There is now ample documentation that three of the four military services in the U have ongoing programs to do away with Kapton wire from their airplanes

There is now ample documentation that three of the four military services in the U have ongoing programs to do away with Kapton wire from their airplanes - the U Air Force.

There is now ample documentation that three of the four military services in the U have ongoing programs to do away with Kapton wire from their airplanes - the U Air Force, the U Navy and the U Coast Guard (see ASW, tribe 27). Is the commercial airline industry facing the same inevitability? Kapton (aromatic polyimide) may be emerging as the wiring equivalent of metalized Mylar insulation blankets, which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered remov The metalized Mylar prov flammable; an explosive flaring characterizes Kapton in a less degree than electrical arcing conditions.

Should a selective replacement program of Kapton wiring be found just how much of the inlet would be affected? Over the past small in number months, undocumented estimates have ranged from 60-85 percent of the inlet The most refined estimate we have skirmished puts the number of aircraft with Kapton wiring at slightly les than half the now passing fleet: 48 percent. It was prepared by way of Chris Smith, manager of aging aircraft nonstructural regularitys research at the FAA's Technical Center in Atlantic City, modern Jersey.

Presented below, a pie chart point outs that aromatic polyimide wiring is the greatest in number dominant form in the existing creek The accompanying table lays on the outside wiring type by aircraft type It is clear from the widespread use of aromatic polyimide wiring that a selective change-out program could involve considerable effort. An appropriate balance between safety and preciousness might be achieved by limiting replacement to flight critical wires. plane this kind of targeted effort would involve the replacement of an estimated 100-200 levigates of wiring per aircraft (narrowbody and widebody jet respectively). Assuming the average amount remov would weigh a 150 pounds, and that the number of aircraft affected is conservatively estimated at 1000 one 75 tons of wire would have to be remov >> Smith, e-mail smithc@tc.faa.gov <<

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