Southern California FBO among latest to offer unleaded aviation gasoline alternative

Golden West Jet Center KOXR is the latest California FBO to offer Swift UL94 unleaded aviation gasoline. The Oxnard Airport FBO received its first shipment last month and is now ready to sell UL94 to aircraft with Swift Fuels STCs. The move by Golden West Jet Center to offer the fuel is part of a nationwide effort to reduce lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft.

In February 2022, the FAA and industry partners established the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions initiative to eliminate leaded aviation fuels in piston-engine aircraft safely by the end of 2030, including by using unleaded avgas alternatives such as Swift’s UL94. A more environmentally friendly avgas option, UL94 does not contain tetraethyllead and currently satisfies the requirements for over 66% of the U.S. piston fleet.

Curt Castagna, NATA President and CEO, commented: “Golden West Jet Center joins a network of aviation businesses across the country dedicated to leadership in providing an unleaded aviation gasoline alternative and demonstrating progress toward the EAGLE initiative goal. As more locations consider adding an additional grade of fuel at airports, it is crucial to include NATA’s free misfueling prevention training and other safety resources as an integral part of that process. ” 

 Priscilla Howden, General Manager of Golden West Jet Center, said: “It took several months to work through the logistics on how we were going to store the fuel. In the end, Avfuel was able to send us a second fuel truck and we received the UL94 by a truck-to-truck transfer. Oxnard Airport Ops was on site to ensure a smooth process. We know not everyone can take this fuel yet, but we felt it was important to provide UL94 fuel to pilots who want it. As part of the education process, Swift has a website that provides news and details on UL94."

Bringing UL94 to airports has been a challenge for some FBOs as many airports do not have multiple avgas tanks. Golden West will also continue to sell 100LL avgas, which is stored in a separate fuel farm tank and is pumped from a separate fuel truck. NATA is also providing information and support for pilots and FBOs interested in switching to an unleaded aviation gasoline.