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Amsafe airbag kit in a J?


bmcconnaha

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Thinking of getting some different seatbelts when I do mine shortly, and I ran across the amsafe airbag belts for our planes. Relatively inexpensive. I was hoping someone had some photos and recommendations for installs in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, I know the pitfalls of the amsafe belts, I’ve had them before, so I don’t need to know why you aren’t Installing, lol. I hate the original latch on my belts anyways, and these seems like a good alternative. I know someone had them Installed, but I can’t remember if the thread was on Facebook, or here, and I didn’t see it with a search. Thanks!
 
 
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Check in with... @Pmaxwell or call to @Dmax... (the first resource for getting them installed)

@aviatoreb may have some knowledge... (M20K)

Probably can ask @Deb too... (M20R)

I believe these people have been involved in conversations regarding installing the airbag seatbelts...

Of course, I’m writing this from fuzzy memory and can be incorrect at any time... :)

 

The airbags do have some associated costs... and maintenance... but we aren’t saying no or don’t do it to anyone...  :)

Go Added safety!

Two different seat belt conversations going on tonight!

Best regards,

-a-

 

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Check in with... [mention=14708]Pmaxwell[/mention] or call to [mention=7894]Dmax[/mention]... (the first resource for getting them installed)
[mention=8059]aviatoreb[/mention] may have some knowledge... (M20K)
Probably can ask [mention=12201]Deb[/mention] too... (M20R)
I believe these people have been involved in conversations regarding installing the airbag seatbelts...
Of course, I’m writing this from fuzzy memory and can be incorrect at any time... 
 
The airbags do have some associated costs... and maintenance... but we aren’t saying no or don’t do it to anyone...  
Go Added safety!
Two different seat belt conversations going on tonight!
Best regards,
-a-
 

Thanks! For some reason I thought you had them installed, or maybe I read you were thinking of installing them. I had them in my cirrus, so I am aware of the costs. I’d rather have a better harness system than the 3 point, but that doesn’t seem to be an easy option, this seems the next best. And the cost is decent for them. I might order the kit and try to figure it out with my a&p, but I was hoping for for some inspiration from others installs and what they did and wished they had done different.


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I have a Amsafe Soars kit on order for my M20F right now. I have read a lot about the install and it doesn’t sound too bad to install with some help from an A&P. 
I’ll make sure to try and document the process as I wish there were more resources to refer to!

Certainty seems like a good idea to me tho! :)

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I have a Amsafe Soars kit on order for my M20F right now. I have read a lot about the install and it doesn’t sound too bad to install with some help from an A&P. 
I’ll make sure to try and document the process as I wish there were more resources to refer to!
Certainty seems like a good idea to me tho!

Do you mind sharing who did your install?


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Mine are not yet installed. I actually have not yet received them from Amsafe, they just have been ordered.
 I will be having my local A&P install them once they get here.

Oh, I misunderstood. Sorry about that’s. How long was amsafe saying it would take to get them?


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9 hours ago, carusoam said:

Check in with... @Pmaxwell or call to @Dmax... (the first resource for getting them installed)

@aviatoreb may have some knowledge... (M20K)

Probably can ask @Deb too... (M20R)

I believe these people have been involved in conversations regarding installing the airbag seatbelts...

Of course, I’m writing this from fuzzy memory and can be incorrect at any time... :)

 

The airbags do have some associated costs... and maintenance... but we aren’t saying no or don’t do it to anyone...  :)

Go Added safety!

Two different seat belt conversations going on tonight!

Best regards,

-a-

 

Yes - I had an am safe seatbelt system installed just over two years ago.  

Actually I was very pro-actively interacting with the company even several years ago trying to get them to extend their stc to cover my airplane since they do have an stc for M20K and through the more modern airplanes but that stc doesn't cover all the M20k but starts at a certain serial number that is just after mine.   Anyway they eventually came out with an entirely different seatbelt product which is the one we are probably talking about here, that is the one installed in my airplane.  It is a more universal product less specialized to the specific airframe.

Anyway, I was one of the very earliest to install that stc and I placed my order before it was even available.  It was installed by Weber aircraft at KLNS.

