UCAP Vectors 111
Swift 100R achieves milestone... 2025’s Wrongway Corrigan... Airline Passenger Crimes, sort of... Silly Shutdown Shenanigans... Headset Follies...
Summer’s over! Kids are back in school, families are stocking up on Halloween candy and many of the year’s fly-in events are behind us. As autumn accelerates down the runway, Jack is welcoming cooler temperatures and working his day job while Jeb’s still sweating out peak hurricane season. The Deb is standing by, ready to get out of Dodge.
Meanwhile, there’s a lot happening in aviation. Let’s take a quick look at a few things, starting with a couple of updates on stories we’ve discussed before.
Getting The Lead Out, Part n+1
The search for a drop-in unleaded aviation gasoline meeting all user’s needs is one of the perennial topics at UCAP. Although some industry suits and the FAA are still targeting 2030 as a national goal for the general aviation community to move to unleaded aviation fuels through the EAGLE (Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions) program, others are independently working to obtain FAA approval of their solution. For example, we’ve long talked about General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAMI), and its G100UL fuel. It’s FAA-approved for every certified spark-ignition airplane and engine. We’ve also talked about Swift Fuels and its approved UL94, which meets the needs of low-compression, low-octane engines.
The latest development in the industry’s long-running struggle to create an unleaded replacement for 100LL avgas comes from Swift Fuels, which reached a major milestone in September: gaining ASTM approval of an international production specification for its 100R unleaded fuel. That approval is for a small but active GA segment, but they’re working to add more planes and engines to the list. So Swift Fuels’s achievement could be a major turning point in the industry’s search.
I’ve been following Swift Fuel for a while, in part because its entry into the aviation gasoline market began life in 2008 as an enviable attempt to make a drop-in unleaded avgas made exclusively from “biomass.”
Over time the SwiftFuel’s dream of being a biomass based fuel evolved. For example, a 2011 AOPA news item noted, “Swift’s fuel, 100SF, is a high-octane, binary fuel for piston engines that can be derived from petroleum or biomass.”
In another AOPA item, this time from 2016, they wrote, “Swift came onto the aviation scene in 2008 when researchers at Purdue University announced they had invented an unleaded avgas made from bio fuel. The company still uses bio fuels in some of its other products-but 94UL is derived from traditional hydrocarbons.”
So after the initial excitement about Swift Fuel’s ambitious plans, the company would decide that that original spec was not gonna work, and they changed to making a hydrocarbon-based but still lead-free-fuel, 94UL, which has been embraced by many aircraft operators. But only a small part of the fleet can run safely on 94 octane. Now, Swift Fuel may have solved that problem with 100R.
At this writing, Swift Fuels’s 100R is only approved for the post-revival Cessna 172 R and S models with Lycoming IO-360-L2A engines, accomplished via a supplemental type certificate, STC. The company is working with the FAA to expand the list of engines/aircraft in which the fuel can be used.
According to Swift Fuels and reported in a September 7, 2025, item from General Aviation News, “As of today, five U.S. flight schools utilize 100R, as well as five flight schools in the EU (Germany, Belgium, Austria and The Netherlands).” The company “expects to rapidly expand the coverage of 100R at many more sites across the globe in the weeks and months ahead.”
So congratulations to Swift Fuels for this accomplishment. We watch anxiously to hear of other aircraft it can be used in, and for the distribution network to expand.
[JH]
2025’s Wrongway Corrigan Update: Get Back, Jojo
In our July 11, 2025, issue of Vectors, we told you about then-19-year-old instrument-rated private pilot Ethan Guo, an American who had embarked on a solo around-the world flight to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research. His goal is to fly his modified Cessna 182Q to all seven continents, and he’s been at it since September 2024. On June 28, 2025, he departed Punta Arenas, Chile, near the tip of South America, ostensibly on a local flight. He ended up declaring an emergency and landing at a Chilean air force base on King George Island in Antarctica, more than 700 sm away.
