So what does it entail installing the stainless steel? I'm not sure
just where it goes?
Dan Caliendo
Ercoupe Mach 0.14
3658H
On Jul 30, 2009, at 11:46 PM, William R. Bayne wrote:
All,
I strongly advocate in favor of retrofitting the stainless panel on
each and every 415-C.
The originally approved ERCO Model 415 production prototype had a
full and proper
firewall as did the ERCO Model 310 experimental.
It used to be that people didn't buy flood insurance because it was
expensive, and then
wound up having to completely replace or rebuild their homes after
floods. Think about
how those people must have felt watching the news, knowing they did
not have insurance,
watching the rain come down, a wet forecast, and reports of rising
flood levels and
predictions that would put their home under water. At that time
they would have willingly
paid ANY price to get coverage they had previously rejected
purchasing.
Airplane engine fires happen relatively rarely in
peacetime...during the Battle of Britain,
the thought that most terrified "the few" was the possibility of
going down as a "flamer".
The reason a "firewall" is required is to increase one's chances of
getting out of a plane
before an engine fire gets to the pilot. Being literally broiled
to death in the air is not a
swift and painless way to go. Quite the opposite, starting with
terrible skin damage.
With our fuselage tank in the cockpit with pilot and passenger,
anything that increases the
time it takes a fire to start boiling that fuel out of the vent is
worth more than gold. It doesn't
matter if the stainless "buys" you two minutes or twenty seconds IF
YOU SURVIVE. If you
don't, your heirs likely won't begrudge the $100 for the stainless.
IMHO, this is a perfect example of "penny wise and pound foolish"
thinking. I think as
"insurance" the stainless panel is one of the all time great "pay
once" values.
Regards,
William R. Bayne
.____|-(o)-|____.
(Copyright 2009)
--
On Jul 30, 2009, at 15:46, Roy Stubbs wrote:
Steel panel is in excess of $100 – I have one – never installed it.
Roy
From: [email protected] [mailto:ercoupe-
[email protected]] On Behalf Of Caliendo Dan
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:50 PM
To: John Cooper
Cc: Techlist Ercoupe
Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] stainless steel skin
Importance: Low
I agree. If the fire is on the ground I suggest getting out of the
plane ASAP.
If the fire is in the air I wonder how much good the steel panel
is going to do you.
I hear the steel panel is expensive.... wonder what an engine fire
extinguisher would cost?
Dan C
On Jul 30, 2009, at 10:27 AM, John Cooper wrote:
Linda:
I think it is worth considering, but I wouldn't loose a whole lot
of sleep
over it. The only time it would be an issue is in the event of a
fire in the
engine compartment that cannot be controlled, by shutting the
fuel off (two
places!) So, first I'd ensure the fuel shutoffs work as expected.
John Cooper
Skyport Services
www.skyportservices.net
