ConocoPhillips (www.conocophillips.com) has added three new greases to the company's Phillips 66 product line. The new greases are X/C Aviation Grease 22CF, a synthetic grease designed for use in severe conditions at all temperatures, with added protection for wheel bearings and pitch control bearings; X/C Aviation Grease 27, also synthetic, for low-temperature applications such as airframe and instrument lubrication; and X/C Aviation Grease 45, mineral-based for all-purpose applications such as actuators and wheel bearings operating at high temperatures.

Aviation Laboratories, Oil Analysis Results Online

You dutifully send your engine's oil sample off for analysis then patiently wait until the results arrive in the mail. That's a lot of lost time wondering how healthy your engine really is. Now the wait is over. Aviation Laboratories (www.avlab.com) has announced that customers who use the company's Metal Check Aircraft Engine Oil Analysis program can access their oil and filter analysis lab results online.

According to the company, customers will be able to view, print, and download all laboratory results and recommendations. And along with getting current results, customers will be able to access all of the past analysis data on their engines for trend analysis.

Castrol Joins Aviation Market

When Air BP (www.airbp.com) set its sights on serving the piston aircraft engine oil market, company market strategists decided the best way to do so was to leverage an already known and trusted brand-Castrol. After all, pilots and aircraft owners are creatures of habit. It can take a long time to earn their trust, and time is money.

"What Air BP wanted was a brand known and respected as a technology leader and one name that would transcend boundaries to create a global presence," explained Jim Olofsson, piston engine oil sales manager for Air BP. "Castrol fit the bill on both counts. Our technological leadership is without doubt and when it comes to brand recognition, the Castrol name says it all. Everybody knows it."

In fact, Olofsson said that during the formal U.S. market introduction of the Castrol Aviator line at this past Oshkosh AirVenture, a lot of pilots said that they currently used Castrol products in their cars, motorcycles, and boats and were happy it is now available for their piston engine airplanes. "They were walking out with cases of it," he said.

Currently the Castrol Aviator product family includes a range of monograde oils, including straight grades S65, S80, S100, and S120 and ashless dispersant (AD) grades AD65, AD80, AD100, and AD120.

The Castrol Aviator S-series oils are designed to be used when breaking-in a new or recently overhauled engine, for those who believe that straight mineral oil is necessary for proper break-in. And the AD series is formulated to provide optimum performance in demanding environments.

But, what about a multigrade? "We're planning to offer a multigrade in the future," Olofsson said. "Right now our plan is to build on a foundation of monogrades that will lead the industry as far as technological advancement and offer operators superior characteristics.

"We can show the majority of operators that they don't need to spend the extra money for the multigrade products to get the additive packages that were available only in that type of oil until now," he continued. "All of our ashless dispersant products have anti-corrosion and anti-wear additives in them."

Speaking of additives, another differentiator of Castrol's Aviator line is the inclusion in all grades of the load-carrying/anti-scuff additive required for certain Lycoming engines. According to Olofsson, the competition only offers this in one viscosity grade for both mono- and multigrade oils.

The Castrol Aviator line doesn't just have the Lycoming additive; Air BP said it has the highest concentration available in any piston engine oil on the market. As Olofsson explained, the reason is that when you build an oil, each additive that is put into the formulation must compete for access to the limited metal surfaces in order to provide maximum protection.

"You have an anti-corrosion, an anti-wear, the Lycoming additive, and an advanced antioxidant system in there, and you have to achieve the right balance if they are all going to do their jobs," he said. "By putting in a higher percentage of the required Lycoming additive supported by optimized levels of other additives, we have an end product that is much closer to what Lycoming recommends in their documentation so operators don't have to purchase expensive additional oil additives.

"The benefit is, an operator can easily change up and down the different Castrol Aviator grades and have all the protection they need at a lower price point than multigrades," Olofsson added. "And if they want to use the optimum viscosity for the climate they're flying in, they don't have to spend the extra $20 for a six-ounce bottle of the Lycoming additive."