PLT212: Fire Extinguishing Systems
What code PLT212 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Fire Extinguishing Systems before your checkride.
Recall fire extinguishing systems - components / operating principles / characteristics
What this means for your checkride
Onboard fire protection ranges from a hand-held cabin fire extinguisher to engine and cargo suppression systems on larger aircraft. A cabin extinguisher is typically Halon, effective on electrical and flammable-liquid fires; you aim at the base of the fire and ventilate afterward, balancing smoke against fumes.
A fire in flight is time-critical, so the FAA tests the types of extinguishers, what fires they fight, and how the systems work.
Pilots reach for water on an electrical fire. Water conducts and spreads a liquid fire; the cabin extinguisher, Halon or equivalent, is what you use on electrical and flammable-liquid fires.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.