Swift Fuels Expands 100R Unleaded Avgas STC to Cover 1,200 Engine Models and 1,600 Airframes
Why It MattersThe expanded approval accelerates the piston-aircraft fleet's transition away from leaded fuel by covering the majority of certificated aircraft's 100LL consumption.
Swift Fuels arrived at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh after the FAA published an expanded approved model list under Swift's existing supplemental type certificate for 100R, its 100-octane unleaded avgas, adding more than 1,200 engine models and 1,600 airframe models to the certificate. Swift CEO Chris D'Acosta said the company used its earlier UL94 STC, in place since Swift began commercially selling unleaded fuel in 2015, as the starting point for this Phase I deployment, and the newly approved engines and airframes account for an estimated 56 percent of the 100LL consumed annually by certificated piston aircraft in the United States.
Of roughly 225,000 piston aircraft on the U.S. registry, D'Acosta estimates about 180,000 fall into the certificated category requiring an STC before legally burning 100R, while the remaining 35,000 to 40,000 experimental, light sport, and special-category aircraft are exempt. Owners who previously purchased a Swift STC, including early UL94 buyers, will receive an updated compliance packet at no additional charge, including a new fuel placard and an engine tag installed by an A&P mechanic, while pilots without an existing STC must purchase one before using 100R in certificated aircraft.
D'Acosta said the 100R formulation replaces lead with a proprietary additive package dosed at 250 parts per million that prevents valve seat recession, resists intake coking, and includes antioxidants, underpinning a production specification Swift earned through ASTM International with oil companies, engine makers, and airframe manufacturers worldwide. Swift is now focused on certifying higher-compression engines including the 550-series, 540s, 520s, and 390s, with D'Acosta using a Cirrus SR22T to generate flight data, endurance testing underway at Purdue University, and additional work planned with Continental Motors in Mobile, Alabama. Swift has also joined testing programs at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
