Manual gear unbuckles seat belts

[Gary0747]

I have the Laser lap and shoulder belts and often find when I put the gear down my hand brushes my seat belt buckle so as to unbuckle it.  I have heard others comment on this happening and wonder if anyone has a creative solution?

 

[carusoam]

Have you found the other threads covering this topic?

I know, before shoulder belts were popular, the left and right buckle sets got swapped.

The only thing I remember regarding this topic was just remembering not to do it accidentally.

Passengers look at you funny when you disconnect their buckle...

Best regards,

-a-

[RLCarter]

I do the same thing, if I go slow I can generally avoid undoing the belt(s). One option I have heard of is twist the buckle inward...be interesting to see what others have to say

[N6758N]

This happens to me from time to time, I think I have a scar on my right hand from the skin being ripped open from the seat belt buckle...If you want to have to shoulder harness, this is the only way. I've since learned to be more careful when raising and lowering the gear. The easiest thing is to make sure the lap belt is a snug as possible, and, at least for me, lost a few pounds. The do make those sheepskin covers that might help?

[gsxrpilot]

I've heard of solutions where you can put a sleeve of some sort that slides down over the buckle, or even bending the buckle latch inward just a smidge. But for me the most effective solution was just Time in Type. You'll eventually get far enough ahead of the airplane that you can know to adjust your grip for a split second as the j-bar clears the buckles.

[Skates97]

When I put the shoulder harnesses in they came with the new push button style buckles, problem solved. 

Before that I adjusted the length of the strap on the buckle side longer to put the buckle further away from the path of travel. I never accidentally released the buckle but I did skin my fingers a few times on that little metal piece that the belt goes through to adjust the length of it. 

[MBDiagMan]

Now you've done it!  Ignorance has kept me free of this problem.  Haven't experienced it or even thought about it.  Now that I have read about it, it will probably happen.

I had trouble once with my headset cord entangling in that chrome lever.  From that, along with suggestions from the members here, I have developed the habit of checking the floor area between the seats before taxiing out and again before takeoff.  Maybe that is what has kept this gremlin from raising its ugly head.

[orionflt]

My original belts with out a shoulder harness had the buckle towards the center so it didn't interfere with actuating the Johnson bar, the Alpha belts are push button and a low profile so they do not interfere. I did try another belt with the old style latch and the shoulder harness, I had the same issue as described here. I only flew with it a few flights and pulled it out due to the fact that i was constantly unbuckling when lowering the gear, the first time it happened I didnt notice until after i landed.

 

Brian

[Bob_Belville]

I still unlatch the seat belt once in a while. I only have logged 2700 hours in M20Es with JBars. A slow learner, I guess. But I'm pretty good at latching the seat belt with one hand while turning downwind to final. 

[TheTurtle]

im nursing a cut on my hand now from last weekend.  I do it fairly regularly.  I like the sleeve idea.  I like push button even better but Im not dropping coin on new seatbelts when these work fine.

[Shadrach]

I think the sleeve is a good idea.  I speak from experience when I say dropping a few lbs. might put it  in a more favorable position when snug!  For me, the buckle was much more noticeable at 218lbs, it is completely out of the way by 190 and I don't even think about it at 185.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Shadrach

[Yetti]

Reaching up to the panel and flipping a switch has never unlatched the belt....  But I do have the alpha with push buttons

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOONEY-M20J-FIXED-STRAP-AIRCRAFT-SEAT-BELT-REPLACEMENT-/220408834769?hash=item335163ead1:m:mbXlLJ19DY8QOYlt8wNykvA&vxp=mtr

[Bob_Belville]

4 hours ago, Yetti said:

Reaching up to the panel and flipping a switch has never unlatched the belt.... 

Yeah, pretty easy. But not as failsafe as a C172, PA-28, or a, wait for it, SR 22.

[M20F-1968]

Here is a solution you might try which has helped significantly for me.

I have the seat belts from a 1998 Ovation.  Since they are made by Amsafe, I look to them for a solution and spoke with one of the engineers there.

Installing a longer belt (from floor to buckle) will move the buckle toward the pilot's lap, but will also disturb the geometry of the shoulder belt.  Installing a shorter belt (floor to buckle) retains the geometry and moves the pilot's buckle down and away from his offending thumb.  The belt is now about 3" shorter and has essentially solved the problem.  A repair station for AMSAFE and my DER assisted in the creation of the shorter seat strap.

John Breda   

[Guest]

Perhaps those with unbuckling issues have a wider posterior?  

Clarence

 

[gsxrpilot]

9 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

Perhaps those with unbuckling issues have a wider posterior? 

I resemble that remark!

[Bob_Belville]

1 hour ago, gsxrpilot said:

I resemble that remark!

+1

 

[DonMuncy]

I don't have manual gear, but has anyone tried turning the belt upside down, putting the buckle on the inside.

[zaitcev]

23 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Perhaps those with unbuckling issues have a wider posterior? 

Just to quantify that theory, I wear 36 x 36 size pants and I unbuckle on gear-down swing all the time.

 

Edited May 28, 2017 by zaitcev

[Ned Gravel]

When I bought my E model, it did not have shoulder belts.  I bought the Alpha Aviation shoulder belt set and installed them.  After seven years of ownership and more than one instance of unlocking the belts during the gear swing for landing, I bought the newer versions of the Alpha Aviation belts with the push button and installed those.

Now I have all the advantages of having a manual gear and none of the disadvantages.  

[HRM]

12 hours ago, Ned Gravel said:

Now I have all the advantages of having a manual gear and none of the disadvantages.  

What disadvantages?

[MyNameIsNobody]

My co-owner does it "often" when I fly with him right seat.  I find it entertaining.  Gives me something to do.  I rarely do it now that I am conscious of the likelihood.  Could not say what I do differently?  Agree that push button is better design.  I have zero interest in replacing.  Technically it is the pilots action NOT the J-Bar that is doing the "unbuckling".

Girth as a contributing factor.

Funny.

[Ned Gravel]

1 hour ago, HRM said:

What disadvantages?

Uh - the seat belt buckle coming undone as the gear (in my hand) passess by me on its way to the downlock in the panel?  That disadvantage......

[carusoam]

When I owned a C...

32 X xx were the measurements... (not disclosing my shorty legs)

Even with the standard pilot Mid-section, the buckle gets unlatched.

The method I used to keep from unlatching the buckle was to not have my hand there as the Jbar comes through.

There isn't enough room for bar and hand to travel between both buckles.

As the bar goes through the zone, the hands aren't putting much power into swing the jbar either.

At the right speed the wheels lower themselves about 90% of the way...

Somebody needs to get a good video to share on how they handle this... include the airspeed, and hand location as the bar swings...

Best regards,

-a-

 

Edited May 29, 2017 by carusoam

[Bob_Belville]

Gear down at 7:45, re-buckle belt at 7:55.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKBNWcXxpuM