This was forwarded to me by the DER on my aircraft certification project. I will most assuredly be keelhauled on this forum for bringing this up, if not for the fact that it directly supports the business I'm in... then certainly for the unabashed joyfulness with which I present this.

All grandstanding and Machiavellian mercenary machinations aside, please fly with a shoulder harness for your safety, regardless of whether you do business with me, Hooker, Wag-Aero, BAS, etc.

From today's AvWeb -

MANDATE SHOULDER HARNESSES: NTSB
The NTSB is recommending the FAA require retrofitting shoulder harnesses in all general aviation aircraft that don't have them as the "cheapest and simplest" way of improving crash survivability. In a study that was mainly focused on the potential safety benefits of airbags in GA aircraft, the board determined that while airbags will probably help, installation of shoulder harnesses in lap-belt-equipped planes would make the biggest difference. "Based on an analysis of over 37,000 GA accidents, the Board concluded that the risk of fatal or serious injury was 50 percent higher when an occupant was only restrained by a lap belt as compared to the combination lap belt and shoulder harness," the board said in a statement. The NTSB could only find 10 survivable accidents with which to assess the value of airbags and found that of the 12 occupants of aircraft involved in those accidents, at least two of them avoided more serious injury or death because of the airbags. The board stops short of recommending that airbags be made mandatory and actually makes some safety recommendations about the design and installation of the bags, which deploy from the shoulder harness of specially equipped seatbelts.

I agree that shoulder harnesses are more effective than just lap belts....but mandates?! Come on..after harnesses, and airbags, become balistic chutes..for both the plane & passesngers, rubber windscreens, and permission to fly by some BOARD on the day you want to fly...so what's next!? ...training wheels for taildragger airplanes? Let's use a little common sense here!

When I got my Supercub, it didn't have shoulder harnesses in it, and pretty old seatbelts. I replaced the seatbelts and added Hooker harnesses, and feel a lot better with the shoulder harnesses in. Making them mandatory? I think they're a great idea, but hey, if you want to bash your head against your panel, please feel free to do so (hooray for Darwin!).

When I rode motorcycles I always wore a helmet, and stayed out of the heated discussions about helmet laws. Good idea to wear one, but don't ask my insurance company to pay for lifetime care when you hit the pavement with your skull.

Who screamed when seatbelts, and later shoulder harnesses, were made mandatory in cars? Lots better than going through the windshield, and doesn't take much time to put them on.

Just one more thing for the freedom-fighters to yell about.

ASW.

First thing I did when I got the 182B was put in BAS harnesses. I Chose BAS so I could reach the flap handle

Tim

Speaking of helmets.. we could mandate them for airplanes and undoubtably improve survivability in airplane crashes, .. then maybe everyone should have to have a new engine every 5 years or 500 hours. Maybe an airframe overhaul is next every few years, in the name of safety , of course.

Point: its a slippery slope. While I do hope all aircraft owners will voluntarily add shoulder harnesses, mandating them seems orwellian. EZ flaps avatar girl, asking nicely could get more aircraft harness installations than all of the SB's ever written

Yeah, slippery slope indeed... agreed without argument... but it's slippery both ways. Drunk driving (and drunk flying) is illegal and strictly enforced with good reason, because too many Bozos killed too many innocent people.

The proof is in the pudding. Shoulder harnesses have been available for a long time, they're cheap, and the feds have made it very easy to install them with very little regulation. Yet a lot of airplane owners still have not put two and two together to put them in. A lot of airplane owners would not do an annual inspection on their aircraft unless it was forced on them.

But all that being said, yes I will definitely ask the girl in my avatar picture if she would contribute to air safety. We'll get her all done up in a nasty leather dominatrix outfit... then we'll make one of those (FAA approved) "motivational posters" where she's standing in one of those kinky bondage dungeons, with a pilot suspended up off the floor, tied up in about 50 feet worth of harness restraint straps.

The caption will be the girl saying... " if you're not smart enough to strap yourself in to your airplane nice and tight, I can't guarantee your safety. You may need me to provide some painful dual instruction, you dumb-ass"

Naahhh, she's too nice for that. I'll get Hillary Clinton to promote air safety instead.

EZ strap coming soon.

I think they should mandate flaps on airplanes...and then they could mandate EZ Flat Straps, and then.......mandate all of the stuff to protect you from yourself..the plane will be so heavy that it will not fly...end result, in order to be entirely safe the plane will stay on the ground..no risk, no pain, no gain.
Disclaimer: this is not a slam against the EZ Flap handle, it is probably a wonderful product.

And lets not for get the starter interlock. When they mandated seat belts on the fire rigs we buckled them behind us and sat on top of them. I don,t need the govment to tell me anything.

As for the insurance issue, you should be more worried about ball sports, bicycles and fat people. Lets just ban and mandate everything.

OH WAIT this is politics, hot air here we come. If you have not noticed Mr. Moderator everything is intertwined with politics. If you deem this needs to go to hot air I do understand and fully agree with your mandate and regulation. Happily to I might add. You have a tough job to do and I am just glad I don't have to do it. Now you have a wonderful day.

I'm going to give the EZ Flap a plug. I bought the cheap harnesses from Aircraft Spruce and an EZ Flap. Works good. I can get to 20 degrees while approaching without leaning forward. Then the the flap handle is right there for the landing with 30 or 40. I like it.

