Brian, Pete and Steve,
A number of us have written on Ethanol in the past and have first hand expe
rience like Brian and Pete. Attached is my first client info article from
2012.
To add a bit and not to upset anyone:
Ethanol up to 10%, that is fresh and less than three weeks old in an aircra
ft where the octane is above 92 (US 92 RON, AKI 91, or European Super+ Roz9
5) can be run in the Rotax 912S and 914 safely. The 80 HP Rotax 912 as Cre
ighton Smith would say can run on cat pee but he uses at least normal 87 ca
r gas or better. Note that your local gas station normally has no clue of
how long the gas has sat in their tanks so go to a station that has high vo
lume sales is one way to reasonably be casually assured of your fuel qualit
y.
After three weeks the ethanol MoGas octane begins to drop and gathers water
from the humidity when not in a sealed container. This water absorption/s
ediment causes corrosion in aluminum components and after 6 weeks a nasty g
rowth starts in stagnant fuel tanks open to the air which can cause gascola
tors and filters to clog.
WARNING: Detonation is highly possible in the 912ULS and 914 if run on imp
roper octane content. The pilot cannot hear detonation in the Rotax normal
ly and a cruise propeller setting on takeoff at full power with improper oc
tane fuel can lug the engine down sufficiently to cause detonation which wi
ll lead to rapid loss of compression, valve and piston damage, and eventual
loss of the engine. Unlike your auto engine, the Rotax does not have a kn
ock sensor to retard spark and prevent extended detonation.
Specifically for the Europa:
1. The fuel lines sold as aircraft and marine use should not be used unl
ess specifically designated ethanol safe as they harden and begin to permea
te fuel vapor.
2. Use R-9 or better (EPA rated ethanol safe fuel hose) that is lined on
ly. Not only for the smell and vapor but for seepage also.
3. Piersburg pumps are fine up to about 5 years then it is prudent to ch
eck fuel pressure output as internal plastic/rubber components become britt
le.
4. Gascolators, fuel selector and fuel drain rubber components are not r
outinely ethanol safe. The O rings need to be Viton or similar to hold up
to ethanol or change them at least every two years.
5. The Europa fuel tank material is PTFE and should be fine for use with
ethanol. (Much has been complained about with leaving the tank full or em
pty. I keep mine full.)
6. The fuel boss pickup coarse screen assembly uses Redux epoxy and this
epoxy will fail over time with ethanol. It appears to work for about 3-5
years then begins to break down.
7. Pro seal (a fuel sealant) will begin to soften and the outer layer be
gins to get very soft and slimy, but I have seen no serious breakdown on le
ss than 10%. But the manufacturer does not guarantee it. Newer E85 fuel
safe sealants have come on line but I have not tried them. Parker has a V1
100 and 1200 series fluorocarbon substance that has been tested in autos as
a sealant but not aircraft.
8. The fuel filler rubber elbow should be replaced as it will harden and
crack with ethanol over time. Plus, the fuel smell permeates the rubber h
ose. Nasty.
9. Sight gauge clear lines made from certain PVCs tend to discolor and b
ecome cloudy with ethanol. But some don=92t, so one must experiment over t
ime.
10. Any carbureted engine floats, gaskets and bowls must be inspected rel
igiously (25 hours is what I use) for deterioration from corrosion and floa
t buoyancy issues with ethanol.
11. MoGas with 10% ethanol as used delivers fewer BTUs and therefore less
horsepower even when fresh. In the Rotax powered Europa you will not noti
ce much of a difference until doing flight testing. The difference is mino
r but noticeable. Especially on cold starts, and long climbs is where I ha
ve personally seen the difference.
Some References: https://www.customflightcreations.com/techniques-articles
-and-build-information/, Lockwood Aviation, LAA, EAA and FAA websites for m
any articles and information. Or just Google =93Ethanol use in aircraft=94
and answer your own questions as there are many articles.
If you want to just jump in the plane after letting it set for a few weeks
and fire the beast up and go fly, AvGas with the lead suspension additive (
TCP) may be more to your liking.
If you fly only about 25 hours a year locally and fly only one or two longe
r cross countries a year, your scheduled maintenance between a 25 hour oil
change and the normal annual oil change, plus more frequent O ring changing
and the like, isn=92t much of a difference cost wise using MoGas or AvGas.
In 20 years of advising on, experimenting, building and flying the Europa I
have found that fuel is one of the cheapest things we put into our aircraf
t. Yes, we use quite a bit of it, but I have found our Rotax experts like
Phil Lockwood note there is a cost to everything. MoGas is cheaper at the
pump and oil changes are longer but, on an average, it is about $20 a fligh
t cheaper to use MoGas over the short term. If using fresh MoGas to fly an
d then draining it out into the car if it has sat in the tanks for three we
eks or longer because your plane only flies once a month, you have to see w
hat meets your comfort level. If time is valuable and the tediousness of c
hanging O rings and pumps more often and pumping out old fuel doesn=92t bot
her you as much as your flying fuel bill, that is up to you and your person
al flying. You may be the guy that drains his stagnant aircraft tank into
the car on Friday night, then on Saturday jumps into the car, pulls your Eu
ropa out of the garage, stops at the filling station for a fresh fill and t
rucks on to the flying field for a morning flight. Or you may be the guy w
ho leaves his plane outside with a cover at the field and then goes through
the trials of a quick flight. Perhaps you are the guy that has your plane
in the hangar fueled with AvGas and simply pulls it out and fires it up.
