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Do you carry a Fire Extinguisher


RobertGary1

Do you carry a fire extinguisher?  

110 members have voted

  1. 1. We recently had a discussion on the challenges of carrying a fire extinguisher. It can be difficult to find the room. The choices are confusing and ever changing. And they can be expensive. Do you carry one?



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An absolutely mandatory piece of safety equipment; between the seats for easy access during flight.  If there is a fire in flight, I want every chance to get back on the ground in as un-burned a state as possible (once I’m out and safely away, it can burn itself out).  When I redid my interior earlier this year, I replaced my extinguisher with a Class B/C clean agent model; it’s a nice looking chrome model.

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1 hour ago, kortopates said:

Of course. Fire is very likely in any off airport landing. My cargo is to precious to fly without one!

I think that once the airplane is on the ground, off airport, it's for the fire department and insurance company to deal with and not a fire extinguisher.

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After reading enough crash reports it seems like if you make it past the first challenge of surviving the crash you have to deal with the second challenge of surviving the fire. The long bodies have a factory mounted extinguisher behind the passengers feet. I keep a second small extinguisher up front that’s much easier to access and maneuver if needed, especially if trapped! 

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12 hours ago, EricJ said:

What kind do they make you carry or what do people typically carry up there in GA aircraft?

 

Mine is Halon, and I think most people use this, but there are regulations around which you can use.

10 hours ago, RLCarter said:

For those of you with a J-Bar and carry a fire extinguisher..... Where do you have it mounted? 

Mine is on the the wheel well, pilot's side. In the picture, you can see the bottom just next to the cowl flaps control.

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I have halon on the floor behind pilot seat.  It used to be in a clamp mount that was behind copilot seat, but I removed it because if I need the extinguisher, I’ll need it quick and not have to fiddle with the metal clamp.  I can reach around and just grab the top and it’s ready.  

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Mine sits on the floor behind the pilots seat.  I have no idea what kind it is or how old.  I know I should address this promptly, make certain the thing hasn't expired and if it has replace it.  Problem is a little birdy keeps telling me that if I actually have to fight a fire in my cockpit while flying the airplane it is pretty close to game over.

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34 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

I believe Halon 1301 is considered the very best for aviation purposes, yet in the small GA sized cylinders we are more likely to get a blend of Halon 1211/1301. Although its no longer manufactured its still readily available since its recycled - and available directly from Spruce here in CA. (not sure, but I think its still made in Canada and imported.) Nothing outperforms it for its weight and thus as long as it is available its still the superior product for our aviation needs. Because of its essential need, nothing is limiting it sale, import or availability, just manufacturing here in the US because its a CFC. Smart recycling should maintain its availability for some time.

BTW, when you purchase one, if you stick to a unit with gauge on it, then the unit will be serviceable and refillable by folks that service fire extinguishers everywhere. the gauge tells you when it needs to be serviced. The smaller units that may have a bit less than a pound of Halon, that do not have gauges, are not re-fillable. You need to weight these annually for loss of weight (Halon) to know whether they are still good. They can still last many years providing they retain their weight but do not offer the advantage of being refillable that you get with the larger units.

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42 minutes ago, kortopates said:

BTW, when you purchase one, if you stick to a unit with gauge on it, then the unit will be serviceable and refillable by folks that service fire extinguishers everywhere. the gauge tells you when it needs to be serviced. The smaller units that may have a bit less than a pound of Halon, that do not have gauges, are not re-fillable. You need to weight these annually for loss of weight (Halon) to know whether they are still good. They can still last many years providing they retain their weight but do not offer the advantage of being refillable that you get with the larger units.

I called our local Solan dealer who does most of the fire extinguisher servicing in the area. They said they don't stock Halon and only sell the bottles similar to Spruce. So servicing one may not be practical.

-Robert

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3 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

Looks interesting but doesn't have a lot of specs.   The usual problem with any extinguisher in a confined space is displacement of breathing air, reduction of visibility, etc.   Even CO2 is not recommended for a confined space.   Halon gets used in a lot of aviation cabin and flight deck applications because it is one of the least bad options.

This one has the same amount of Halotron 1 agent (2.5lbs) and the minimum confined space required is 350 cubic feet:

https://www.amazon.com/Amerex-B385TS-2-5lb-Halotron-Extinguisher/dp/B00CMUMW5C/

Many cases of safety equipment installation come with compromises, and this seems to be one of those.   If you do have to discharge something in the cabin, you may be creating the next problem.   If it didn't actually solve the first problem (i.e., the fire), now you have more problems.   Deciding to use one in a cabin fire isn't a slam dunk.

 

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