One reason avgas remains profitable is that the leading supplier, Phillips, has its own transportation network. Much avgas moves by sea.

Two decades ago, when the aviation press published the first reports on the imminent demise of 100LL avgas, it was supposed to be gone by the early 1990s. Didn’t happen.

Twelve years ago, in the March, 1991 issue of Aviation Consumer, we authoritatively quoted a GAMA “expert” claiming that because lead was gone from autogas, refiners would no longer find it economically attractive to make leaded avgas and it would vanish. That didn’t happen, either.

What the hell is going on here? Can’t the aviation press make at least one doomsday prediction and have it come true? (At least we got the Mooney bankruptcy prediction right.) …