PDA

View Full Version : Is Continental still there?



James Anderson
08-16-2012, 08:03 AM
In Europe, refiner Total has launched an unleaded avgas UL91, very popular very quickly.
For certificated aircraft, EASA have approved the fuel provided the manufacturer also approves.
Lycoming moved quickly and issued their approved list.
However, there is silence from Continental. They have been contacted by Total and by EASA, but nothing.
They are very difficuly to contact - a phone number for USA, otherwise nomal post.
I wrote to them at Mobile, but no reply.
This silence has descended since the Chinese takeover.
Does any-one know anything?
Any inside tracks to get a handle on what Continental intend for UL91?
Thanks guys

Bill Greenwood
08-16-2012, 08:09 AM
A 91 octane fuel is great for cars, at least most of them, and it may work in some older or low powered airplanes. But what good is it in many if not most newer and high performance airplanes that need 100 octane? I would not use it in my Continental TSIO 520 UB in my Bonanza.

91 unleaded may work well in Rotax engines.

FlyingRon
08-16-2012, 08:19 AM
I attended a forum by Continental in their booth. They have been tracking the alternative fuels and they feel that most of the 100 Octane replacements (specifically the 94 octane stuff being proposed in the US along with some of the others like the GAMA and bio fuel proponents) will work fine in their engines albeit at a reduced total power output. They also claim that their engines tend to produce higher than the rated HP so that they will still make the "rated" HP at the reduced octane albeit less than what you're currently getting.

91 seems way low however. While the lower compression engines (that were designed to run on either 80/87 or of all things 91/96 that my old Lycoming was spec'd for, it would seem that it is really pushing it to run on 1909

James Anderson
08-16-2012, 08:24 AM
I am looking at the O-200-A that was certified on 80/87. Some of you are thinking of the US mogas quote averaging the MON and RON.

Bob Dingley
08-16-2012, 09:21 AM
I'm not sure if they have much of a presence at the old Brookley field in Mobile any more. Their piston operation was moved a few miles east to Callahan Airport ((KCQF) a few years ago. Try contacting them at:

8600 County Road 32
Fairhope, AL 36532
(251)990-5080

They seem to be still alive. Good luck.

Bob

James Anderson
08-17-2012, 04:07 AM
Thanks Bob. The Continental web-site gives Mobile as the postal contact address.
Since summer 2010 the flow of Service information and so on seems to have dried up.