Aircraft Specialties Selected as Hot-Stop Stocking Dealer

Baker Aviation, which is the master distributor for Hot-Stop L fire-containment kits, has selected Aircraft Specialties to distribute Hot Stop bags in the U.S. Aircraft Specialties is now the sole domestic stocking distributor for Hot Stop products, according to Baker.

The Hot Stop kits are recommended for carriage on board aircraft for containment of lithium-ion battery fires, given the possibility of battery thermal runaway and the many types of lithium ion that passengers bring aboard in portable devices and also lithium-ion battery-powered onboard equipment such as defibrillators.

Hot Stop products, manufactured by Industrial Energy Products, are burn-certified, including the bag, bag cover, and gloves. Testing was conducted at Aeroblaze Laboratory, which is accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 and Nadcap NMMT international quality standards.

In the burn-through test, the bag was subjected to a 2,000 deg F flame for 15 minutes, and it passed. According to Baker, this test “goes above and beyond the burn characteristics of today’s typical Li-ion devices.”

The bag is made of multiple fabric layers surrounding a felt inner core. The core “has a 3,200 deg F melting point [and] is sandwiched between two outer layers that have a 2,080 deg F melting point and are proven to absorb energy and fire while eliminating the escape of toxic smoke, sparks, and flames,” the company explained. There is no need to use water to try to put out a lithium-ion battery fire when using a Hot Stop kit.

Hot Stop L bags are available in various sizes, with the largest measuring 27 by 26 inches and capable of holding a defibrillator or large portable computer. The smallest—9.5 by 6 inches—is designed to contain a phone-sized device. Baker Aviation will replace for free any bag used to contain a runaway lithium-ion-powered device.

“All corporate operators should consider having this valuable safety item on board their aircraft,” said Gene Portela, Aircraft Specialties director of sales, “as there is a better chance you will use this product before you ever use the life raft you keep on board, and never think twice.”