Hello
Paul,
I
would like to know more about how you mounted the shoulder straps. I am
planning to do the same and don't need to re-invent what you've already
done.
Stan
Fields
L2KR/G
# 201
Austin
I made a safety and comfort upgrade with my Legacy recently
and installed 6-point Simpson belts. Here are the details and a few
things to consider based on input from safety expert Butch Stevens of Simpson
who supplied the new belts:
1) I removed the inertial reels based on Butch's
recommendation because reels are not reliable in high-G impacts. I also
shortened the shoulder straps and bolted them behind the seats. Belts
stretch 15% in an accident so if you want maximum protection from panel
impact, remove the long straps from the roof and shorten them as much as
possible.
2) These Simpson belts and hardware are rated to 14,000
pounds. Testing shows that most 3,000 lb rated belts don't make that
figure. Butch's Citabria belts only tested to 1800lb before failure.
Original hardware on our TBM 700s failed at 600lb before we complained
and an AD came out on the French hardware. Butch's tests on Hooker
failed at less than 3,000lb.
3) Belts lose 50% of their strength in two years from
sunlight exposure.
4) High G pullups and crashes without the 6-points (crotch
straps) often find the pilot squeezed down near the rudder pedals because they
slide underneath the lap belts. You must have the 6 points to avoid this
problem.
I installed the crotch straps to the same mounting point
with the lap belts. I don't believe the mounting location of the lap
belt on the center console will hold 3,000 lbs from what I saw on the Legacy
so I will have to review that at a later date. I believe the hard point
on the seat back and the fuselage will probably hold. I was thinking maybe of
bonding an attach point to the rear spar but I have no data yet on how that
might work for the crotch straps.
The incremental cost was low for me. I sold the old
hardware, TSO'd belts and reels on ebay for $250 to a Alaska pilot. This
setup from Simpson is available for $299 which is inexpensive for the high
quality and ability to handle higher loads and shocks.
From a comfort perspective, many of my flights are cross
country and the inertial reels always had me bouncing around the cockpit going
through Montana in the afternoon or in Texas during the summer. With
these hard points, I cinch down and become one with the airplane.
Control is better in turbulence and I feel liked I'm locked in a little
tighter. The setup is comfortable during long
flights.
Contact me if you'd like more info on how I attached these
shoulder straps or if you have data on mounting the other
points.