As my old friend Walter Hudson used to say: You know what keeps an airplan
e flying? Money! How you spend it is up to you.
We all have our reasons for doing what we do. Choose wisely. An airplane
is 20,000 compromises flying in formation. Change one thing and it affects
20 others. Some of us may be old and outdated (LAA/FAA/or us old farts),
but if it works don=92t screw with it. Reinventing or experimenting with a
ircraft is costly so look hard at how you want to spend your time and money
.
Best Regards,
Bud Yerly
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com <owner-europa-list-server@matr
onics.com> On Behalf Of Brian Davies
Sent: Friday, March 19, 2021 5:34 AM
Subject: RE: Europa-List: Ethanol in fuel. What about Brazil?
Hi Steve,
I can assure you that the LAA are not living in the past on this subject.
When 5% Ethanol was introduced into Mogas the UK CAA effectively banned its
use. The LAA worked hard to get this reversed and eventually the CAA agre
ed that the LAA could determine which aircraft and/or engine types could us
e Mogas with 5% Ethanol. Although the Rotax is cleared for fuel with some
Ethanol the aircraft fuel system may not be. Most of the problems we have
experienced have been related to fuel tanks and fuel pipes and poor operati
ng practices, such as leaving stale fuel in the system. The introduction o
f 10% Ethanol will require a re-think. In the meantime, avoid using it as
long as there are good alternatives such as UL91 or premium grade Mogas wit
hout Ethanol.
A question for you before you finish your aircraft- what specification fuel
lines have you installed? Are they Ethanol proof? The stuff Europa origi
nally supplied is resistant but not proof because we did not have Ethanol i
n fuel when it was originally specified.
Regards
Brian Davies
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com<mailto:owner-europa-list-serve
r@matronics.com> <owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com<mailto:owner-europ
a-list-server@matronics.com>> On Behalf Of Steve Ivell
Sent: 18 March 2021 22:49
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Ethanol in fuel. What about Brazil?
Hi Jonathan
The Rotax engine is fine with ethanol, as you mention in Brazil. The engine
is designed for mogas and really doesn't like Avgas.
My feeling is that the LAA are living in the past and if it's not Avgas it'
s no good!! Well it's time to smell the coffee and get used to the here and
now. 10% ethanol is coming and I'll be using it.
It might mean changing the rubber more often but that's still much more aff
ordable than having to use Avgas.
Obviously just my humble opinion.
Cheers
Steve
GSTES
XS Trigear 912s..... nearly finished!!
________________________________
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com<mailto:owner-europa-list-serve
r@matronics.com> <owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com<mailto:owner-europ
a-list-server@matronics.com>> on behalf of JonathanMilbank <jdmilbank@yahoo
.co.uk<mailto:jdmilbank@yahoo.co.uk>>
Sent: Thursday, 18 March 2021, 21:35
Subject: Europa-List: Ethanol in fuel. What about Brazil?
<mailto:jdmilbank@yahoo.co.uk>>
We in the UK are faced with the prospect of ethanol content in fuel being r
aised in September from 5% to 10%. About 10 or so years ago (or was it long
er?) this whole subject got debated to death, with the LAA Light Aircraft A
ssociation taking the position that we should always check each fuel batch
for ethanol before pouring it into our fuel tanks. The test using a glass t
est tube with about 1" of water in the bottom, noting its level, then addin
g about 4 X as much fuel before shaking well and allowing to settle to see
if the water level had apparently risen, was not particularly accurate and
I never saw the water level rise.
The LAA's understandable position then was "If you find evidence of ethanol
in fuel, then don't use it!" This position is very unlikely to change, whi
ch will mean that Rotax engines should either use avgas or UL91. For those
of us living in god-forsaken northern latitudes, neither of these fuels are
available and it would be economically prohibitive to either import them t
o our remote airfields or to fly to the nearest large airport to refuel, wh
ile simultaneously incurring landing fees and handling charges of =C2=A3200
!
Obviously (at least to me) Europas should cope with 10% ethanol in fuel, be
cause I believe that at least one, maybe more Europas in Brazil were using
fuel with ethanol having well in ecxess of 20%. Seemingly our "plastic" fue
l tanks, automotive fuel lines and carburettors are unfased by ethanol.
Please correct me if I'm wrong about Brazil and let me know whether ethanol
is to blame for any fuel tank failures in Europas. Thank you.
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