Background
The decision to service the Tornado aircraft at RAF Leuchars in Fife, one of the UK's air defence stations, resulted in the complete refurbishment of a World War II vintage hangar at the base - Hangar 209.
The client for the project was RAF Strike Command and the work was carried out by SERCO Services, formerly known as the PSA Building Management Scotland. The presence of expensive and potentially dangerous aircraft in Hangar 209 convinced the design team to include smoke control in the specification for protection and safety equipment.
Colt was chosen as the supplier of the smoke control system.
The Building
Like all such buildings, Hangar 209 is effectively a 'big shed' which is used to store and repair aircraft. The hangar measures 95 metres x 47 metres x 15 metres high and is located at the RAF base in Leuchars on Scotland's East coast. Hangar 209 is now mainly used for servicing and maintenance of the Tornado fighter and up to 6 aircraft can be present at any one time.
The Colt Solution
After initial discussions with the design team the specification for the smoke control system was finalised and resulted in 24 insulated louvred natural Seefire ventilators being installed. The hangar was split into two fire zones by installing a 47m fixed smoke curtain.
The controls package enables the dual-purpose system to provide the hangar with smoke control in the event of fire as well as day-to-day ventilation.
The potential value of the hangar's contents meant that stringent quality control was essential and very little disruption was created to the daily routine of the hangar staff who continued working throughout the duration of the contract. Moreover, time was definitely of the essence. The contract was completed in just 8 weeks from placement of order, in time for the Battle of Britain Airshow, Scotland's largest aerial display, which attracted some 50,000 visitors to RAF Leuchars.