While Guo emphasizes he had landing permission-which he received after declaring an emergency-Chilean authorities were not amused with his flight plan shenanigans and, to make a long story short, refused permission for him to fly his Cessna back to the mainland. Instead, he spent more than two months as a “guest” of the Chilean military while waiting for civil authorities to figure out what to do with him. We now can tell you that Guo is back on mainland Chile, but without his airplane.
According to the Associated Press, Guo arrived back in Punta Arenas aboard a navy ship and described his detention on King George Island as “mundane.” “The Chilean people have been incredibly hospitable, they’ve been fantastic people. They’ve taken care of me. They’ve taught me Spanish, and they’ve treated me like family,” the AP reported.
Guo’s return to the South American continent came after a Chilean judge “dropped the charges against him after reaching an agreement to avoid a trial, which included that he give a $30,000 donation to a children’s cancer foundation within 30 days and leave the country as soon as possible. He is also banned from entering Chilean territory for three years,” according to the AP.
Meanwhile, Guo’s 182 remains on King George Island. Chilean prosecutor Cristián Crisosto told the AP, “That plane could leave Antarctica in pieces. But I don’t see it flying.”
For his part, Gua told The Seattle Times “he remains committed to his fundraising mission for cancer research. The war against cancer is ‘a continuous battle that we all have to put our efforts into. And I’m just trying my best to do what I can to help.’”
[JB]
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Federal Law Prohibits Passengers From...
[This is not legal advice. I am not a lawyer. In this piece I’m just playing around with a layman’s reading of the rules.]
On a recent airline trip, both the gate agents and the flight attendants on all of my segments made a big point to tell us we were not allowed to bring our own alcohol aboard. They repeatedly said that it would be a federal crime for us to do so. I have often suspected airline staff of playing it a little fast and loose with “it’s a federal crime” trope so I was dubious about this alcohol thing. But I asked around and it turns out it is prohibited by FAR 121.575(a): “No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage to him.”
But this got me to thinking, what else is a federal crime in an airliner cabin? I figured it would be a simple matter to go into the FARs and look before and after 121.575 to find some other things that it’s against the law to do in an airline cabin. But no. Nothing jumped out at me. So I went digging to find some of things that I have been warned about on so many airline trips over the years.
For example, I went looking for the FAR that said you can’t smoke in an airline cabin. But I couldn’t exactly find one. For example, FAR 121.571(1)(i) says that the flight crew must brief passengers that, “Federal law prohibits tampering with, disabling, or destroying any smoke detector in an airplane lavatory; smoking in lavatories; and, when applicable, smoking in passenger compartments.” But I couldn’t find the regulation that actually describes this prohibition.
I also looked for the rule that said that you cannot gather around the forward lavatory, near the entrance to the flight deck, which they’re always warning you about. But again, no joy, didn’t find any such rule. I did find reference to a few rules about gathering in the aisles on international flights which are returning to the United States. But it was kind of complicated and I didn’t really quite understand it. And anyways it wasn’t exactly what they had been warning me not to do, so what’s up with that?
There were references to tray tables, and seat belts, and keeping things under the seat in front of you. But they were all presented as parts of the briefing that the crew is required to give passengers. I couldn’t find the actual regs that bound us on these things.
But in the final analysis I think this all comes down to an airline’s equivalent of the beloved FAR 91.13 “careless and reckless” rule. That’s the catchall rule that let’s one be busted for things not strictly prohibited. That possibly is FAR 121.580, which states, “No person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties aboard an aircraft.” Some say not complying with a flight crew-member’s instructions may be construed as “interfering” with their duties. So be careful out there. An airliner cabin is a serious place where lots of things are prohibited by federal law.
And, by the way, as far as bringing your own alcohol on board, as I said, I’m no lawyer, but my reading of the rule is not that you can’t bring your own alcohol on board. The reg says, “No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage to him.” So if you can convince the flight attendants to serve your alcohol to you, I think you’d be good to go.
[JH]
Silly Shutdown Shenanigans: Aviation Edition
As our listeners probably are aware, the federal government shut itself down at midnight on September 30, thanks to lapsed spending authority. It’s the latest government shutdown for the same basic reason: elected officials who would rather engage in performance art than do their jobs running the country.
