Airliner Cabin Emergency Flashlight

bobbagum

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I'm sure you all have seen it, mounted in corridors, a 2C plastic thing that looks like it could be 20 year old, new aircrafts still comes equipped with it, it's probably the only model that got certified for airworthiness, and nobody bothered to update it for the new millenium.

Has anyone played with it? there's plenty of pilots around here...

What would you do to update it?

Me- I would change it to lithium battery for longevity sake, i'm sure the batterry in there gets changed according to intervals anyway, but lithiums could help the cost, but then again i'm sure you can't just put any CR123 battery in, it probably has to be certified in triplicate or something like that, so that might not work

I would say a replacement contender would be something like a Surefire G2, maybe it needs to float and have a more conventional switch for usage by normal folks in an emergency.

Let's get a ball rolling on what would be a good contender for the replacement?
 

Macaw

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I'm sure that the flashlight will have to be very well sealed to prevent from creating a spark that can ignite flamable fumes\liquids (blastproof).

Must be tough and extremely reliable.

Needs to float. May sound crazy but the plane's seat coushions are designed to act as floatation devices.

Conventional style switch a good idea for the unenlightened.

Lithium batteries? Sure, why not!

Reasonable runtime.

Decent throw for smokey cabins, maybe an option for good flood too.

Fairly light weight. Ounces count on an aircraft.

My vote goes for the Heliotec HTE-1. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/heliotek_hte-1rev2.htm
 
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Lit Up

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If I was in a water crash at night, I'd want to couple a flashlight with a waterproof green laser to use as a beacon for when I see the calvary arriving. Provided I've floated away far enough to not cause any explosion hazards.

All a flashlight would do once out of the cabin is point out to you the obvious fact that there is nothing but water all around.
 

Admiral Lumens

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bobbagum said:
Has anyone played with it? there's plenty of pilots around here...

Every airplane I've flown that had wall-mounted emergency flashlights had them "guarded", probably to keep people from using them for mundane duties like preflights and looking in overhead bins. The ones used in my last airplane were rechargeable, and part of the preflight duty for the FA's was to simply ensure that the li'l red light on the side was on, showing it was being charged... And there was a large plastic band around it to keep it from being removed without a telltale breaking of the plastic, just like things in the cockpit are safety-wired (fire handles, flight control disconnects, etc.). The pilots are/were provided with two cheapo D-cell lights in the cockpit, and by cheap I mean the CHEAPEST lights you can find. Half the time they didn't work very well, but of course all of us have some sort of flashlight in our flight bag. For airline flying there is no longer a D-cell requirement for the crewmembers to carry, but I don't know ANYONE who doesn't bring a flashlight, even if it's the $2 plastic Eveready light or a cheapo LED they picked up overseas. For years I carried a 2D Mag, but now I've upgraded to the A2 and an iNova minilight on my ID lanyard.

As for the cabin flashlight, I don't know for certain that there was a battery replacement interval (it never came up!), but there must be, as every other emergency lighting battery in the airplane has one.
 

Lit Up

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Admiral Lumens said:
The pilots are/were provided with two cheapo D-cell lights in the cockpit, and by cheap I mean the CHEAPEST lights you can find. Half the time they didn't work very well

Typical of the people in charge. Save some petty cash on cheap lights then find somebody to hang out to dry over it when disaster strikes.

Kinda reminds me of the New Orleans levee...
 

Admiral Lumens

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Lit Up said:
Typical of the people in charge. Save some petty cash on cheap lights then find somebody to hang out to dry over it when disaster strike.

Did I mention that the batteries weren't even alkalines, just the bottom-of-the-barrel silver ones that everyone and their brother knows are subpar? :)
 

LeDfLaShEr

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The KC/DC-10 is equipped with the cheapest rubberized POS 2D flashlights that can be bought. I'm guessing you could get one for $2 or less, no exaggeration. The batteries are rarely changed and the burn a very dim orange color.

They are held into their holder by a 26 year old 1-inch velcro strap. Generally, as the airplane rotates for take-off at least one of the lights comes out of the holders and crashes to the ground, where it explodes into its various parts. Generally the batteries roll down the floor to stop somewhere in the back of the airplane, never to be found again....the various other parts roll under the seats and can be put back together (sans batteries) after level-off.

