Flight performance testing of ethanol/100LL fuel blends during cruise flight.

Aviation gasoline, 100LL, is the last fuel in the U.S. containing lead. Additionally, the cost of 100LL avgas now averages close to $4.64/gal. This combination will eventually require an operational transition within the general aviation (GA) community. A contract was awarded to the Baylor Institute for Air Science to determine the feasibility of operating piston engine aircraft on all blends of ethanol and 100LL avgas during the transition period. This thesis focused on engine performance associated with multiple engine power settings on a Cessna 152 /Lycoming O-235 airframe/power plant combination. Flight performance data was collected with an engine data monitor (EDM) augmented by flight crew observations. Results indicate linear-like trends in temperature correlation through a set of pre-determined fuel blends. Engine performance limits were not exceeded during this investigation.