Nevertheless, the shutdown will impact three agencies of interest to both pilots and passengers: the FAA, the NTSB and the TSA. Generally, all three agencies will continue to perform their responsibilities, but perhaps not the same way, or with the same urgency. As a rule, personnel at these agencies will not be paid during the shutdown but will be made whole when Congress approves the spending authority and the shutdown ends.
For example, federal air traffic control facilities will continue to operate 24/7, but the controller you’re working with on vectors to the nearest RNAV procedure might be as worried about a car payment as whether your intercept vector is shallow enough. According to Reuters, the FAA is “about 3,800 controllers short of targeted staffing levels, but even if government funding is halted, the FAA would continue hiring and training air traffic controllers. During prior government shutdowns, the FAA suspended hiring and most training of air traffic controllers.”
And if you manage to get yourself into a reportable mishap, the NTSB is just as likely to show up as ever. Also according to Reuters, the NTSB will furlough about 25% of its employees, but did not specify how many would be accident investigators. During the 2019 shutdown, the NTSB was forced to furlough some 90% of its employees and did not send investigators to 22 accidents.
If you’re getting on a human mailing tube, expect the same pre-departure security screening we’ve all come to know and love, courtesy of the TSA. Just like that controller, the TSA agent may be more worried about credit cards bills than making sure the metal detector queue moves smoothly.
If memory serves, staffing gaps and resulting slowdowns among both air traffic controllers and TSA employees during the 35-day shutdown in 2019 had a lot to do with ending it and putting the federal government back to work. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if something similar happens this time.
[JB]
Headset Follies
I’m an old guy, stuck in my ways, so when I find something that works, I tend to stick with it. When something new comes along, I’m usually skeptical, unless it offers something that markedly improves my existence. That’s certainly true when it comes to aviation headsets. For the last few years, I’ve been rocking a LightSpeed Zulu 3, which sometimes Bluetooths with my iPad mini. (IMNSHO, Bluetooth is an unfinished technology.) But I recently discovered none of my passenger headsets were in good working order.
I also have a LightSpeed 20XL, and an original Zulu, both of which are in poor condition (worn cables, deteriorating ear pads, etc.), plus a small collection of well-used Bose X headsets in two configurations: dual-plug GA and six-pin LEMO. The Debonair has headset jacks; the LEMO-style units were for a different project. The good news is the LEMO cables can be converted to dual-plug GA by removing two screws. Since I try to stick with things that work, I’m poking around on the internet to see how to rejuvenate these units.
The problem I’m facing is that Bose doesn’t support the Bose X anymore. Since it’s been out for more than 25 years, I can’t complain too much. I’m finding the same is true with my LightSpeeds. The 20XL may soon go that great headset graveyard in the sky, but I’m going to try to find a cable for it first.
There are both used and new parts sources out there, thankfully, for both brands. I can get a remanufactured/aftermarket Bose X dual-plug cable set (without the battery/control box; new ones are unobtainium) and replacement ear pads are easy to find. One company is offering new cables using modified battery/control boxes from the Bose A20, the X’s successor, and another offers a universal control/battery box, bring your own soldering iron.
It all costs money, of course, but I refuse to pay $1300 for a new top-of-the-line headset when I can get each of these older top-of-the-line headsets back to nearly new condition for lots less.
In the meantime, I picked up an in-the-ear model, the CQ Headset from a Texas company called Card Machine Works. It doesn’t have active noise reduction-it uses foam earplugs way higher in quality than many similar products out there to reduce noise. It’s much lighter than the other headsets I have and reminds me of the long-retired Telex 5x5 Pro II I bought in 1981. That said, anything this side of a David Clark H10-40 is comfortable enough for me and doesn’t pose much of a problem to wear for a few hours. I haven’t flown with the CQ yet, but will soon. Its price, even with Bluetooth, was much more reasonable than many other brand-new options.
Some (by no means all) related links:
Bose X, David Clark, Lightspeed headset repairs: www.kcheadsets.com
Hard-to-find cables and other parts, plus repairs: www.hobbsflyer.com
Bose X replacement cables: www.airgizmos.com
CQ Headsets: www.cqheadset.com
[JB]
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