Centennial Airport first to offer unleaded fuel, community wants the fuel to be required
Centennial Airport is now the first to offer unleaded fuel to pilots as an option. It's a move that community members say came after a long fight.
"The congratulations goes to us," community member Audra Dubler said.
The smaller propeller planes, largely used by flight schools, currently run on a fuel with low lead. While the impacts of aviation gas continue to be evaluated by the EPA, the impacts of lead on health are widely known.
"We got a lot of feedback from the community, their concerns over lead emissions and the industry as a whole is in the process of transition from leaded fuel to unleaded fuel and we want to be leaders in that role," Centennial Airport CEO Mike Fronapfel said.
Fronapfel says aircraft owners have to get certified to use the unleaded fuel and not all airplanes are eligible but they are pushing its use by those that can.
"We are working with our flight schools to get their STC for the aircraft so the aircraft could actually use the fuel. We are working to get all of our base tenants on board with getting their STC so we can build a market for this unleaded fuel. The last piece is we are actually subsidizing the retail cost of the unleaded fuel to match the retail cost of leaded fuel so there's no cost difference," said Fonapfel.
According to the FAA, "A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aeronautical product from its original design. The STC, which incorporates by reference the related TC, approves not only the modification but also how that modification affects the original design."
Community members like Dubler say without a mandate, they worry use will be minimal.
"There are not any mandates in place banning the leaded fuel. They are going to carry the leaded fuel. We won't know who is using the fuel and who isn't," she said.
Already the Aspen Air Flight Club has committed to making the transition.
"I think what it does is allow us to adopt new tech into the flight training environment."
For the community, many who continue to fight increased traffic that has increased noise and lead distribution say it's a small step.
"It solves the problem a small fraction of why we are here," Dubler said.
