Ethanol Powered Airplane Certified In Brazil

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

Victor wrote:
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.



I'm currently down in Brazil for work, and they sell the Ethanol at the
gas station (listed as Alchohol) I can vouch for the price difference.
Gasoline runs about 2.50 R per liter and Alchohol is 1.09 R per liter.
They are now making cars (known as a Flex car) that can take both
fuels. Can't tell you much more than this because I don't speak the
language.

Hopefully when I get back the end of this week, I can finally go
flying. The Aztec was finally finished the day before I left, so I need
to take it on a shakeout flight, and I'm still waiting for the C152 (7
months now! What's the longest you've ever waited for you plane to get
out of the shop? This is getting near ridiculous now)

--
Louis L. Perley III
N46000 - C152
N370 - PA23-250

Hopefully when I get back the end of this week, I can finally go
flying. The Aztec was finally finished the day before I left, so I need
to take it on a shakeout flight, and I'm still waiting for the C152 (7
months now! What's the longest you've ever waited for you plane to get
out of the shop? This is getting near ridiculous now)

You seriously need to find a new shop. Seven months?

Why would you even entertain the notion of waiting seven months for
ANYTHING? And you call this only "near ridiculous"? You must be the most
patient customer in the world.

IMHO, you should be charging them for rental of your plane.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
You seriously need to find a new shop. Seven months?

Why would you even entertain the notion of waiting seven months for
ANYTHING? And you call this only "near ridiculous"? You must be the
most
patient customer in the world.

IMHO, you should be charging them for rental of your plane.

I am generally a very patient customer, and a pretty patient guy
overall. It is getting annoying though. There have been various delays,
etc. waiting for parts and such, and I've been doing a fair bit of
traveling, so even had it been completed, I wouldn't have had much time
to fly anyway. In fact, I have over 100 hours in airplanes since my
last flight, with none of them with me as PIC (airline travel over
various oceans of the world) I haven't flown (as PIC) in over 6 months,
and it's driving me nuts!

--
Louis L. Perley III
N46000 - C152
N370 - PA23-250

In article .com,
Louis L. Perley III wrote:

I'm currently down in Brazil for work, and they sell the Ethanol at the
gas station (listed as Alchohol) I can vouch for the price difference.
Gasoline runs about 2.50 R per liter and Alchohol is 1.09 R per liter.
They are now making cars (known as a Flex car) that can take both
fuels. Can't tell you much more than this because I don't speak the
language.


Brazil has had ethanol as fuel for a lot of years now. I remember my 1989
Volkswagen Amazon (your VW FOX) had a chapter on starting an alcohol
powered engine. Before multiport fuel inyection, starting and ethanol
engine was almost impossible, so the engine was started on normal gas
and was switched to alcohol after a minute or two.

It had a small gas tank right besides the windshield washer tank you
would refill at the gas station, and it was good for a lot of starts...

Newer alcohol engines are multiport inyection, and those start as easily
as gas powered engines.

(I live in SouthAmerica, 4 hours away from Brasil)


--
Eduardo K. | Some say it's forgive and forget.
| I say forget about forgiving just accept.
http://e.nn.cl | And get the hell out of town.
| Minnie Driver, Grosse Point Blank