Epoch Times by Janice Hisle 3/10/2023
A Pennsylvania Congressman, who is also a pilot, says avoiding “the pucker factor” needs to take top priority in American aviation.
“I don’t know if anybody’s familiar with catastrophic engine failure in flight, but I can guarantee you, it’s an unpleasant experience,” U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said on March 9, discussing a possible result of using a fuel that is environmentally friendly but the wrong type for an aircraft’s engine.
Perry spoke during a hearing about challenges in “general aviation,” which encompasses all civilian flying except scheduled passenger airlines.
When mid-flight crises strike, pilots experience what they call “the pucker factor,” Perry said, the tension so severe that “you can’t pull a fishing line out of your rear end with a tractor.”
Pilots and passengers should not be imperiled for the sake of “insane Green New Deal woke ideology,” Perry said.
He has raised concerns about safety versus ideology during the past few committee hearings as Congress works on a five-year plan for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with a special section devoted to general aviation for the first time.
Now Perry sees his fears “have become reality.” He points to a controversy over aviation fuel, which pits flight safety concerns against environmental ones—a top issue in general aviation.
‘The Engine Came Apart’Officials in Santa, Clara, California, banned low-lead fuel at their two airports in 2022.
Flying Magazine reported that action was taken to reduce lead pollution, which is particularly harmful to children. But thousands of general aviation aircraft require that fuel for the safe firing of their engines.
Recently, a high-horsepower airplane refueled in Santa Clara County, and “the engine came apart shortly after takeoff,” said Mark Baker, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
More:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/aviation-panel-working-to-avoid-pilots-scary-mid-flight-pucker-factor_5111876.html
