Are General Aviation tires filled with Nitrogen? Long story short, I'm working on a concept for a book.
We all know why commercial aircraft have nitrogen tires, but my question is if GA aircraft have nitrogen tires, or are they just filled with helium, oxygen or any other gas? My theory is that commercial aircraft are heavier, so probably need nitrogen tires, whereas general aviation aircraft are much lighter, so wouldn't be needed to withstand as much surface friction, meaning it may not need a more heat-prone gas for the tires, like nitrogen.
Although I can’t speak for every GA pilot, the aircraft that I have flown have had their tires inflated from an ordinary air compressor. We have used handheld battery operated compressors, floor standing compressors, small-tank mobile compressors, and hand carried compressed air storage tanks.
The max speed that we actually use the tires is under 100 mph. The max weight that we carry on them is under 6000 pounds.