The Vendor’s View of Fire Detection

Fire detector performance statistics for 1963 are reviewed in a manner to bring out the variability in performance from poor to excellent of similar aircraft by different operators, and to compare in-flight false warnings as reported to FAA with the total number of fire detector failures which appear at preflight or during flight.

Causes of fire detector system failures and false warnings are described for each of the currently used types of continuous fire detectors. Failures can be prevented, or at least greatly reduced, by the improvements in installation and maintenance practices described, as proven by the few excellent performance records revealed in the statistics.

Fail-safe operation is discussed as an adjunct to failure prevention, and methods of achieving fail-safe operation are described.