAMI, which reviews the results. If the test results show that the fuel meets FAA-approved production specs, GAMI assigns the batch a General Aviation Authorization Number (GAAN) that uniquely identifies that batch (and subsequently allows tracing fuel in an airplane to a specific batch, something not possible with ASTM avgas).
Only after GAMI determines that the batch complies, it sends a Certificate of Analysis (just like with ASTM avgas) and the GAAN to the producer of the fuel. At that point, after independent testing and verification, it is legal for the producer to release that batch for sale.
Transcontinental
We also referenced one user of G100UL, Gustavo Faerman, who flew his B36TC Bonanza on a one-stop transcontinental flight using only G100UL (he started in California, refueled in Ada, Oklahoma, at GAMI, and landed at Westchester Airport, New York, without any problems on the trip).
At the end of part one of our report, we said that we would be addressing concerns expressed by the National Air Transport Association (NATA), a member of the FAA-industry organization that is supposedly going to bring high-octane unleaded avgas to users by 2030. NATA has effectively blocked its members from transporting or selling G100UL and has aggressively attacked the fuel as we have reported over the last two years. One of NATA’s talking points is that there is no insurance for FBOs who sell G100UL.
When we spoke with avgas provider Dan Olsen, president of Sibran, he explained that as with other avgas sellers, his company purchases one million dollars in insurance coverage to protect him against lawsuits regarding his sale of the avgas and its use. He is also protected by a $50 million excess liability policy purchased by the fuel producer. He didn’t think that was available for G100UL.
We were a little surprised because three years ago we learned that the insurers of avgas generally, at Lloyds of London, provided coverage for avgas so long as it was approved by the FAA; it didn’t matter whether it was leaded or unleaded.
Now that Vitol is producing and delivering G100UL it is providing the same excess insurance coverage to fuel vendors/FBOs as has been done for years for 100LL avgas. We were told that Vitol’s insurer didn’t care whether the avgas was leaded or unleaded, so long as it was approved by the FAA and has a quality control procedure. As we pointed out above, the quality control procedure for G100UL is more rigorous than for 100LL, and there is a way to trace G100UL fuel from an airplane tank back to the manufacturing batch, which should allow insurers to sleep well at night.