"Tom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Bill,

I strongly discourage you from considering lithium batteries for use in
your glider. A lithium fire, once started, is virtually impossible to
put out. Putting water on burning lithium actually feeds the fire (it
generates hydrogen). I read about one incident involving a laptop
battery that caught fi he ended up throwing the entire laptop with
burning battery into a snow bank, which only intensified the fire.
Improper charging of lithium batteries are the primary, but not only,
cause of these fires. An enlightening report on the subject is at:

http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2005/HZB0501.pdf

Tom Seim
Richland, WA

Nice history, but today you will find dozens of Lithium-Ion batteries in a
typical airline cabin. Every gadget comes with one. 90% of the citizenry
has at least one in their pockets. I have carried a Li-Ion powered cell
phone for years. A Li-Ion fire in an airline cabin, or in junior's cargo
shorts, would be the lead story on the evening news. You don't hear it
because it doesn't happen.

I'd guess that most XC glider pilots already have two Li-Ion powered devices
in their cockpits - a PDA and a cellphone.

Yes, in EXTREMELY rare occasions there can be a problem - usually a product
recall for a 'warm' device with a wiring problem. A shorted 7AH SLA won't
be pretty either. The safety issue is an old story that has been almost
completely overcome with new designs.


Bill Daniels