12 - Flammability tests for aircraft

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the flammability regulations for transport category airplanes, i.e., commercial airplanes used by airlines for transport of goods and people. Although flammability regulations for other aircraft types such as general aviation, commuters, agricultural, etc., are similar but not as comprehensive as those for transport category airplanes. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the responsibility for establishing and enforcing all regulatory requirements for civil aviation. FAA fire safety regulations on transport category airplanes are quite extensive and implementation and enforcement processes are considerably more intricate and involved than those imposed by other regulatory agencies on land-based and water-based transport vehicles. Passenger cabin and engine compartment components are subject to one or more of over a dozen tests. The required FAA flammability tests for transport category airplanes are divided into two groups: 12 that are applicable inside the pressurized vessel, which includes the passenger cabin and cockpit, and four that are applicable outside the pressurized vessel, which includes the engine and auxiliary power unit areas. These tests apply to various components regarding their usage and sometimes the materials of which the components are made.