Sport Pilot Talk

Fellow LSAers:

Against its own self-interests, including the annual personal property tax revenue it generates, California appears to want to destroy my Sting LSA. Why else would they make it so hard for me to purchase and use what I need–-pure automobile gasoline without alcohol? Well, I’ve finally had enough and I’m fighting back! Last week I finally cut the E10 (unleaded fuel with 10% ethanol) cord and switched to pure (unadulterated with alcohol) gasoline. I hope it isn’t already too late. Click this link for the rest of my E10 vs Sting LSA story:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/piqfi0vm4ph7b ... s.pdf?dl=0

Rich

I count myself VERY lucky to have ethanol-free 93 octane at a gas station along my four mile drive to Copperhill airport.

For now, anyway!

I count myself VERY lucky to have ethanol-free 93 octane at a gas station along my four mile drive to Copperhill airport.

You are indeed lucky to have that, Eddie. And I really don't relish having to drag a 108-gallon bomb behind me on mountain roads, but the next-best alternative was 100 miles up the interstate for $7 a gallon.

Why do I stay in California? I haven't a clue, beyond nice weather and varied & beautiful scenery...

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Rich,

I feel your pain. I think your decision to tanker 93 non-ethanol is wise.

I still think it's amazing in 2015 that GA still isn't always well served. I'm lucky in that where I am in SC I have many stations that sell 89 non-ethanol and a few who sell 93 non-ethanol. SC seems to be really fond of 'pure gas'.
Magazines opine the virtues of the ' Rotax which sips auto-gas' when the reality is the proper type of gas isn't always easy or convenient to get and in many places impossible, leaving the owner to use 100LL. The damage from either,or both, ethanol and LL can be serious.

I'm in the process of moving from one airfield which had a station 15 minutes away selling 93 non-eth for $2.68 to another which has no station near it. Fortunately 10 minutes from home is another station selling it for $2.86. So I'll be stopping off along the way doing the gas cans to the airport thing and maybe buy an electric pump to improve things over messy spilling.
There are three airports not far away that have 93 non-ethanol at the pump, Barnwell SC, Wytheville VA and Suffolk VA. for those interested.

Vans say that they approve 91 E10 auto gas but despite being recently tempted as I move to a new airfield I'm glad I decided to stick with 93 non-ethanol. They say they've had no problems whatsoever in over 4 years.

Hopefully in a few years the Feds will decide on a vendor(s) who will produce the new 100UL.

Have you ascertained that your airplane actually has sustained damage from the use of E10 and what does the manufacturer say about that , especially in light of the POH statement regarding E10's use?

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Jim,

I'm moving to KFDW Fairfield County SC. It's about 25 minutes further drive from home but it's a fairly new large T-hangar with an electric bi-fold door with lighting and electric included for $165 month. It's a nice airport, busier than KLKR, has a good maintenance shop, an avionics shop, flight school and nice little terminal. Some nice airport dogs too!

It's on the SC Breakfast Club circuit usually around Thanksgiving.

It's a much better hangar for the airplane, only drawback is the longer drive but there ya go, can't have everything. I'm retired so I have more time to burn!

Howard

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SportPilot wrote:Looks like an easy 1 hour drive right down I77. I drive an hour to KGVL from Roswell to rent the SkyCatcher. I actually enjoy the drive. I could drive to KPDK which is much closer and rent the other SkyCatcher that Flocker flies, but I would have to fight the Atlanta traffic which at rush hour is a killer. It's funny, Flocker and I live 2 miles apart and rent from the same outfit at airports about 50 miles apart.

Are there any good places for lunch around there? Maybe I can fly over and check it out or fly down from 14A next time I'm in Lincolnton.

Jim,

I don't know about lunch places, I just haven't had the time yet. However, there are a few I glanced at on Airnav and the gal there said there's maybe a couple of places about 5 miles away. Of course brown-bagging it and sitting outside airside might be nice too.
My airplane isn't even there yet.

I only started calling around as the lease on the other field would be closing soon. I fly over KFDW all the time and I called yesterday as I saw some construction on the field and wondered if they might be building new hangars. Turns out they have a few to rent so I made a decision. They're very nice, and I like the laid back atmosphere after KLKR.

Let me get settled and we can arrange something. Perhaps you and Flocker could fly up together?

Rich,

Really nice looking fuel trailer set-up. I know you fly a lot but can you get through it all within 3-4 weeks? After that it can degrade for airplane use.

I've thought about a similar set-up but storing fuel at an airport can bring liability issues as well as safety. Where will you store it?

Have you thought about just using 100LL with Decalin and changing the oil and cleaning the tank more frequently as an alternative? The gearbox has a shorter interval but others have said the overhaul isn't a big deal and Paul ships his to Lockwood for a good price and gets it back pretty quickly.

Just saying it might be an option, of course you may have already considered that.

1. No, I haven't as yet verified any damage from the E10 to my airplane. Just a lot of worrying, because of all the resin I know (from seeing it in the sumped fuel) was pulled out of those composite tanks!

2. I intend to limit storage (protected from the elements) to 4 weeks maximum. If I'm not using that much in the plane, it'll go in the car(s)...excuse me--off-road vehicle(s)! However, gas is pretty stable stored in a closed system like that of your car (which this tank is) and not in a poorly closed one, such as a plastic jug or an airplane, where volatilization diminishes octane pretty fast.

The 55-gallon barrels the Pure-Gas it is sold to me from contain 55 gallons of gas and the barrels are sealed with two "bungs." They (the local oil company that refines and distributes it) assure me that stored out of the elements (sun, extreme temperature changes) and sealed that way, the octane lasts at least a year. Further, they said that using Stabil was not necessary for the short time I would have each trailer-load.

The fuel trailer was built following this guidance: http://www.flyunleaded.com/FuelTrailer.pdf

Rich, do you tow your little gas station to the airport each time you fly...or are you allowed to store it in your hangar? Or elsewhere on the airport grounds?

Nomore767 wrote:Let me get settled and we can arrange something. Perhaps you and Flocker could fly up together?

Sounds good. I'm in!

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