Shoulder harness seat belts

DW. I installed shoulder belts in my -2. Check Russell W. site for pictures. There is a weld cluster on each side of the fuselage that enables you to mount the harness with steel plate and steel bolts. No welding required BUT I did this when I had the interior out and was able to work freely from the inside. Then I installed the new interior. That was years ago and I have never had an issue with them in hundreds of hours. As our FSDO guys say any shoulder harness is better than no shoulder harness.I can send you a picture I took during the recover in 08 that show the cluster and the plate bolt set up with no covering. e-mail me an address and USPS does the rest. Lynn the crate :)
 
I have the same shoulder harness set up in 9800B. It was installed before I got her.
It's a bit uncomfortable where the latch piece for the lap belt is larger to accept the end piece from the shoulder belt. Or maybe my belly is a bit too big right there. :( Still, I flew it from Alexandria LA to Seattle WA, so it's not too bad.
I like it better than just a lap belt.
 
I looked on the Russell W. Site and could not find any pictures of shoulder harness installations. If anyone has any, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Pat
 
Pat, give me an address and I will mail you two pictures that will show you the install. Lynn the crate :)
 
Just returning from an AOPA Safety Insitute seminar. Tonights seminar was on GA accident rates, fatal and non-fatal. A common theme through out tonights seminar was the importance of the shoulder harness. The message was to install at least the single shoulder belt, as it's better than not having one. So putting all that aside for now, what are the Cruiseair owners installing? I know the mounting is as important as the belt construction, but what belt options are available, both new lap belts with shoulder harness, both single and double? I have a couple of web sites to check out, B.A.S and AMSAFE, but are you 14-13-2 and 14-19-2/3 owners using aircraft belts with an STC or using automotive racing belts and bolting them to any substantial metal? Sorry, but any shoulder belt is better than no shoulder belt.

Thanks, Scott
 
Sorry, but any shoulder belt is better than no shoulder belt.
Click to expand...

I'll second that. I was wearing a shoulder harness when I crashed my -2 last Valentine's day. Hit hard enough to rip out the harness mounting and was sporting a diagonal bruise across my chest for a week. When I came to I was laying on the wing with the harness wrapped around my ankles..
But, I'm here to tell you about it :D

20110220_3.jpg
 
SoCal, mind me asking about the installation of your shoulder belts? Was it an STCed part, modification using other aircraft parts, installation with off the shelf parts. I spent two hours last night searching the web for shoulder harness installations, but all I was able to find was harnesses for Cessna's, Beach and articles written by 'aviation experts' who all agree that every GA aircraft should have shoulder belts. I'll hold off on the propeller upgrade to install shoulder belts, but the economics with owning a 65 year old aircraft won't allow it.
 
I dont mind at all.
The passenger restraint system is from Am-Safe Inc and is a Cessna Replacement set. When my -2 was being restored, tabs were welded into the tube structure to mount the shoulder harness intertia reels.
You don't need an STC. You don't even need a field approval. Adding shoulder harnesses and improving seat belts are one of the things that the FAA allows with freedom and is considered a minor alteration (with major benefits). You do need to accomplish it using acceptable methods and practices and they need to conform to current requirements. I've seen several done by machining a robust clamp to hang on a tube in the fuselage frame. That's the method I'm using on my -3.

This is the best picure I could find of the belts in my -2:
http://www.stinsonvoyager.com/Bellanca Crash_files/N7655B Back seat.jpg
 
I have shoulder harnesses in my Cruisair and they dont do me much good since with them snugged up,since I cant reach my flap handle. The only time you need them is takeoff and landing and that is the only time you need access to the flap handle. Inertial reels are the answer but they dont come under the simplefied rules for old airplanes.____Grant.
 
Grant, I hadn't thought about that, but you are right. I was looking at my initeria seat belts on my 1999 Oldsmobile and thinking that an automobile style belt that has uses a single belt that when buckled, provides a lap and shoulder belt would work, of course with some metal added to the frame to support the spool near the floor and the upper part of the belt hanger. Just looking at it this weekend, it apears there would be enough useful airframe directly behind the front seats. I just wonder if there would be enough belt in the spool to allow the pilot to lean forward enough to reach the flap handle. The front seat bottom cushion would have to be modified to accomodate the latch/buckles. Something to take a closer look at.

Scott
 
Larry Lowenkrons plane solved the reaching of the flap handle by extending the handle by a few inches. You cant extend it too far or it might interfere with your gear crank or pump handle(if you have hydraulics). That is what I plan to do. Any good welder should be able to do it for you. Even under the relaxed FAA rules for shoulder harnesses Im sure they dont allow automotive belts. My shoulder harnesses are simply wrapped around a cross tube above the back of the seat and cinched with the normal fittings that the strap runs back through. I dont see any need to weld anything, just cut into the headliner, attach and figure out how to make a cosmetic piece to pretty up the headliner.You can probably feel the cross tube through your headliner without having to cut anything. That way you can get a better idea.____Grant.
 
I want to thank all of you. I believe I'll do what Grant did and attach to a cross tube behind the seats. Thanks again, Duane
 
We are working on adding shoulder belts to our 14-19-2. We would like to have an inertia reel on the pilot’s side. We have the complete interior in the plane so access for the shoulder belt mount is a problem. The old photo links here don’t work anymore, any photos or information on existing systems would be helpful.
 
double web shoulder harnesses clamped to frame member for pilot and passenger

14-3-2.

Some nice deerskin doublers that the harness passes through and glued or stitched to the headliner
would make this look decent. ( along with a new headliner that is ! ) :shock:
 
Thanks for the photo.
Does the shoulder belt interfere with the rear seat passenger’s head?
I am trying to decide if the shoulder belt should go over head or to the side like a car.
 
My -3 has shoulder harnesses but I only use them for takeoff, landing and emergency landings (God forbid). Mainly because they're too short right now, I'm 6'2" with long arms and with the strap fully extended I can barely reach the gear/flaps. I plan on getting some new one's made so they're not such a pain to leave on during all phases of flight but I agree that they should help keep my skull from cracking on the panel during a Navy landing.
 
This thread got me looking through old boxes, and I found a set of inertia reels that I purchased at an estate sale years ago. If the old boy had installed them, he might still be around. For those thinking of a floor mount, I measured them. They are dual over the shoulder, and from where the belt splits, to the end pieces, they are 47 inches. The single strap that goes into the reel is another (approx) 4 feet. I always thought of an overhead mount, but maybe a floor mount is a good idea. They are made by FLIGHT SYSTEMS INC. AMERICAN SAFETY , but I dont see a PMA number. I had looked at automotive plastic cover (trim) pieces that would have made them look nice (for an overhead installation) and keep anyone from denting their head while getting in or out of the back seat. Just as a side note, I believe that there is actually 3 inches less floor space in the back of a Cruisemaster, than there is in a Cruisair. Maybe this will help someone. _____Grant.
 
Grant, I am interested. I am trying to picture what you are describing. Can you email me a photo? We are still working on what to do with the belts on 06B__Ralph
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top