FedEx says it's spent seven years developing its own cargo-hold fire suppression system (FSS) and is going to devote no less than 700 man-hours per aircraft to install it on its 59 Boeing MD-11 freighters, mostly next year although they've started already. It will also go on the new 777 freighters which enter service next year.That's a pretty impressive commitment to safety.
The FSS consists of a series of infrared detectors, a foam generation system, and - the novel bit - an injector system which forcibly penetrates a burning container and injects the foam inside.
For palletised freight, the company has come up with a new fire blanket that is said to be able to contain a fire for up to four hours. There are impressive demonstrations of both systems in the video below.
It's all primarily aimed at the threat of fires on FedEx's increasingly large long-haul network which routinely leaves the aircraft hours from a usable diversion. Here's the detailed announcement.
on October 15, 2009 11:10 PM | Reply
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