Wed, Mar 05, 2003
Final STC Test Conformation Demonstrated on Airbus A320
US Global Aerospace, Inc. has installed its Guardian™
Anti-Ballistic Cockpit Security Door on an Airbus A320 in Denver
(CO), as part of the final phase of the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration’s Supplemental Type Certification process.
The complete installation was accomplished in
under 8 hours -- less than one shift -- on an Airbus A320 owned by
Ryan Air, and was validated by Future Jet Aerospace Inc., an
independent aviation consulting firm (Dallas TX). The Guardian Door
combines USGA’s kinetic energy absorbers, lightweight
G-Lam™ anti-ballistic material and a proprietary passive vent
system to provide access security and ballistic and decompression
protection to the flight crew while eliminating the need for costly
and time consuming airframe structural enhancements common on
alternative cockpit security solutions.
"Other doors on the market can take over 200 labor hours and
more than four days to install. Taking an aircraft out of service
for such an extended period could potentially cost an aircraft
operator millions of dollars in lost revenue.
"Our Guardian Door is not only secure and robust;
we believe it also presents the most expedient and cost-effective
cockpit fortification solution available," said John Robinson, CEO
of USGA. “The light weight of our door (less than 50 pounds,
compared to 85 to 120 pounds for others) results in additional fuel
savings over the long term. In addition, the Guardian Door design
has only 14 parts, which equates to lower potential component
failure rates than competitive designs, some of which have in
excess of 80 different parts.”
USGA has also made significant progress in developing commercial
construction wall panels that integrate the anti-ballistic
qualities of USGA’s proprietary G-Lam material with blast
mitigation and fire suppression technologies. These lightweight
panels are designed to be compatible with current construction
techniques and easily retrofitted to existing facilities.
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