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djeitnstine
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Hello I am sharing the results of my analytical report on "comparison on methods of testing for microbial contamination in jet fuel for private jet aircraft owners" for those who were interested (namely Cyrus)
First I would like to talk a little about the scope and the limitations of my report before sharing my findings. I should note that the criteria for methods available to private owners need to not require any lab training and has to be easily accessible.
Also I had to make my report slightly less detailed in comparison to stay within the page numbering limits.
I found that the “Guidance Material on Microbiological Contamination in Aircraft Fuel Tanks" by the IATA contained a wealth of information about this but was not available during the time of this report. However, the university has ordered a copy and I plan to rewrite my report to include information from that book and create a more detailed report (partly because I am very interested in the topic and would like to create a professional report).
Also rather than comparing fairly unreliable tests such as the "clear and bright" and the milipore gravimetric test, I focused more on the ones that were proven to be reliable and others that were recommended by the IATA. This narrowed my search down to three such types of tests that a few of you should be familiar with: Automatic Particle Counting, Detection tests and Growth tests.
My report can be found http://www.2shared.com/file/5369027/a15e2f25/Microbial_Report_Final.html" You should note that this was an academic exercise and the letter of transmittal placed as page two is not meant to be real, the scenario and the appendix section were placed there at the request of my professor.
Results
I have found that the detection tests recommended by the IATA are ideal for private owners in all of the conditions I have outlined in my report. This is because compared to the other methods, it has a smaller and cheaper price range, can be performed in 10 minutes or less, and is just as reliable as all the other methods.
In the future
In the future I would like to do a more detailed cost analysis on these tests because over time it seems a few of these tests can become fairly expensive, however, that depends on whether or not you fly in high risk conditions. The IATA recommends once a year testing but more frequently for high risk fliers and as experience suggests.
First I would like to talk a little about the scope and the limitations of my report before sharing my findings. I should note that the criteria for methods available to private owners need to not require any lab training and has to be easily accessible.
Also I had to make my report slightly less detailed in comparison to stay within the page numbering limits.
I found that the “Guidance Material on Microbiological Contamination in Aircraft Fuel Tanks" by the IATA contained a wealth of information about this but was not available during the time of this report. However, the university has ordered a copy and I plan to rewrite my report to include information from that book and create a more detailed report (partly because I am very interested in the topic and would like to create a professional report).
Also rather than comparing fairly unreliable tests such as the "clear and bright" and the milipore gravimetric test, I focused more on the ones that were proven to be reliable and others that were recommended by the IATA. This narrowed my search down to three such types of tests that a few of you should be familiar with: Automatic Particle Counting, Detection tests and Growth tests.
My report can be found http://www.2shared.com/file/5369027/a15e2f25/Microbial_Report_Final.html" You should note that this was an academic exercise and the letter of transmittal placed as page two is not meant to be real, the scenario and the appendix section were placed there at the request of my professor.
Results
I have found that the detection tests recommended by the IATA are ideal for private owners in all of the conditions I have outlined in my report. This is because compared to the other methods, it has a smaller and cheaper price range, can be performed in 10 minutes or less, and is just as reliable as all the other methods.
In the future
In the future I would like to do a more detailed cost analysis on these tests because over time it seems a few of these tests can become fairly expensive, however, that depends on whether or not you fly in high risk conditions. The IATA recommends once a year testing but more frequently for high risk fliers and as experience suggests.
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