As US Congress prepares to finalise funding allocations for the 2022 fiscal year, six aviation associations have jointly asked the leadership of the Appropriations Committee Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee in the US Senate and House of Representatives to increase funding for the Alternative Fuels for General Aviation programme. This programme enables the engineering, technical and management support of fuel research and safety certification activities necessary to identify and secure a fleet-wide authorisation approval and deployment of an unleaded aviation gas consistent with aviation safety.

“We believe the fuels testing programme is at a critical juncture, and we request the final conference agreement contain a funding level of $10 million,” writes the group. “The funding level is consistent with the spirit of the recent White House announcement on sustainable aviation fuels, where the work on alternative fuels for general aviation was highlighted. There is still considerable work to be done to address the environmental and regulatory challenges associated with piston aviation fuels, and your support is key to addressing them in a way that does not compromise aviation safety.”

The aviation associations signing the letter to Congress include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, National Air Transportation Association and National Business Aviation Association.