THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, SEPTEMBER 17, 1937. 691
No. 668.
DIRECTORATE OF AIR SERVICES, HONG KONG,
Notice to Aircraft Owners and Ground Engineers.
No. 14 of the year 1937.
LIFEBELTS FOR CIVIL AIRCRAFT.
1. The Air Navigation Directions, 1932, Section IX, paragraph 52 (iii) (d) require that an approved type of lifebelt must be carried for each person on board a flying machine engaged upon public transport work, for flights at any point of which the aircraft is more than 10 miles from the nearest land, and also that such lifebelts shall be main- tained in working order. It is also required that notices are to be displayed in the cabin of the aircraft stating where the lifebelts are situated and instructing passengers how to use them in the event of their being required. The place of stowage is to be clearly and prominently marked “Lifebelt” or "Lifebelts", as the case may be.
2. The lifebelts or life jackets detailed in para. 3 of this Notice are not necessarily suitable for all types of public transport aircraft. After the date of this Notice when any lifebelt or life jacket is adopted for installation in any particular aircraft, both the owner and person in charge of the aircraft must satisfy themselves that the emergency exits are such as to allow a normal-sized wearer of the lifebelt or life jacket (in the inflated condition, where the belt is inflatable) to pass through the exit without difficulty. Where the foregoing requirement is not complied with in the case of the existing lifebelt installations in public transport aircraft, the owner must inform the Director of Air Services. Harbour Department, Hong Kong.
3. The following types of lifebelt or life jacket are approved for use in civil aircraft :-
(i) The "Perrin" or "Auliff" type.
(a) The "Perrin" or "Auliff" type of lifebelt is secured to the wearer by shoulder straps, and consists of an internally rubber-proofed canvas waistcoat. The belt is inflated by carbon dioxide gas from the small steel cylinder which is contained in the belt. The gas is liberated by means of a hand-operated plunger. The lifebelt may also be inflated by the use of a mouthpiece with a non-return valve.
(b) Lifebelts, when removed from the aircraft, should be stored in a cool, dry place, with the gas cylinder removed, and should always be partially inflated. Excessive heat or damp is destructive to the material of the belt.