H3R Aviation Solves Halon Replacement Problem

Aircraft registered in Europe will no longer be able to carry Halon 1211 fire extinguishers after December 31, except for certain cargo comparment and fuel inerting applications that use Halon 1301. This rule does not apply to U.S.-registered aircraft flying in Europe, according to NBAA, but operators may want to consider that their Halon extinguishers will not be serviceable in Europe after the deadline, warned H3R Aviation senior v-p Chris Dieter.

In the U.S., Halon can still be used and is still available, although its manufacture has been prohibited since 1994. Enough Halon was made and is being recycled to keep extinguishers filled for probably the next 10 to 15 years, Dieter said, but it will eventually be exhausted.

To help European operators and others that want to switch to a non-Halon fire extinguishing substance, H3R Aviation has released a line of Halotron BRx extinguishers, which it is highlighting this week at NBAA-BACE. H3R is also offering a 10% discount at the show and holding a giveaway of a Halon extinguisher at its booth.

“The problem with BRx is it’s very pricey,” Dieter said, “four to five times as much as Halon. For a typical 347TS portable steel cylinder, the Halon type weighs 5 pounds. By making an aluminum cylinder, H3R Aviation was able to keep the size and weight of the Halotron product almost the same, at 5.1 pounds. Most of H3R’s Halotron cylinders are drop-in replacements with the same dimensions as the Halon type, so there is no problem fitting the replacement.

“We found that a lot of companies who contact us hadn’t realized that Halon is still available,” he said. Some customers from Europe are just learning about the rule, and in these cases Dieter tries to educate them not to buy a Halon extinguisher. “It’s not a good idea as they will have to replace it by the end of the year. We’re trying to get the word out.”