Some time ago, as a result of the Air Canada DC-9 fire that started in the waste bin in the lav and resulted in the aircraft being landed at CVG, the issue of providing oxygen to passengers during situations in which the oxygen would support a cabin fire came up--again. Oxygen was not provided to the passengers in this case because of that reason. If I remember correctly, there were fatalities. Shortly after that incident, someone wrote to Aviation Week & Space Technology suggesting that airliners be equipped with a crew-selectable valve that would allow the crew to select either oxygen or fresh air to be supplied to the passengers. This is one of those forehead-slapping ideas--the ones where you say "Why didn't I think of that?" Do you know if either the FAA or any aircraft makers pursued this very simple, very clever idea? Or was it another victim of the "Not Invented Here" syndrome?

Art Klein