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Running PA38 on Mogas

>may I also insist on a certain minimum level of grammar/spelling/punctuation?

I’d rather not as it would exclude most of the UK

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

> Agreed! And may I also insist on a certain minimum level of grammar/spelling/punctuation?

I think that would require unreasonable diligence when using an iPad! :-)

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

Back on the subject of Mogas… It sure would be nice to pay ca. €1.50 per liter instead of the €2.90 we pay up here in NE Scotland!

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

We did testing with the Tomahawk on Mogas about 25 years ago, and it was not satisfactory, I advise against attempting it. This is why there are no (to my knowledge) STC’s for it. If there is one, follow the requirements of the STC with great precision, there will not be much room for error. Vapour lock (bubbles in the fuel lines are the risk).

I am a great proponent of Mogas use, and use it in my 150, I have flown more than 3500 hours on Mogas in many types. All but two of those hours were trouble free, and those two hours were in a Mogas fuelled Tomahawk.

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

Thanks for the responses guys! Maoraigh, do you really start your take-off run with carb heat hot sometimes? Never heard of that! Haha Also, did you mean that carb icing is more of a problem in PA38’s than other aircraft? Hope not!

I will look into that.

> I have heard if people runing the right tank with avgss for rake iff and landing and the left full of asda unleaded for the cruise.>

I have heard of that too, that might not be a bad idea…

And yeah, Mogas would save soooo much money… but another question – perhaps more interestingly – how would one get 100l of Mogas from the station to the airfield. I mean, are you just gonna roll up with 5 Jerry cans and fill’em up and off you go? Pretty sure that’s illegal. :L And you would have to do that quite regularly!

Another thing is that there are no ‘big brand’ reputable suppliers (shell, BP, etc.) where I live, and I’ve been told to go only to them for Mogas… Hmm…

>(Just don’t insult the Socata TB20 on it’s performance and the parachute of the Cirrus SR20/22)

No, it’s a litte bit different, you can complain as much as you want about the TB20 ;-)

I can only tell you about my exerience with my 1974 Piper PA_28-151 Cherokee Warrior with a O-320-E3D engine.

The engine was replaced in 1987. The new engine was flown on Avgas only until 1995. If not leaned aggressively it would suffer from spark plug fouling on many days. In 1997 or 98 (can’t remember) I bought the MoGas STC which in the case of the -E3D engine is nothing more than paperwork and new decals at the tanks.

Ever since I have flow the aircraft on MoGas, Avgas, mixed MoGas/AVGAS and there was really only one difference: When flown on MoGas only there was never a problem with the spark plugs. Other than that absolutely no difference. I flew in hot summers, across the Alps in FL130 many times, to Sweden, Spain, Croatia and Greece – and whenever it was available i put MoGas in. No bubbles, nothing. But it saved a lot of money.

In Germany aviation MoGas has to be unter 1% percent alcohol, and from what I read this makes sense. Some engines and especially some plastic parts in the fuel system might suffer from alcohol.

Well AnthonyQ:

People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones……….
In England &/or until that mad mullah in Scotland wrests Ruritanian independence, our metric fuel measure is spelt ‘litre’.

As for uplifting largish quantities of Mogas for aviation use, I regularly buy a minimum of 20l and often 80l into a row of four Gerry cans stacked in the back of the car. I agree Sainsbury’s petrol station managers are often difficult about one doing this, but asking helps, otherwise Shell etc. locally are suitable sources & without hassles.

mike hallam (Sussex England)

I can tell you that yesterday I discovered the fuel level indicator on my [generator](http://www.mowerexpress.co.uk/acatalog/Briggs—-Stratton-Promax3500A.html?gclid=CPX027X5xboCFQp42wodYzYA8Q) had basically melted – due to the alcohol in the petrol.

I would be really careful about putting that stuff in my fuel system.

Socata say in the TB20 POH that up to 2% alcohol is allowed, and I do use 0.5% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in the fuel when doing flights in cold temps (say -30C) even though there is no reported case of fuel icing in a TB20.

For me, buying and transporting say 300 litres of car petrol would be impossible. And I would suggest it is an issue for any serious GA flying because even 100 litres is ~72kg of fuel which is a massive weight to move about.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

(In Germany the TOTAL company guaranteed that aviation MoGas contained LESS than 1% alcohol, so it was safe. But you cannot take the stuff from the gas station anymore, or at least I wouldn’t)

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