Unleaded Fuel Operations

[brandon7766]

Hello,

My 140 has the STC for unleaded fuel. I want to start using unleaded fuel when I can. My questions are more related to operations with transport/fueling with ethanol free unleaded fuel.
The airports around me do not carry any mogas so I will be responsible for transporting it to the plane. I was looking at getting something like a gas caddy that is plastic and has a pump (https://scepter.com/products/consumer-p ... container/). I was also planning to get an ethanol testing kit.

Are there any gotchas with this set up? How have others solved this issue? Do I need to ground the plane something metal on the ground or to something metal on the gas caddy? Does anything really change with operating with unleaded fuel in a C85 that I need to be aware of?

[6597]

I cannot add to your storage/dispensing knowledge. I can tell you that when I burn ethanol-free mogas my plugs are very free of lead, and my oil gets a little darker sooner than with straight 100LL.

I do pre-heat the engine in the winter time even when it's say 40F, seems to help greatly.


Ethanol gas stations in Carrollton GA

Screenshot 2026-04-25 at 19-47-10 Pure-gas.org - ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada.png (52.17 KiB) Viewed 145 times

Ethanol testing containers....

https://www.amazon.com/ethanol-test-kit ... l+test+kit

[8413]

I use No-Spill 2.5 gallon gas cans for ethanol free fuel. 2.5 gallon is lighter to heft up on the wing. I also lay the can on a damp rag to protect the paint and provide an electrical bond from the tank to the airframe.

I use water based food coloring to confirm the fuel is ethanol free. It’s easy and cheap and then I dump that sample into my car.

[V529]

Regarding fuel transfer from container to airplane.
It's important that the container is "bonded" electronically to the airframe so they both have the same electrical potential. In other words, one can't have a significantly differently electrical charge than the other, inducing a static charge transfer..........(i.e. spark).

A fuel truck sits on rubber tires, your airplane sits on rubber tires, but when the fuel truck attaches a bonding cable, wa, la, no spark and no excitement.

[6643]

Use metal containers and clip a wire from the can to a spot of bare metal on the airframe.