If you’re worried about leaded fuels (and I agree, you should be) then don’t look up next time a small plane flies over… They’re almost all still using leaded Avgas :\
Some scientist took to mapping IQ levels geographically and everyone who lives downwind of a small airport has a consistent and directly proportional drop to the average concentration of airborne lead for about 1-4 miles surrounding them. The drops in IQ even perfectly match the wind patterns. It’s insane. If you live really close to a small airport, pack up and move away.
It’s also crazy that they allowed small aircraft to get away with not having to follow the same fuel regulations, it’s really a small difference in cost, our politicians are just too bought out.
Edit: but also, the rest of us likely breathe it in as well, just not as much, and we haven’t figured out exactly how much; ostensibly because it spreads out too much and thus affects everyone more evenly. Yay “energy” corporations and capitalism.
Aviation regulations are written in blood. There’s a reason general aviation is stuck with technology developed in the 50s and 60s: innovating is so expensive from a compliance standpoint and production volume so low that new technologies enter that space at a glacial pace. A new Jet-A burning piston engine is only available in airframes that cost $1M+ and the cost of retrofitting in older airframes is prohibitive. If we weren’t so restrictive on the regulations, capitalism would offer a solution at a vastly reduced price point. So, would you rather have less provably safe aircraft, leaded avgas, or the complete prohibition of aircraft that make up the vast majority of the GA population?
If you’re worried about leaded fuels (and I agree, you should be) then don’t look up next time a small plane flies over… They’re almost all still using leaded Avgas :\
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Some scientist took to mapping IQ levels geographically and everyone who lives downwind of a small airport has a consistent and directly proportional drop to the average concentration of airborne lead for about 1-4 miles surrounding them. The drops in IQ even perfectly match the wind patterns. It’s insane. If you live really close to a small airport, pack up and move away.
It’s also crazy that they allowed small aircraft to get away with not having to follow the same fuel regulations, it’s really a small difference in cost, our politicians are just too bought out.
Edit: but also, the rest of us likely breathe it in as well, just not as much, and we haven’t figured out exactly how much; ostensibly because it spreads out too much and thus affects everyone more evenly. Yay “energy” corporations and capitalism.
Aviation regulations are written in blood. There’s a reason general aviation is stuck with technology developed in the 50s and 60s: innovating is so expensive from a compliance standpoint and production volume so low that new technologies enter that space at a glacial pace. A new Jet-A burning piston engine is only available in airframes that cost $1M+ and the cost of retrofitting in older airframes is prohibitive. If we weren’t so restrictive on the regulations, capitalism would offer a solution at a vastly reduced price point. So, would you rather have less provably safe aircraft, leaded avgas, or the complete prohibition of aircraft that make up the vast majority of the GA population?
The last one.
Let’s slow the world down a little bit - things move waaaay to fast anymore.