Evening star., 1935-12-08
SCIENCE DIMINISHES THE MENACE OF FIRE IN PLANES
HAZARD IS REDUCED
Danger of Mishap Like That Overtaking Huge
Russian Transport Vastly Less in Air
craft in This Country.

In the case Of the cowling, on the
engine side, it is required by the Gov
ernment that it shall f1t tightly to the
fire wall and that Is be completely
drained in all attitudes of flight, such
drains being so located as to prevent
fuel or oil dropping on the exhaust
manifold or other parts Of the air
craft.
The air intake Of carburetors is re-
quired to be on the outside Of the
cowling unless backfiring has been
entirely eliminated.
Exhaust manifolds are required to
be made of suitable materials that
will allow for expansion and be so
cooled that hot points do not form
on them. All gases are required to
be shot completely clear OF the
plane All filler openings shall be
marked oil" fuel" so as to obviate
any mistakes in loading the plane for
fight. Fuel drains under the plane
are required to be locked so as to
prevent accidental opening.
In the case Of wiring, carrying an
appreciable amount of current, there
shall be adequate clearance between
it, fuel and oil tanks, oil lines, car
buretor, exhaust piping and moving
parts. Batteries shall be easily ac-
cessible and adequately removed from
the fuel and oil systems.
FINALLY, fire-extinguishing equip
ment, approved by the Secretary
as to design and by the Underwriters
Laboratory, are required on all planes.
! For cabin planes carrying passengers
at least one portable extinguisher is
required, having a minimum capacity
of one quart, accessible to passengers.
In planes employing 40-horsepower or
/ less one-pint extinguishers may be
used.
The Army and the Navy both have
done considerable research in the mat
! ter of fires in connection with planes
in the air and after crashes. In this
/ connection the Army conducted a Sc
ries of tests with old planes. driving
| them at top speed against a concrete
wall, where, after crashing, some burst
| into flames and others did not. These
! wrecks we're studied.
In the most instances the crashes
showed that the greatest fire hazard
to flying planes lay in the direction
/ of the exhaust. This was remedied
by getting away from the single ex-
haust and going to the multiple type.
Another source of great danger was
found to be that of gas thrown on
a hot part of the engine in flight.
This has been taken care Of by the
fire wall.
! AS MOST commercial planes are
now of the all-metal type, the
fireproofed canvas has more particular
significance to the Army and Navy
/ than it has to commerce. Planes
used by the defense forces Of the coun-
try are of the light, speedy type:
planes that go quickly into combat
and which, were they metal, would
/ not greatly be saved from enemy de-
! struction. Such oanvaS-covered planes,
/ however, are very susceptible to fire
either from damaged parts in fighting
or from infiammable bullets from the
enemy. Canvas, therefore, that is
fire. resistant comes as greatly ad-
vanced step in the protection of Army
and Navy planes.
This chemical treatment of canvas,
developed by DR.. Martin Leatherman
of the agricultural Bureau of Chem
istry and Soils, is protected by public
service patent. fact which makes
it available to the public without cost,
as well as to the Government agencies.
Designed primarily to give protection
to farm machinery. DR.. Leatherman
sees a wider use for it than his agri-
cultural one. ANY fabric" DR.. Leath-
erman says. which has cellulose
base can be f1reproofed by the process"