A Cross-country Tender for Aircraft Fires
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ASPEC-I ACULAR demonstration of fire-fighting was staged in a recent test by the Air Ministry Services, when jets of foam 90 ft. long were projected on a Halifax bomber fuselage at the rate of 2,200 g.p.m. The fire tender used at the demonstration was a Kidde-Sun model based on a Thornycroft Nubian four-wheeldrive chassis. It has been 'constructed for the Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., and will be used to protect aircraft of the Brabazon calibre against fire.
The Nubian chassis is employed because, as an aircraft fire-crash tender, it may have to travel across fields and open country. The model demonstrated was equipped with the Thornycroft AC4 four-cylindered 85 b.h.p. petrol -engine. It has a four-speed gearbox and two-speed transfer box. Single tyres are fitted to both axles, the
Ltd.. Kingston, Surrey, is specially .designed, and comprises a spacious cab, behind which is a crew compartment open at the sides for rapid exit. Eighteen CO, cylinders, foam and water tanks, pump and control platform occupy the centre and rear of the chassis, and the whole equipment is totally enclosed.
Attention has been given to accessibility of all apparatus, and there is ample locker accommodation for ancillary equipment.
The fire-fighting apparatus was designed by the Walter Kidde Co., Ltd., Northolt, Middlesex, in conjunction with Sun Engineering (Richmond), Ltd., Richmond, Surrey.
Lightweight Equipment
The Kidde lightweight CO, cylinders are arranged in three banks of six, and are directly connected with two 100-ft. hoses terminating in special multi-jet nozzles, each giving a discharge rate of 2,700 cubic ft. of gas per minute. This is equal to 250-300 lb. per minute. Firemen using this equipment claimed that the recoil was negligible, A total of 3,800 lb. of gas is carried.
A novelty of the Sun pump is that it can be used for water and foarn, the change over being instantaneous. It k fed frosts a 300-gallon water tank antl a 100-gallon foam-solution tank, and supplies two foam branches. Output of foam and water from the equipment was measured during the trials, and the results are shown in the tables.
All controls are mounted on a panel at the rear of the tender There are three levers for releasing the CO2, and one lever for foam control. This lever is synchronized to operate the foam, air and water valves and the -engine throttle. There is also an adjustment for the foam-solution ratio, and an independent throttle control.