Aircam, Palm Beach to Arizona

W

Wagondriver

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
687
Display Name
Display name:
375Taylor
I am buying an Aircam in Florida and then flying it to Arizona. I am interested in cool places to camp along the way, perhaps hangars to put it in during bad weather, and to meet some people. I am not in a super big hurry, but I am also hoping not to be stuck for days due to weather. The rough plan is to fly the gulf coast over to Texas and then straight across. I intend to stop in the Houston area to visit a friend, and then stop again near San Antonio to visit my Dad.

Being twin 912's I also want to use Mogas as much as possible. Does anyone know if there is a list of airports with mogas, or do I just have to look at the AFD for each possible stop?
 
Wagondriver said:
Being twin 912's I also want to use Mogas as much as possible. Does anyone know if there is a list of airports with mogas, or do I just have to look at the AFD for each possible stop?
Click to expand...
Seems like this site exists: http://flyunleaded.com/mapusairports.html
No idea how accurate it is. But they have a MoGas Airport map.
There's also this thread: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/finding-airports-that-sell-91-octane-mogas.127646/

EDIT: Enjoy the flight and get pictures!
 
Try this. More user friendly than the map.

I find UL94 is more common than true MoGas, but I would call the FBO before planning on them. Sometimes ForeFlight will show MoGas under the FBO…but not often.

http://flyunleaded.com/airports.html
 
Wagondriver said:
Ah, yes, pertinent details. I am picking it up on January 13.
I looked at that fly in, but with open cockpit I am pretty sure I don't want to be that far north.
Click to expand...
Where you gonna base it in Arizona?
 
Once you have a planned route, be sure to post it here and any other forums related to aviation in general and maybe ROTAX/TwinCam as well.

I mention this because when we flew my Sky Arrow to AZ, a Cirrus owner invited me to land at his strip and fill us up with MOGAS. Also served us lunch! Also found MOGAS at a Light Sport dealer in North Little Rock.

For instance, if anyone’s route takes them near Knoxville, TN, I’d be happy to fill them up with MOGAS.

Also, if you have friends or acquaintances near an airport, they might be able to bring you MOGAS. Best to check with the airport manager of FBO to make sure it’s allowed.

As an aside, resorting to AVGAS isn’t horrible. Are you aware of Decalin? It’s an additive that’s supposed to help hold the lead in AVGAS in suspension, allowing it to be burned more cleanly.
 
Last edited:
FastEddieB said:
Are you aware of Decalin? It’s an additive that’s supposed to help hold the lead in AVGAS in suspension, allowing it to be burned more cleanly.
Click to expand...
How does it work? The lead in AVGAS is in the form of a molecule that is already dissolved in the gasoline, so it is already in suspension. Decalin is simply two cyclohexane rings fused along one bond. Perhaps there is another mechanism that helps to burn or otherwise remove the lead so it doesn't get into the rest of the engine?
 
Rough route at this point is:
LNA CGC FPY 54J 0R1 BIX REG ORG TME 5C1 LRU P33 E77 E63 and Eagle Roost

This is not a specific stop list, just a rough route. Not sure how to post a foreflight route map.
 
Wagondriver said:
Rough route at this point is:
LNA CGC FPY 54J 0R1 BIX REG ORG TME 5C1 LRU P33 E77 E63 and Eagle Roost

This is not a specific stop list, just a rough route. Not sure how to post a foreflight route map.
Click to expand...
Pay close attention to 5C1 and landing fees. I actually used to rent a hangar there but they’ve since changed ownership. I did a practice approach there a while ago and got a letter in the mail NOT from the FBO or Vector but it warned me I likely would. I never did but, looking at the FBO website, you may incur a $10 landing fee plus a $30 tiedown fee. I never actually got a bill, so I don’t know how tightly they enforce this.

I’ve never personally had a bad experience there and the letter I got may well have been some middle-school antics but it’s worth maybe giving a call to see what the story is.


Add: having flown from the Austin area to PHX and TUS many times, you obviously can’t make it from 5C1 to KLRU nonstop (…I don’t think…). There’s not a lot between the two. KFST is a decent option, with courtesy cars (and hotels if you need them) but basically no MX support. The nearest quasi-realistic option for a stop with MX support is Pecos. That said, support for Rotaxes is still scant in our country. Luckily their reliability is pretty high.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Cap'n Jack said:
How does it work? The lead in AVGAS is in the form of a molecule that is already dissolved in the gasoline, so it is already in suspension. Decalin is simply two cyclohexane rings fused along one bond. Perhaps there is another mechanism that helps to burn or otherwise remove the lead so it doesn't get into the rest of the engine?
Click to expand...

I have no idea how or if it works.

I do know one flight school owner who stopped using it. He was getting a lot of cracked exhaust pipes. His theory was that the lead that wasn’t deposited in the engine was building up in the exhaust. I have no idea if that’s true, but he ran his ROTAX’s on just 100LL sans additive and said his exhaust cracking problems went away. Just a single data point, so I wouldn’t put a whole lot of weight on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top