In addition to providing aircraft maintenance, management and charter services, North Texas-based Baker Aviation is also the exclusive distributor of the U.S.-made Hot-Stop L series fire-containment bags, designed to contain in-flight overheating of lithium-ion battery-powered devices. It has a full range of the U.S.-made safety bags produced by Industrial Energy Products (IEP) on display at its NBAA booth (1813).

Lithium-ion battery-powered computers and electronic devices have been identified as potential in-flight hazards due to the possibility of malfunction, which could lead to difficult-to-extinguish fires and explosions. IEP’s bags come in several sizes to accommodate laptop computers, tablets or cell phones and, according to IEP president Thomas Connelly Jr., are constructed of specialized materials engineered to withstand temperatures of 3,200 degrees F on the inside and more than 2,000 degrees F on the outside.

Baker has committed to free lifetime replacement of any customer’s Hot-Stop L bag that has been used to contain such fires. While the bag would certainly be able to survive another use, it would be permeated with the odor of burned plastic, a smell that would be quite noticeable in the cabin.

Baker is also offering a $100 on-the-spot rebate for any customer that turns in a competing product when they purchase a Hot-Stop L bag. “People have come to us after purchasing other bags and are concerned about the flawed logic of using water to contain these types of devices on board an aircraft,” said Ray Goyco Jr., Baker’s president and CEO. “We provide an alternative product that is tested and proven without the need of water, which minimizes those life-threatening smoke emissions and could also reduce costly cabin cleanups should there be a battery runaway.”

Use of the bag will also relieve flight-crew members of the responsibility of determining when and if a passenger’s device might ignite and when to pour that water. “That’s a tough situation to put someone in,” Connelly told AIN. “Do you want to trash your boss’s computer because you think it’s running hot?” He suggests simply putting the device in one of his company’s containment bags instead. “If it explodes, then it’s contained. If it doesn’t, you land and hand the device back to the customer.”