Mogas?

Do airports in your state sell ethanol-free mogas?

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Frugal Pilot

Frugal Pilot

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Frugal Pilot
In some states, like California, ethanol-free mogas is nearly impossible to find (except at some marinas). Does your state sell mogas to pilots; if so, what is the current price? Comments?
 
There are airports that sell mogas. But, not nearby.

I just schlep 5 gallon cans and don't worry about ethanol or not (which in my particular case is Kosher.)
 
Some airports in the area have mogas but not my home airport. Fortunately there is a gas station just down the street that sells 91 octane ethanol free that I use.
 
I'm not sure if this matters, but as written, this poll is effectively asking what percentage of pilots have this problem, but not what percentage of states.
 
There used to be one airport (H88) in my immediate area that sold MoGas. But they recently discontinued it because they weren't selling enough and it became too much of a PITA for them.

I never bought it there anyway, even when I was based there, because they were always about 75 cents higher than the price on the street. I just bought 91 octane 0E MoGas at a local station yesterday for $2.39/gal.
 
Locally, I get it down the street from my house here in FL. It was $3.06/gal this morning ($1/gal more than normal E10). I went on a trip last week, and bought it at $2.25/gal at the airport.
 
available just down the street although the price is a little high. It's come down some, currently ~2.50

gas pump no ethanol.jpg
 
We have found a source for unpolluted mogas down here on the Texas coast, after the only distributor went T.U. last year, without warning.

It's about a 45 minute drive to little Odem, TX, where a farmers coop is selling it for ~$2.20/gallon. I fill my 100 gallon transfer tank and use it in our lawn tools, airplane, and (ironically, after mixing it with 25% leaded avgas) my '52 Chieftain.
 
No ethanol or any other oxygenating additives in Alaskan gasoline.

I use avgas. The only time I'll use mogas is as an alternative to nogas.
 
I fill with 87 octane ethanol-free gas from the local gas station here. I verify every load that no ethanol is present.

I always fill my car with it too. I figure if they keep selling it (by me buying) they will keep stocking it.
 
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How do you transport MoGas? How would you get 48 gallons into your plane? Do you blend with 100LL?
 
I've been told by a high time instructor that running MoGas in my Continental o470-R increases the odds of carb ice. He said its fine to use on clear VFR days but if flying IMC to avgas. Anyone have actual experience?
 
wrighthenry said:
I've been told by a high time instructor that running MoGas in my Continental o470-R increases the odds of carb ice. He said its fine to use on clear VFR days but if flying IMC to avgas. Anyone have actual experience?
Click to expand...

I have limited experience. So apply grains of salt as required.

I've never heard of such a thing. The only reason I can dream up is a difference in specific energy required to go from liquid to gas for mogas as opposed to avgas. Does anybody know the specifics?

John
 
I get e-free for $2.20 locally, but not at the airport. I use it in my Cub with Continental C-85. Small Continentals are ice making machines! I've had no problems with carb ice vs 100LL. The O-300 in my Swift will regularly make ice on 100LL, frequently on climb out even following judicious use of carb heat before take-off.
 
He has mogas in his Skyhawk and i assume he is relating his experience with using mogas in it. It has a o-300 I believe.
 
labbadabba said:
How do you transport MoGas? How would you get 48 gallons into your plane? Do you blend with 100LL?
Click to expand...

I just use 5 gallon cans. It isn't too difficult to transport 4 of the cans. I can get 5.5 gallons in a can so that's 22 gallons. My personal minimum of 1 hour reserve means I am landing with at least 10 gallons still in the tank (usually more). I have 40 gallons in the mains so worst case scenario I only need 8 gallons of 100LL to top off.

On a side note, I use this extra long spout. This makes fueling a high wing much easier.

http://www.ruralking.com/ez-pour-hi...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CIPO9qzU-ssCFRY8gQodB0YDeQ
 
I was in Iowa a few years back and couldn't figure out why the high test was cheaper than the regular, then realized the regular had no ethanol. Around here (NC) it's a mixed bag as to the stations that carry ethanol free as to which grade bears that designation. We get a decent amount here because we're on a huge lake and ethanol is even more problemantic in an aquatic environment.
 
Thanks for everyone's input! By far, more respondents have ethanol-free mogas available to them, either at an airport or at local fuel stations. Here in California, not. Don't the environmentalists realize that the 100LL we burn has four time the lead of mogas?
 
Actually our 100LL has many times more lead than that. It has over four times the lead as LEADED car gas (which went the way of the dodo when catalytic converters became pretty much inversal). Even when you could get leaded car gas, it typically had less than the .5g/gal that was allowed.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Because?????
Click to expand...

Because Mogas has a higher Reid Vapor Pressure than Avgas, evaporating more quickly in the carb throat and dropping temperature faster and farther. That same higher vapor pressure contributes toward the increased risk of vapor lock in some airplanes using Mogas.

And "carb ice in IMC" is extremely misleading. You can get carb ice on a beautiful summer day if the temp/dewpoint spread is small enough. That's one reason the weather guys give us dewpoint in the METARs.

carbice-graph.jpg


Because Mogas has a higher Reid vapor pressure. It evaporates more quickly in the carb, dropping the temperature faster and farther.

And "carb ice in IMC" is extremely misleading. You can get carb ice on a beautiful summer day if the temperature/dewpoint spread is small enough. That's one reason the weather folks give us dewpoint in the METARs.

Because Mogas has a higher Reid vapor pressure. It evaporates more quickly in the carb, dropping the temperature faster and farther.

And "carb ice in IMC" is extremely misleading. You can get carb ice on a beautiful summer day if the temperature/dewpoint spread is small enough. That's one reason the weather folks give us dewpoint in the METARs.
 
wrighthenry said:
I've been told by a high time instructor that running MoGas in my Continental o470-R increases the odds of carb ice. He said its fine to use on clear VFR days but if flying IMC to avgas. Anyone have actual experience?
Click to expand...

We used mogas in our 182 with an O470-R with zero problems, no carb ice, and when we did the OH the shop said it was one of the cleanest engines they had seen.
 
A note of interest, the last 3 kelly rebuilt carbs that I have replaced recently the owner all report they make ice much more readily with the new carbs, both my 100LL and auto users. say the same thing.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Because Mogas has a higher Reid Vapor Pressure than Avgas, evaporating more quickly in the carb throat and dropping temperature faster and farther. [snip]
Click to expand...

So my guess was close. Thanks!
 
I used it in my old plane, just hauled it from the gas station in 3 15.5gal beer kegs and pumped it into the plane, worked great.

Current plane has a IO-520 so I have to pay for 100LL :(
 
I'm at the airport almost daily so hauling 15 gallons at a time in my car is easy with a boat fuel tank and electric pump. Most of my trips only burn 18 gallons or so round trip.
 
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