Not all fuel is the same—just like you wouldn’t want to put diesel in your car that calls for 87 MON gas, you would never want to put the wrong fuel in your aircraft. It pays to know the difference.
Jet A—as its name suggests—is used for jet aircraft. At its core, Jet A is basically kerosene with other additives. This is the most common type of fuel for commercial aviation and private jet aviation. This fuel runs clear.
Avgas is very similar to automotive fuel with varying levels of octane and lead levels. The industry, as of now, most widely uses 100LL—100 octane low lead. This fuel is dyed blue to avoid confusion between Jet A and Avgas, reducing the risk of contamination and miss-fueling. Avgas is primarily used in piston general aviation aircraft. As the industry looks to become more eco-conscious, suppliers are looking into developing a no-lead avgas solution.
Avfuel remains committed to helping the industry discover a new alternative, no-lead Avgas replacement. To this end, Avfuel is working closely with Swift Fuels’ efforts to develop an alternative as it goes through the PAFI process (Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative), while outlining distribution methods that would ensure fair allocation of the resource to keep the product competitive when a viable alternative is approved.
Avfuel-branded FBOs have access to the online Avfuel Training System, which further explores the types of fuel and for what they’re used. Visit avfueltraining.com for more information.