GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.—When American Airlines pilot Kent Wien goes flying for fun, his routine includes a long detour: a 90-mile round-trip flight from his base in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to this town in the Berkshires to buy unleaded aviation fuel.
Lead was banished from U.S. gasoline 25 years ago, but it is still found in nearly all avgas, the fuel for many propeller planes. Great Barrington’s small landing strip is the only airport anywhere around that sells a lead-free alternative.