Jerry

...

Terry wrote:EZ strap coming soon.

well... I'm working on something secret now, and it has the potential to be a pretty big deal... but it ain't a shoulder strap.

Rob Burson, I agree in principle about gov't staying out of most stuff, but the sad truth is that some people are indeed too stupid or crooked to be left to their own devices. I don't know much about the job you retired from (thank you for saving lives every day), but I would guess that building codes and fire safety systems and fire rated doors etc. etc. probably saved lives? I may be wrong and I'm definitely not educated in that world, but I'd bet that a lot of builders would still build death-trap structures to this day if they could get away with it?

Anyway, thanks for the compliment jaerl, I appreciate it. Glad you like the product. I hope you can extricate yourself from that mess you fell into and keep all your toys, planes, etc.

Just want to point out to everyone that although an STC'd sholder harness set-up is probably the way to go-- it's not the ONLY way to go. The FAA policy statement # ACE-00-23.561-01 details how shoulder harnesses can be installed as a minor alteration with only a logbook entry. I installed a $50 Spruce Y-harness in my airplane, rigged onto a surplus Cessna inertia reel, and it works great. Who needs BAS?

If the government is so truly concerned about the health of it's citizens, why isn't the growing, processing, and possession of tobacco products a federal felony? I'm betting the largest drain on the nation's health care system is directly related to smoking cigarettes. It's said that for every tobacco worker in the US (there are approximately 500,000)one smoker a year dies from heart disease, COPD or cancer. In other words, 500,000 deaths. Not to mention the huge number of slowly dying tobacco addicts ringing up the bill.

Gump

GumpAir wrote:If the government is so truly concerned about the health of it's citizens, why isn't the growing, processing, and possession of tobacco products a federal felony? I'm betting the largest drain on the nation's health care system is directly related to smoking cigarettes. It's said that for every tobacco worker in the US (there are approximately 500,000)one smoker a year dies from heart disease, COPD or cancer. In other words, 500,000 deaths. Not to mention the huge number of slowly dying tobacco addicts ringing up the bill.

Gump

Easier to place a sin tax on a commodity that you have to buy, as opposed to a seatbelt or a helmet that you elect not to wear

According to the NTSB, there were 1474 GA accidents in 2009. 272 fatal accidents with 465 lost souls. Just how many of them would have been saved by a harness is difficult, at best, to determine. Does that justify another government mandate and more control on an already overregulated industry? How many would have been saved if they wore nomex or helmets? Why not madate those? Both can save lives. Should we have to do a ramp check before every flight to prove we are not over gross?
Bottom-line is... You can't fix stupid. You can't regulate out the human element.
BTW I always wear a helmet, I wear a mil-surplus flight suit, my flap handle is next to my leg like an old VW brake,
and I never fly over gross. You can't be too careful when you do all those low fly-bys.
Oh.. and yes, I also wear my harness.

denalipilot wrote:

GumpAir wrote:If the government is so truly concerned about the health of it's citizens, why isn't the growing, processing, and possession of tobacco products a federal felony? I'm betting the largest drain on the nation's health care system is directly related to smoking cigarettes. It's said that for every tobacco worker in the US (there are approximately 500,000)one smoker a year dies from heart disease, COPD or cancer. In other words, 500,000 deaths. Not to mention the huge number of slowly dying tobacco addicts ringing up the bill.

Gump

Easier to place a sin tax on a commodity that you have to buy, as opposed to a seatbelt or a helmet that you elect not to wear

I have seen evidence that defends the tobacco companies from having contributed to adding to health care costs. The smokers don't live as long after they get sick. That shortens the time on the county in the nursing home.

ASW wrote:When I rode motorcycles I always wore a helmet, and stayed out of the heated discussions about helmet laws. Good idea to wear one, but don't ask my insurance company to pay for lifetime care when you hit the pavement with your skull. Just one more thing for the freedom-fighters to yell about.

OK... And I'm sure the average American is saying the same thing about any "rich" general aviation pilot who crashes his/her airplane, harness installed and worn or not. "Why should we pay health costs if they're stupid enough to fly those dangerous things in the first place and then get hurt?" Do we need to sign some kind of hold harmless waiver each time we fly, so if we crash and get hurt the taxpayers don't have to foot any of the bill for our care?

Gump

EZFlap wrote: yes I will definitely ask the girl in my avatar picture if she would contribute to air safety. We'll get her all done up in a nasty leather dominatrix outfit... then we'll make one of those (FAA approved) "motivational posters" where she's standing in one of those kinky bondage dungeons, with a pilot suspended up off the floor, tied up in about 50 feet worth of harness restraint straps.

The caption will be the girl saying... " if you're not smart enough to strap yourself in to your airplane nice and tight, I can't guarantee your safety. You may need me to provide some painful dual instruction, you dumb-ass"

Umm.. where can I order your shoulder harnesses? Please enclose afformentioned poster with my order.

EZFlap wrote:The proof is in the pudding. Shoulder harnesses have been available for a long time, they're cheap, and the feds have made it very easy to install them with very little regulation. Yet a lot of airplane owners still have not put two and two together to put them in.

Look at the photos on TAP, Controller etc. I'm somewhat surprised at the number of aircraft without front shoulder belts or harnesses as I look through them. "New interior, new panel"! Original belts.