Business View Magazine - Sept 2023

13 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 9 Source - www.nbaa.org, First Published July/August issue, 2023 Fuel contaminated with water or diesel exhaust fuel (DEF) is a serious threat to the safety of flight for any operation, large or small, charter, corporate or commercial. Mitigating the risk of water contamination is straightforward, said Stewart D’Leon, CAM, NBAA director of environmental and technical operations. “The risk of water contamination increases when aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) and flight crews deviate from what we were taught on day one, following the preflight checklists and manufacturer schedules for sumping the fuel tanks before flight and taking fuel samples on a regular basis,” he said. Mitigating DEF contamination is more challenging, said Brad Elliott, who managed FBOs for more than 20 years, including three years purchasing all the fuel (more than 8 million gallons per year) for Air Methods Corporation, before becoming an account executive with AssuredPartners Aerospace. As mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency, all diesel-powered trucks must use DEF to reduce emissions. The engine mixes it with the fuel from a separate reservoir. Jet fuel trucks also have another reservoir for fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII), also known as PRIST. Unfortunately, AMT STRATEGIES FOR MITIGATING FUEL CONTAMINATION OPENING L INES