It's always confidence inspiring to the passengers when parts of the airplane keep falling off during the flight. :naughty:
 

LowBat

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Well a Streamlight 4AA Luxeon is rated for hazardous environments and would make a great airplane emergency light, except they would probably keep getting stolen. The el cheap-o walmart reject may be that way for a reason.
 

Learjet

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Speaking of confidence, a dive light would be tough and waterproof. But I can just see one of the passengers recognising it and asking "why do we have a dive light on this plane"? Crew reply "well sir that is so when we crash into the sea and sink we still have a light that works". Passenger, "let me off this plane"!! :laughing:
 

Lit Up

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Learjet said:
Speaking of confidence, a dive light would be tough and waterproof. But I can just see one of the passengers recognising it and asking "why do we have a dive light on this plane"? Crew reply "well sir that is so when we crash into the sea and sink we still have a light that works". Passenger, "let me off this plane"!! :laughing:

Hahahaha

Just reply with, "You buys the ticket, you takes your chances." :naughty:
 

fieldops

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Although I always carry 2 lights on a plane, I never thought about what they used in the cabin much. I always thought there were something like rechargeable mags around. Guess thats been put to bed. Its kind of scary to tell you the truth. Guess I better carry more lights when I fly:)
 

localguy808

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i dont think the FAA has a requirement on what type of flashlights are used in aircraft. the airline i work for uses cheap plastic 2D incadescents.. the only regulation is that their are a certain number per plane depending on size. only good think i can say is that they are checked everynight during inspections to make sure the batteries arent weak. there are 2 in the cockpit in case of electrical malfuntions and you dont got no lights and i think 1 per flight attendant. good one huh?
 

hquan

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I don't know how safe lithiums would be - especially in a situation where water, change in pressure, and fire may all be involved - read the sticky about the accident with lithium batteries... It may be safer to go with alkaline and require the batteries be changed every x months.
 

LEDninja

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I think lithium cells are a NO NO for aircraft use.
If lithium componds ever leak, they will react very badly with aluminium which most aircraft are made of.
They also explode more redily than alkaline or carbon zinc cells. See the sticky thread "a little accident....."
 

Admiral Lumens

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localguy808 said:
i dont think the FAA has a requirement on what type of flashlights are used in aircraft.

They don't for airline operations, but for so-called "Part 91" operations (private planes, biz jets, etc., airlines are "Part 121" of the Federal Aviation Regulations), they do require a 2D cell flashlight "or equivalent"... At least that's what it said the last time I checked, which was several years back. I think that as recently as a decade ago the "or equivalent" part wasn't even in there... You had to have a 2D cell light.
 

KevinL

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Yes, of course. Lithium cells are flying bombs and represent One of the Five Horsemen of the Apocalypse (there used to be 4, but Lithium was hired because the people perceive him to be Death Reincarnate). Again remind me the next time when I get on a plane that I'm strapped to HOW many thousand pounds of fuel that makes a much bigger bang than lithium?

The 'no-lithium-on-flights' is just annoying. Your average CR123 contains a fraction of a gram of lithium and has been sufficiently immobilized. Lithium IONS, ironically, contain NO reactive lithium, and are more prone to 'venting with flame' when charged improperly.


Back to our original topic.. I recall asking this question and there's another thread buried somewhere in CPF complete with links and pictures - very informative. We followed up and managed to find what they use on the Airbus 340 and modern 747s, it's an alkaline light with a wall bracket. Some models are rechargeable NiCad and charge-in-place.

I'll carry my U2. Bet it would be far more useful in an emergency. :)
 

ernsanada

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I posted these pictures in a similar thread.

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dsc004575pw.jpg


dsc004589pe.jpg



Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting
 

Lmtfi

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Given the financial state of the airline industry - I wouldn't count on them upgrading their flashlights any time soon.
 

GadgetTravel

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I was on a United flight from New York to Chicago Saturday morning and they called a maintainence person because the flashlight wasnt blinking. I didnt notice until after he was done and I heard him tell the pilot it was okay now. I think the either replaced the battery or fixed the charger connection.
 

Admiral Lumens

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The middle flashlight pictured above is the same one that was on the last airplane I flew. In fact, I'd be surprised if that wasn't an honest-to-goodness Saab 340 that the flashlight is bolted to. I think I recognize the sticker below the light...
 
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