Fire extinguishers for general aviation aircraft - Halon vs. Halotron

Flying with a good fire extinguisher is essential, but one thing is for sure: regular household extinguishers are not suitable for aviation use. A water or carbon dioxide agent can damage your avionics, corrode the airframe, or create unsafe conditions in the cockpit. For that reason, we recommend very specific types of fire extinguishers for general aviation pilots—halon or halotron. What's the difference? Which size is right? Sporty's Doug Ranly explains in this Product PIREP video.

[Sparky-wwre]

The reason for the price difference between halon and halotron, is because halon has been banned from production on Jan 1, 1994 in accordance with the Montreal Protocol, but does not prohibit recycled halon and new old stock from being used up. Halon is a very hazardous to the ozone layer. Halotron was developed in 1992 as a replacement for Halon, poses far less risk to the environment, dispite being slightly less effective requiring more of the extinguishing agent to get the same rating. Both types are widely used in aircraft, as well as in data centers, server rooms and similar areas with expensive and critical electronic equipment.

[heathergee]

Thank you for teaching this!! Great information!!

[johnwrycza]

the 'spray time' of any of these is somewhere between 10-30 seconds - considering you'll need to fly the plane, unsnap it from the mount between the seats, and pull the pin - then last but certainly not least; point it into the problem area - all while being PIC is something to practice while parked on the ground vs airborne

[JayMcGowan]

Does Halon not present a hazard in an enclosed area? If I remember during my fire suppression courses, the recommendation was to only use Halon in a well ventilated area which I believe would preclude activation in smaller, general aviation aircraft. Is there an alternative compound that may not be so hazardous (though fire on the flight deck is likely top of the hazard chain)?

[SameeUllah-czqc]

Halon halotron fire extinguisher s for air flcrafts