One thing we migfht be overlooking with fire in flight actions is our new GPS/ELT.
We used to be taught for an electrical fire, send mayday, turn off electrics, land asap.
nowadays one does not need to send a mayday esp if the fire is deemed worthy of turning the electrics off immediately, as our new GPS/ELT will send the mayday in a far more secure fashion along with position and aircraft callsign.
Respose will be far quicker and even in many remote areas helicopter help is not far away in hours.
therefore we now have no need to carry survival rations.
if you operate in very reomte regions, well plan accordingly.
I cannot think of one reason why a robinson would fire up in the instrument panel. I have never heard of it and in fact pretty much all old looms are replaced because reasons other than those of causing a fire.
Replacing a loom every third or fourth life is far cheaper than fixing breakdowns out in the boonies.
A regulation that requires you to turn off the fuel prior to landing, is just plain dumb unless it can be established that, it is a fuel fire and that the fuel is actually fuelling the fire.
An electrical fire or oil fire will make no difference with fuel off except make the landing far harder and possibly much more dangerous than it need be. duh.
all of your immediate personal saftey items must be within reach of your hands with your body in its usual strapped in position. The reason for that is simple, is you arrive with a bump big enough to break your back or nearly, you will not be able to bend to reach. one should also practice undoing seat belts with the heal of ones hand just in case a fuel splash has burnt the back of your hand.
Last edited by topendtorque; 14th Feb 2009 at 10:43.