Whatever your view from inside an aircraft completion center, if you’ve ever experienced that last minute announcement, “We’ve had a failure,” you’ve witnessed the shock, heartbreak and panic that set in. “The covering on the deco panel failed the 65/65 burn test. It all has to come out. We have to gut the entire interior and replace the panels with something that will pass.”
“Delivery is less than two months away. Missing our target will cost us $10,000 a day in penalties. What will we tell the customer? We’re planning another project with them next year.”
Finger pointing begins. Designers and engineers are suspect. Individual materials had previously been certified. What happened? Ripples extend to subcontractors and suppliers. Relationships are damaged.
Clearly, this completion center will never make the “Forbes Best Places to Work” list. The CEO even wants to bail out…without a parachute.
How Can OFPSI Help?
With so much at stake, it’s surprising how often completion centers approaching the end of projects receive the gut-wrenching test result. OFPSI, originally Onsite Fire Protection Services International, has patented a combination of non-toxic chemicals and processes that reduce heat release and greatly improve the likelihood of passing FAA burn tests, specifically Federal Aviation Regulation 25.853(d), the Ohio State-designed analysis for planes with 20 or more taxi, takeoff and landing (TT&L) belted seats.
Materials that previously met standards, and are verified by their manufacturers for “reliable conformity with internal fire protection regulations” are no guarantee of test success. Failure is nearly always due to the combination of materials and coatings rather than incapacity of individual components.
Developed in the 1990s by industry insiders that had experienced the agony of numerous failed official certification burn tests, the solution has saved dozens of projects utilizing a variety of material combinations. Sweet relief comes at a cost, however. Rework and time lost still gut punches the project, and because of the on-call emergency nature of the solution, OFPSI’s services can be pricey.
