Image Shows New LavOx Lavatory Oxygen System Installation
This week's news that Zodiac Aerospace subsidiary Avox Systems has a new lavatory oxygen system ready to go that both meets FAA's revamped requirements and doesn't break the bank should be music to many an operator's ear.
FAA, citing security reasons, in early 2011 mandated the deactivation of current lavatory oxygen systems, and it took the agency two years to develop standards for new, tamper-resistant designs.
Industry feared that the retrofits would be costly; FAA in the final directive ordering the new systems estimated the upgrades at about $8,000 per aircraft, but industry was skeptical.
LavOx says its system runs less than $1,500 per unit, which should put the average cost at well under FAA's estimated figure. The key is a design that allows the bottle and basic hardware to fit with existing "boxes." Below is a shot of a LavOx installation on a 737-800 as part of the STC approval process.
credit: Zodiac Aerospace
Now that the initial system is certificated by US authorities, expect a few more LavOx/aircraft STC pairings, including some involving large fleets of out-of-production aircraft that U.S. majors still rely on. Industry has until September 2015 to put the new systems in.