Hazardous loads - Freightliner

[ForTheLoveOf]

I can confirm that the use of leaded fuel is alive and well in the light aircraft industry. Most engines in these planes are still based on designs from the 1930s or thereabouts, and it's simply not cost effective to replace them with entirely different ones. Everything in aviation is already very expensive (a new engine of the same type costs ~£30,000 for a smaller plane, and has to be replaced every 2000-2500 running hours), so until a fully backwards-compatible alternative comes about, these aircraft will unfortunately continue to expel lead into our skies.

 

[furnessvale]

I can confirm that the use of leaded fuel is alive and well in the light aircraft industry. Most engines in these planes are still based on designs from the 1930s or thereabouts, and it's simply not cost effective to replace them with entirely different ones. Everything in aviation is already very expensive (a new engine of the same type costs ~£30,000 for a smaller plane, and has to be replaced every 2000-2500 running hours), so until a fully backwards-compatible alternative comes about, these aircraft will unfortunately continue to expel lead into our skies.

Only if they are allowed to by government.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Only if they are allowed to by government.

A Certificate of Airworthiness and/or Airworthiness Review Certificate (note: these are not the same thing) is not usually withheld on environmental grounds (so long as the plane is properly maintained). It would usually only be withheld on grounds of the maintenance condition not being up to standard.

 

[furnessvale]

A Certificate of Airworthiness and/or Airworthiness Review Certificate (note: these are not the same thing) is not usually withheld on environmental grounds (so long as the plane is properly maintained). It would usually only be withheld on grounds of the maintenance condition not being up to standard.

Indeed, but you are talking current legislation.

Remember, the EU recently introduced legislation which meant at the time (and I believe still means for the heaviest freight locos) that no new freight locos could conform to emission standards and still fit in the UK loading gauge.

 

[edwin_m]

However legislators are extremely unwilling to mandate application of new standards to existing equipment. So for example all the various Euro standards only apply to engines produced after a certain date. The 2020 accessibility deadline for the railways and the legislation banning Mk1s and mandating TPWS were exceptions to this, but it's easier to force retrospective change on the railway than on road or general aviation where it can be spun as penalising the "little man".

 

[rebmcr]

A Certificate of Airworthiness and/or Airworthiness Review Certificate (note: these are not the same thing) is not usually withheld on environmental grounds (so long as the plane is properly maintained). It would usually only be withheld on grounds of the maintenance condition not being up to standard.

Which matters little if the manufacture & import of lead-based fuel additives is banned.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Which matters little if the manufacture & import of lead-based fuel additives is banned.

So far, it is not though. I imagine it will be soon after a realistic alternative is found.