AN EMERGENCY FLOOR-path-lighting system, which requires no electrical power and has no batteries, bulbs or wiring to install and maintain, has been certificated in the USA by Diversified Aviation Services (DAS). The Pathfinder photo-luminescent lighting system, manufactured by UK company Saf-T-Glo, has been approved and installed by airlines, in France and the UK.
Stuart, Florida-based marketing and consulting firm DAS has obtained US Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type-certification (STC) of the Pathfinder system in the Boeing 737-200. DAS plans to gain an STC for the system in the Airbus A300 by mid-year, clearing it for use in wide-bodies.
The system is being offered as a direct, lightweight and maintenance-free, replacement for existing battery-powered emergency floor-path-lighting. The non-toxic and non-radioactive lighting strips can be installed easily, DAS says, using double-sided adhesive tape. After just 8min exposure to normal cabin light-levels, the photo-luminescent strips will provide sufficient light for emergency evacuation for 6h, the company says.
DAS says that typical battery-powered floor lighting operates for 25min, while bulb and other failures incur maintenance costs and despatch delays. The $6,500 cost of Pathfinder lighting for a 737-size aircraft can be recovered within six months in reduced costs, says the company.
The Pathfinder lighting system will be launched on to the US market at the Regional Airlines Association meeting in May.
Source: Flight International
