From: "Marvin Kaye" <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: Fw: [LML] Re: Fuel Grade List
To: lml
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 14:06:35 -0400
Message-ID: <web-1204239@logan.com>
In-Reply-To: <000c01c1efb4$3d4b95c0$22c7a118@bak.rr.com>
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Posted for "Walter Dodson" <wdodson@bak.rr.com>:


Jack,  
  
Thanks for your timely remarks on 
hi octane fuel which we so dearly need
to make our Lancair rocket ships work 
up to thier full potential.  I had
just gratuated from Northrop as a 
BSAME and was working for Jack Conroy
building the CL-44 pressurized Guppie 
(a turbine) when purple fuel,
115-145 octane, became unavailable.  
We had been fueling the corn cob
powered guppies from a tanker driven 
up to Santa Barbara from the
refinery in LA.  The fuel was then 
transfered into a Santa Barbara
Aviation bowser for metering and 
pricing.  That didn't last very long,
tho, and soon the Guppies, the Onmark 
A-26 and the Howard 500 had to
reduce their TO manifold to some low 
value which basically ruined their
performance.  Well, long story short, 
the Lear, DeHaviland and Jet Stars
soon took over the bisiness market 
segment.  We don't have a similar
option as owner builders with so much 
invested in our projects.  We need
a way out.  TCM is not giving up much 
info that will reassure us.  I
wish I knew what they know.  The most 
recent AOPA journal has a good
article on fuels but offers no solution.  
The new 91-96 octane fuel
offered in the former Soviet union is no 
help nor would it help us
should it be produced here here in the 
west.  Apparently the AGE 85 fuel
is not as great as I once hoped it 
would be.  George Braley's Prism
Ignition System may be an answer, 
expensive as it is sure to be.  Hi
test alkylate distillates are only a 
dream, in my view, given refinery
and base stock limitations.  Other 
additives are lacking performance.
TEL is the best/worst and we're stuck 
with it for now.  Wouldn't it be
nice to find a solution to this vexing 
problem which will soon overtake us?
    
Thanks,
Walter 

[ marv is gone for a few days and didn't
  approve posts, that's why LML has been slow.

  Deakin posted something on 100LL 
  http://www.avweb.com/articles/pelperch/pelp0055.html
  but I sure don't like how Aerosance was portrayed. 

          -Rob ]