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Fuel Tanks


Icewind
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Unfortunately this is where the authorities and industry stand in the preservation of life. If this was video was of a motor vehicle there would be a mandatory recall as public and passenger safety would be paramount.

It seems aviation is not high up on the list, and manufacturers have been great a their job in keeping the extra cost of rectifying the issue by lobby authorities. Between R44 and AS350 there has been a fair few fatalities around the world.

 

Taking into account there are a lot more vehicles on the road than aircraft in the air and there is more chance of a fatality in a vehicle so for example not related to aircraft or vehicles, if you had a 10 seat cinema that screened movies 2 time a week, and it had potential to catch fire due to a type of heating system that was being used and it was a known problem due to previous fires these cinemas would be closed down until the system had been replaced.

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Well, it only took how many flaming crashes in the R44 for them to finally do something, still a terrible design that can still catch fire during a crash. Then you have to look at the maintenance of the fuel system, was the tank saddled properly? The molded plastic design of the AS350 fuel tank isn't great but it's done it's job. Maybe they should make jet fuel safer.

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Unfortunately this is where the authorities and industry stand in the preservation of life. If this was video was of a motor vehicle there would be a mandatory recall as public and passenger safety would be paramount.

It seems aviation is not high up on the list, and manufacturers have been great a their job in keeping the extra cost of rectifying the issue by lobby authorities. Between R44 and AS350 there has been a fair few fatalities around the world.

 

Taking into account there are a lot more vehicles on the road than aircraft in the air and there is more chance of a fatality in a vehicle so for example not related to aircraft or vehicles, if you had a 10 seat cinema that screened movies 2 time a week, and it had potential to catch fire due to a type of heating system that was being used and it was a known problem due to previous fires these cinemas would be closed down until the system had been replaced.

The fact is if there was a recall it would be in the form of an AD. I have yet to see any manufacture that pays for the full cost of an AD. Therefore depending on the cost this said AD could infect break a lot of operators as some AD's have.

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Lack of a crashworthy fuel system is not only applicable to the Astar, but also most models of the 206, 206L(s), 407, 212, 205, 204, AS355 (all variants), Hu 500's, etc, etc...... All are safe machines if you don't have a hard landing/crash. - Good thing that never happens.

The military has made a crashworthy fuel system mandatory for over 15 years.

What are you strapping your butt to? Demand better - your informed customers are!

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Some 206 series post 1981 incorporated CRFS, but prior to that there are no crashworthy features incorporated into the fuel system.

 

The Bell 204/205 series was certified in 1960 and the 212 in 1968.​

 

The first civilian helicopter produced by Bell which incorporated a CRFS was the 222 in the 80's.

 

There are significant differences between a "self sealing bladder" and Crash Resistant Fuel System.

 

Fly safe

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