by Paul Bertorelli

Call us cynical, but we always enjoy a bitter guffaw when we see the phrase “aircraft quality” attached to ad copy aimed at people who don’t know much about airplanes. For those who do, “aircraft quality” means the part costs four times as much as it should, is about as sophisticated as a bag of gravel but only a Yugo can be counted on to break less frequently.

Nonetheless, we’re making progress, even in the mundane world of aircraft engine oils. Until quite recently, aircraft oils dwelled in what might be generously considered a technological backwater. The base and additive packages traditionally haven’t been as chemically sophisticated as those…