Arty's Ultimate Ultralight Adventure

2-20-09
I'm a little astonished at how quickly word is getting out about my cross-country flight. And pleased, too, as I get contacted by folks around the country who are interested and wanting to help out. One such person is Dean Billing, of Sisters, Oregon who is leading an effort to assure that ethanol-free gas is available for aviation, as well as other uses. For those of you reading this who aren't pilots, you may not be aware of how serious the problem is if you use ethanol-blended gas in many aircraft engines, including mine. Unleaded auto gasoline, referred to as "mogas" in aviation circles, is an FAA recognized aviation fuel because of the STC process, but it must not contain ethanol.

The unintended consequences of The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) is spreading ethanol into all of the auto gasoline in the country. This is a very serious concern for ultralights and many general aviation planes. Dean is leading a loose knit group of volunteers who are urging state legislators around the country to pass a bill that will insure that ethanol-free fuel is available for all of the users that need it, including aircraft, watercraft, antique and classic cars, small engines, etc.

Dean is a sponsor of my flight since he wants to document the difficulty of getting ethanol-free gas. The Ethanol-Free Premium Coalition wants to insure the continued availability of ethanol free mogas for aviation use by supporting state laws prohibiting the blending of ethanol in premium unleaded gasoline. This fuel can be used in 100% of ultralights, Light Sport Aircraft and all mogas STC aircraft.

For those of you who are as concerned as I am about the increasing use of ethanol-blended gas, I hope you'll go to the Coalition's website and join them in this good fight. www.e0pc.com (And that's a "zero", not a capital O in the URL.)

Arty