On Sat, 17 May 2014 05:39:45 -0400, Kurt Ullman wrote:

The reason you want to get heck out of a Halon environment is that is
displaces the oxygen so you have nothing to breathe. (It works on the
"air" part of the old fire triangle).

Hmmmmmm... isn't that the *opposite* of how Halon works in a fire?

I tried to find an airplane cabin fire article that backed you up.

For example, this was the first hit:
http://www.h3raviation.com/news_avoiding_mayday.htm

But, all that article said was that the carbon monoxide from the
aircraft cabin fire would displace the oxygen.

And, specifically, it said that halon does *not* "displace the oxygen"
which is how carbon dioxide extinguishers work.

Here's what the article said, verbatim (in part) about the benefits:
---------------------------------
Halon is an effective agent on Class B and C fires, the ones you're most
likely to see in an aircraft.

It works in gas form, so it will not obscure your vision like the powder
emitted from dry chemical extinguishers. Basically, it's invisible.

As a gas, it's capable of getting into hard-to-reach places like the
inner workings of your instrument panel.

It's a non-corrosive clean agent, which means it won't damage items
it comes into contact with.

It won't shock-cool your avionics.

It's lighter and more efficient than CO2.
Halons are low-toxicity, chemically stable compounds.

Sounds perfect, right? Well, there are a few drawbacks.

We said that Halon has low toxicity. But it's not benign or entirely non-toxic,
and you wouldn't want to introduce it to your respiratory system given the choice.
"But everyone, including the FAA, recognizes that it's better to put out the fire
effectively than to worry about breathing the Halon,"