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Author Background

Ryan Guthridge, PhD

Dr. Ryan Guthridge is an Associate Professor of Aviation at the University of North Dakota (UND). Prior to joining UND, Ryan held positions as a Pilot-in-Command for Weather Modification International, Technical Pilot and Flight Data Analyst for GE Aviation, Business and Sales Manager for a UAS start-up, and Chief Ground Instructor for the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Through his background in data analytics, Ryan has analyzed flight data to identify events hazardous to flight safety, quantified the impact of procedures-based changes on flight efficiency, and assessed the performance of pilots in skills-based flight training maneuvers. Ryan is an FAA-certified Instrument Flight Procedure Validation pilot and holds FAA type ratings in the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737.

Ryan received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics from the University of North Dakota, Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas, Doctor of Education from the University of North Dakota, and Professional Certificates in Business Intelligence, Data Mining, and Learning Analytics.

Nicholas Wilson, PhD

Dr. Nicholas D. Wilson is an Associate Professor of Aviation at the University of North Dakota (UND). In industry, Nick worked for Northwest Airlines as a Manager of Customer Service, Airport Operations as well as Northwest/Delta Air Lines as a Sr. Flight Training Procedures Instructor on the Airbus A320, where he supported significant transition of A320 flight operations training during the merger between those two companies. He also applied his MBA and aircraft systems knowledge while working for UTC Aerospace Systems (now Collins Aerospace) in business development on subsystems for Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft, including certain high program value, long-horizon projects. Nick also worked at Endeavor Air in flight operations training prior to returning to UND in 2014.

Nick holds a BBA in Aviation Management (2006), a BA in French (2006) from UND and received his MBA from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN in 2012. He completed his PhD in Educational Foundations and Research in May 2021.

Brandon Wild, PhD

Dr. Brandon Wild is an Associate Professor in the Aviation Department at the University of North Dakota (UND). Prior to joining UND, Brandon held Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) analyst positions with both United Airlines and UPS, was an aviation underwriter at USAIG, and FOQA manager in the Flight Safety Department at Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He was also previously an adjunct instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU).

Brandon holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Studies and a Master of Business Administration in Aviation, both from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Foundations and Research from the University of North Dakota.

Abstract

Since the Clean Air Act of 1996 banned the use of leaded fuel for automotive applications, leaded aviation gasoline (AVGAS) has become one of the leading sources of lead pollution in the nation due to the volume of AVGAS consumed in general aviation applications (GAMA, 2019). The Federal Aviation Administration has recently recognized this concern with the establishment of the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative, which was formally established in February 2022 to foster an important campaign to research and inform the general aviation community on the process for transitioning to unleaded AVGAS. This essay seeks to inform the general aviation community about a multistep effort in the adoption of unleaded aviation fuels at a collegiate aviation institution in the Midwest. The first step was to assess stakeholder perceptions of the change of unleaded aviation fuel, including awareness, importance of change, environmental impact, and operational risk. The second step included establishing sufficient data collection, analysis, training, and risk reduction strategies to support a transition to unleaded AVGAS. The final step of the transition included the evaluation of operational data postimplementation, which is anticipated to be addressed in a subsequent publication. Survey data and organizational preparation are outlined in this essay.

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