With staff shortages right across the aviation world, it’s vital to keep pilots healthy in order to keep flights operating. However, the flight deck is difficult to disinfect for many reasons. Despite what you may think, a cockpit on a commercial jet isn't at all that spacious, indeed many are rather cramped affairs with limited additional space. They are usually really busy places that are not often left empty for long. They are jam-packed with sensitive and jolly expensive equipment which if it were damaged during cleaning could cost hundreds to repair and the knock-on effects could lead to mass disruption and expense.
It's a topic that's critical for aviation right now, but it isn’t being discussed as much as it should....
Chemical disinfectants that are used commonly in the flight deck are problematic for a number of reasons:
It takes up to 45 minutes to disinfect all surfaces in a commercial cockpit. This slows turnaround times.Manual application of chemical is rarely consistent.Cockpits must be aired out to clear dangerous fumes after disinfection.Chemical pooling, residue, corrosion and even ingress (from fogging) can damage electronic equipment which leads to real operational safety concerns, as noted by both EASA and the FAA.Chemicals can cause labels to fall off or become unreadable.Chemical disinfection creates fumes and hazardous waste in terms of PPE worn by cleaners, and the solutions must be carefully stored, moved, and disposed of – they’re just not safe.
Aero HygenX, is a Canadian tech start-up founded by pilots and experts in aircraft maintenance. They have developed a UV-C light disinfection tool, especially for cockpits and other tight spaces like crew rest areas. SparX is a smart, autonomous, SAFE to use, inexpensive and above all, rids the flight deck of pathogens that can cause illness – in minutes.
The SparX is portable, powerful and a powerful weapon in the fight against COVID-19 and other pathogens.
Designed for transportation, effective anywhere you find germs. SparX eliminates pathogens in minutes while protecting pilots and other crew in the cockpit from exposure to harmful chemicals.
Many airlines use bigger systems to clean and disinfect the main cabin of the aircraft to protect passengers, so it makes sense to use the same technology in the front of a jet as well as the back!
SparX comes complete with an App-based control feature & data feed with a performance analysis dashboard allowing you to clearly see the results. It is optimised UV-C exposure time so it can disinfect in just a few minutes and could save an airline thousands in cleaning costs and staff sickness. UV-C light deactivates DNA and RNA of pathogens (viruses and bacteria), which prevents them from replicating or causing illness. UV-C disinfection is trusted by hospitals, water treatment facilities and the food service industry.
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