Geoff Thomas
Airlines and their passengers all get frustrated by delays - especially if the cause is something as simple as the emergency floor-level lighting not working.
Wiring can become damaged, bulbs may fail or the emergency battery could be discharged; whatever the cause, the problem puts non-operational emergency floor-level lighting into the top three causes of ramp delays worldwide.
But there is a yellow/green light at the end of the tunnel in the guise of Saf-T-Glo, a British company which has invented, developed, patented and is now selling a product called Pathfinder.
Using photo-luminescent technology, the product charges itself using nothing more complicated than natural or artificial light. Less than an hour's 'charging' creates 13 hours' light. It is non-toxic and non-radioactive.
Saf-T-Glo's patented 'fail-safe' twin-track floor path marking system is also totally maintenance free, comprising a 30mm-wide aluminium strip which is coated with a 15-micron thick layer of strontium aluminate as the light source.
A fully-installed system - and installation can be accomplished by two men in a single shift - costs around 25% of an electrical system, and also offers weight and maintenance savings. Pathfinder has recently received FAA, CAA and JAR certification and it has already been fitted to 600 aircraft from 60 airlines.
Source: Flight Daily News
