Auto Fuel STC

glennhake

glennhake

New member
I would like to better control fuel price. Our carbureted engines are approved for auto fuel in other airframe applications. I recall that there is a process for obtaining a onetime auto fuel airframe STC. Google didn't help on this one. Does anyone know that process?
 
I talked to Earl Lawrence a few years ago about doing this for Cruisairs. He said it would be do-able (SP?) but may not be cheap. We would have to test using Alaska winter gas (ASTM 4814 Volatility Class E) in a place like Arizona in the summer. I wonder now, considering the amount of ethanol that is going in to mogas if it is even feasible now.
 
The process I recall hearing involved heating the fuel to something like 120 F and climbing to 10,000 feet. I can't find documentation.
 
I was talking about this with a mechanic just to educate myself for my cruisemaster with L0435, which the engine has the stc but not the engine/airframe combination. He thought that generally that situation was the result of fuel line routing or some reason that caused vapor lock under the extreme test conditions that the aircraft/engines were put through. Or, maybe the limited number of Bellancas and lack of attention didn't warrant the original testing. Does anyone know the specifics of our Cruisemaster situation regarding this, and whether or not the fuel line routing would cause an issue? I talked to one guy that has heard of running avgas in the wings for takeoff and landing, and auto gas in the aux for cruise. I'm admittedly new with Bellancas and GA in general and am not trying to jump into autogas usage or the arguments for and against, just education and understanding. Thanks.
 
I talked with Peterson sometime ago, he said the number of Bellancas did not justify the costs for a comercial STC. Never heard that it was tried and failed.
 
I "used to know some guy" who flew leaded regular in the aux tank for over a year after which he used it in all tanks with no problem. The plane was a 14-19-2.
Unleaded was available but not mandatory at the time, in fact it cost more than leaded regular.
 
I, as I'm sure many of you did, availed myself of autogas when I'd fly into an airport featuring it as "Mogas." This was in a Luscombe though, and I had my little sticker on the wings. I remember getting some new stickers in the mail for some new sort of fuel that was coming - I forget...80 or 82UL or somesuch - that never came. Nowadays we've got the mandatory corn based ethanol scam to deal with, so I'll simply take my price punishment in either airplane, and avoid those silly little testers with the little yellow balls that let you know if you're...well...screwed.

Jonathan
 
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