We can find airports that carry mogas that meet the STC requirements with no
problems. Unfortunately, none of them are in California. The closest one
to me is just east of Salt Lake. Die Governator has decreed that all
gasoline shall be contaminated with 5.5% alcohol before it leaves the
refinery. He didn't make any exceptions for old farm vehicles, lawnmowers,
weedwhackers, or aircraft -- all of which to one degree or another get
honked up with alcohol.

The one thing that keeps burning in the back of my head is that they
probably soaked some of these carb seals in pure alcohol for six months and
said, "look, they swell up" and thus forbade gasahol. My sense, and it is
only a gut feeling, is that if you ran your airplane for a couple of days on
gasahol then let it sit for a couple of weeks in 100LL that you wouldn't see
any deterioration at all. However, you are in direct violation of the STC
if you do so.

It might be nice to have EAA and/or Petersen do the same seal test with 1%
gasahol, 2% gasahol and so on over a short, moderate, and long time to see
the exact problems facing us. Whether we like it or not, gasahol is with us
to stay, at least in California.

Jim


"Dave Stadt" wrote in message
. ..

You should be able to find airports that carry mogas that meets the STC
requirements.