march2023 - 22

Ground Service Providers
Currently Swift Fuels' UL94 is the
only grade of unleaded avgas that's
commercially produced and it's only
available at some airports. In the past
few months the company expanded its
UL94 avgas supply chain network. Swift
Fuels works with fuel distributors / suppliers
including World Fuel, Avfuel, Titan,
Epic, P66 and others, and Swift Fuels CEO
Chris D'Acosta says the company plans
to expand with additional operating
sites in strategic locations. UL94 is a 94+
Motor Octane aviation gasoline without
tetraethyllead that meets the ASTM
D7547 Unleaded Avgas specification. It's
FAA-approved for use in approximately
70 percent of the spark ignition piston
fleet. That 70 percent of the spark ignition
piston fleet burns about 30 percent
of the volume, so it's a bit of an inverse
relationship, Berry says, which means
there are high-performance aircraft that
cannot use UL94.
working to educate as many people as
Misfueling Missteps
When it comes to the missteps that lead
to misfueling, Berry says nothing has
really changed.
" It's all about good communication,
having a proper fuel order and confirming
the grade with each refueling. We
wanted to make sure that we kept that
message that the basic principles of misfueling
prevention haven't changed. It's
just that now we have an additional risk. "
Misfueling itself is not new.
" It's been a known risk for a long
time, " Berry says, adding NATA has been
possible about misfueling.
" If you are putting fuel into airplanes
or have been putting fuel into airplanes,
misfueling prevention should have
already been a part of your training program, "
he continues. " And now we're just
trying to keep it updated to reflect the
current reality of the market. "
Since the Safety 1st General Aviation
Misfueling Prevention Program
was introduced in early 2016, more
than 13,000 people have gone through
the training developed to conform with
Energy Institute (EI) standards.
Overwing
refueling, where
aircraft are
refueled through
the filler ports
located on top
of the wings
is the greatest
misfueling risk.
This is because
both jet fuel,
avgas and
unleaded avgas
can be delivered
via the overwing
method. Overwing
fuel nozzle
handles must
be color-coded.
Avgas nozzles
handles should
be red. Jet fuel
nozzle handles
should be black.
" I think is a testament to people's
interest in this. They realize that it's
something that's very real and lives
have been lost because of misfueling, "
Berry adds.
It's difficult to quantify what mistakes
didn't happen, but Berry notes that
13,000 people understanding the dangers
of misfueling has likely had an impact on
the industry.
" I do like to think we've made a difference
and that we've prevented a misfueling
somewhere, " he says.
" We take pride in the training that we
have and in making sure that aircraft are
fueled safely, " Berry adds.
In fact, Berry says he wishes that 100
percent of the people who touch an aviation
fuel hose would take the training.
That includes pilots, line service techs
and even passengers who might be asked
to help fuel an aircraft.
" If you're putting fuel into airplanes
An aircraft should be marked with
a placard that clearly and without
a doubt corresponds with the
type and grade of fuel marked on
the refueling equipment.
22 || Ground Support Worldwide || March 2023
or if you're involved in aviation, if you're
even tangentially involved, the training
is free. It takes maybe 20-25 minutes to
get through the training. And I think the
knowledge you take away from it, about
how critical it is, I like to think it will
resonate with people and leave an impact
because people die because of misfueling
and it's 100 percent preventable. It's
NATA
NATA
march2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2023
