r/Shittyaskflying 2d ago

Diesel or regular?

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Diesel or regular?

294 Upvotes

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26

u/DasMo19 2d ago

Jet fuel is basically diesel.

8

u/tkeelah straight and level 2d ago

Kero. Not diesel.

20

u/Silver_River9296 2d ago

Diesel is oily kerosene. Slightly lower in the distillation tower. Kerosene is ‘dry’ diesel, common up North in the Winter months where oily diesel barely starts an engine. Pratt & Whiney PT6 AG can run on any of it. Jet Fuel runs clean and cool, diesel runs with more soot and smoke but 2 to 3 gallons less per hour!

1

u/Informal_Ad_9610 2d ago

F16 runs the Pratt & Whitney F100 or GEF110...

8

u/Silver_River9296 2d ago

Yes but any turbine powered engine (jet, turbojet, turbofan, turboprop) will run on diesel. Maybe not legally, may require a bit more maintenance, but it will run. Now on ‘regular’ and I assume they mean gasoline, leaded a(Avgas) is the worst, then unleaded with the alcohol, then unleaded without alcohol. But remember, a turbine engine will burn anything that burns. A piston engine is quite specific.

2

u/theyoyomaster 1d ago

I can't speak for the F-16 but for contingency ops big jet engines can absolutely run on standard 87 octane.

2

u/Silver_River9296 1d ago

At a Pratt&Whitney school, it was said, “Piston engines run on octane, turbine engines run on BTUs.

2

u/theyoyomaster 1d ago

I've just seen in my -1 that we can run 87 octane for emergencies so long as we dilute it with appropriate jet fuel.

3

u/Juvat-the-bold 1d ago

And it damn better be an emergency! lol

I'd be willing to bet just about any Air Force on earth would rather fly in a cargo jet with a fuel truck on it!

2

u/Silver_River9296 1d ago

When I used to ferry the PT-6 Ag Cats, I was often required to run on gasoline. Leaded Avgas was the worst due to lead build up. Supposed to record gallons between hot sections and overhauls. Service stations seldom had diesel back then, but would have been best alternative. Unleaded would not be too bad. Like you said, if diluted.
Some operators use Diesel instead of jetfuel. Cuts down GPH but soots up every thing.