For those of you who do not have experience with etanol as fuel here
it goes. Engine compression is a little bit biger than a gasoline
engine. It burns a little bit more fuel. The big problem is that
ethanol is corosive. It will eat even carburators specially treated
for ethanol. What I was told that in Brazil some GA pilots are already
using it in place of Avgas. It costs 5 times less. If a lot is flown
could easily justify changing all fuel system parts every so often. I
was told that the fuel tanks and fuel lines are changed to inox steel
ones to minimize corrosion.


From Aero-news:

Ethanol Powered Airplane Certified In Brazil
Fri, 18 Mar '05

Renewable Fuel Powers Crop Duster
Depressed about the high price of aviation fuel? Don't turn to
drinking to drown your sorrows, you may need that ethanol to power
your aircraft in the future. Neiva delivered an ethanol-powered crop
duster to a customer at a ceremony held in Botucato, Sao Paulo on
Tuesday.

The airplane is named the Ipanema, which has been in production for
more than 30 years. The plane was the 1000th unit of the type, and is
the first production aircraft in the world certified to use ethanol as
its fuel. The company, Industria Aeronautica Neiva, is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Embraer. They produced 83 Ipanemas last year, and 46 in
2003.

Neiva received the type certificate for an alcohol-fueled aircraft in
October 2004. Brazil is a major producer of ethanol, produced from
sugar cane. It has been used in their automobiles for more than 20
years. Gasoline is up to five times more expensive than ethanol,
pollutes more, and is not renewable.

Company officials claim their ethanol-powered engines are more durable
and seven percent more powerful, according to media reports. Neiva has
over 100 orders to convert already flying aircraft to the new engine.
The Brazilian government expects that more small aircraft will be
converted to ethanol in the future to conserve oil-based fuels