(Good post....except for the two engine part. I fly single engine turbines (PC-12 and Caravan) and four engine jets (KC135R) and I can't say I'm any more concerned in the singles. Even though I burn a lot of Jet-A)

Wow! What I would give for a Pilatus or Caravan! Hell, what I would give for a mid 80's P210! I agree, I'm concerned about aviation fuels as well. The KC 135 is a 707, correct? It's certainly been around for awhile, but I bet it is a real thrill to fly something like that. I can only imagine how bad the mileage is in any large jet, but per seat mile, how does a new 737 compare to a car, if you take into account every seat filled on the 737 vs's a given car, then account for time.

I am jealous of the Pilatus. It is an awesome plane. Never ridden in one. I have ridden in a Mitsubishi MU-2, and it was very fast. I've never been Pilot In Command of a turbine. My father recently got a type rating in the King Air 200, and he loves flying it whenever he gets the opportunity.

As for the twins, I agree that having a second engine doesn't always guarantee safety. I know in the twins that have the "critical engine" if you don't stay on top of your training and you lose that engine, your certainly just as well not to have a second engine.

.....Back to the fuel. I don't worry so much about Jet-A. Plenty of fuel is being burned to justify production. I wonder if they could make it out of some sort of bio-fuel. Could you imagine the airliners owning crop land in Kansas or something to keep there fleets fuel price competitive?

I'm not an engine designer, but I wonder if a better designed turbo engine, with lower compression could burn unleaded fuel. Aircraft engines have such high compression ratios the lead is a must. Hopefully they will figure something out. We can get to the moon, but designing a piston engine that doesn't burn leaded fuel requires the hand of the al-mighty!

I'm waiting for my warranty to run out on the civic hybrid to install a different ignition system, and a low boost turbo. I'm thinking nothing more than 5 PSI. I'd like to burn as lean as possible, without detonation. I don't know if anyone has taken the injectors our, or know the size of the injectors. I'm also "on paper", working on a heat scavaging system. The system is simple. It is a 2 tube system. One tube for fresh air, the other is a filtered intake directly behind the headers, in front of the engine. It is a wide, flat pipe that wraps back to the stock system that would be used for cold weather to keep the charge from becoming too dense.

I've toyed with car engines, but never ever with an airplanes. I'll leave those to the A&P's