KRnetHeads, Although the thought of using a fire extinguisher in flight almost sounds worse than the fire itself, it's worth having a fire extinguisher in the cockpit. It's not inconceivable that a fire could break out in the engine compartment during flight...say an oil line ruptures and sprays oil all over a hot exhaust pipe. Oil ignites at a lower temperature than you might think. You happen to be near an airport and get it down in just a few minutes, and after you land you are standing there listening to the crackle of a fire under your cowling, and watch the paint blistering. This would be a GREAT time to have a fire extinguisher AND a quick way to get your cowling open before the plane is engulfed in flames, without having to taxi to a bunch of locked hangars looking for a fire extinguisher, and then watching your plane burn.
Yes, I do have a fire extinguisher in front of the main spar, a small $20 10:BC "auto/marine" extinguisher from Home Depot. I haven't weighed it, but the insurance far offsets the cost of carrying the extra pounds around. 10 B:C is recommended by the National Fire Protection Association for automotive and marine fires (flammable liquids and electrical equipment). It is a powder type, and is corrosive to aluminum, but you can recover from that...just clean it up before it sits too long. See http://www.homedepot.com/p/Kidde-10-B-C-Auto-Marine-Fire-Extinguisher-21008634N/205753438?N=5yc1vZbmgp While I'm on my high horse, it's interesting to note that if you ever discharge a powder fire extinguisher, even slightly, it must be refilled or replaced. Why? The powder absorbs moisture and "bricks" the valve solid, preventing operation. The powder is pressurized with dry nitrogen (or something similar) when it's put in there, so it's dry until released. Keeping a "slightly-used" extinguisher around is false economy... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
