FlexibleResponse wrote:
I am a human being first and a pilot second. So I demand the very best solution when my aircraft catches fire and threatens the lives of my passengers and crew.
Do you also insist on aft-facing pax seats, three-point harnesses, cabin water misting, smoke hoods, gelled kerosene and reticulated fuel tanks?
Halons are undoubtedly effective but are no longer in production. However airlines appear to believe that ignorance of the problem is the best option, presumably because it is the cheapest option in the short-term .
Even the ICAO recommends:
The aviation industry should be encouraged by regulators to follow the lead of other user communities which have had similar difficult problems to overcome...
( ICAO Journal Volume 60 Number 5 )
In spite of the looming problem, the only alternative now in regular commercial use is used for lavatory waste basket fire suppression in the A340-500 / 600.
So why all the blood-curdling cries against the EC?