It looks and feels like a modern seatbelt and the auto-ratchet is nice as compared to the fixed length system that it replaced. But comfort was not the main point.  The peace of mind that it is there just in case is the point.  

I am a firm believer in airbag seatbelts in general.  That some crashes might be survivable if only ... its a statistics game but I am a mathematician so I believe in doing what I can to stack the deck in my favor as much as I can.

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  • 6 months later...
On 12/1/2020 at 12:06 PM, LantisPDX said:

I didn’t get a ship date estimate from them, just a confirmation that the order was received.

I’ll let you know how long it took to get them once they are on their way.

Just a followup here, @LantisPDX, did you get your kit and get it installed? 

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I went thorough the Amsafe thing on new production aircraft, I’m sure you know about the continuing maintenance and expense, but the main thing is that they are horribly uncomfortable.

Air Bag seat belts have not been proven to be any safer, they have been proven to do no harm. I know I’ll get all kinds of noise about that but it’s true, yes I’ve seen their sled tests. But think about it, if they were safer don’t you think the military and NASCAR would have them?

Best restraint system is a 5 point and they can be very comfortable. especially if there are inertia reels, from a pure safety perspective no inertia reels are better. but you have to have the belts tight, tighter than anyone is going to wear them.

A four point is not as safe as a three point as you submarine a four point, the diagonal of the three point helps keep you from submarining, three point is actually pretty darn good.

 

If you do get them, be darn sure they are disconnected from the module prior to removing the seat, drop the seat and they will go off. Our installation has the module on the seat. but we had way more room, many don’t, I would assume the module would be remote mounted on a Mooney, maybe under the seat as a guess?

I woud assume an STC would have drawings for the install that you would have to follow and come with mounting plates for the module and the nitrogen bottle.

We developed factory drawings with Amsafe as sales thought they would help sell aircraft. They were so uncomfortable that I would only wear the lap belt.

They didn’t sell

Edited by A64Pilot
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21 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

I went thorough the Amsafe thing on new production aircraft, I’m sure you know about the continuing maintenance and expense, but the main thing is that they are horribly uncomfortable.

Air Bag seat belts have not been proven to be any safer, they have been proven to do no harm. I know I’ll get all kinds of noise about that but it’s true, yes I’ve seen their sled tests. But think about it, if they were safer don’t you think the military and NASCAR would have them?

Best restraint system is a 5 point and they can be very comfortable. especially if there are inertia reels, from a pure safety perspective no inertia reels are better. but you have to have the belts tight, tighter than anyone is going to wear them.

A four point is not as safe as a three point as you submarine a four point, the diagonal of the three point helps keep you from submarining, three point is actually pretty darn good.

 

If you do get them, be darn sure they are disconnected from the module prior to removing the seat, drop the seat and they will go off. Our installation has the module on the seat. but we had way more room, many don’t, I would assume the module would be remote mounted on a Mooney, maybe under the seat as a guess?

I woud assume an STC would have drawings for the install that you would have to follow and come with mounting plates for the module and the nitrogen bottle.

We developed factory drawings with Amsafe as sales thought they would help sell aircraft. They were so uncomfortable that I would only wear the lap belt.

They didn’t sell

I’ve had an Sr22 with them, I’m aware of the costs.  These airbags are in the lap belt.  It appears this installation manual leaves a lot up to the installer, but looks easy enough.  Doesn’t actually even connect to ship power 

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They are totally self contained, the module as I’m calling it is a “G” sensor and a battery, the battery fires a a squib that opens the nitrogen bottle that blows up the belt, a sharp blow to the module can set off the G sensor and inflate the bag, that’s why I said be sure you disconnect the module before you remove the seat, it doesn’t take all that much drop on concrete to set the thing off.

‘Not much to the installation really, mount the module securely and oriented correctly, the bottle we mounted via DG clamps to a seat rail but we don’t have those on a Mooney,  The bottle you want mounted to the seat if possible because it’s connected to the belt, and the belt to the seat of course, the module has one locking flat type plug and it would be best mounted to the aircraft so anyone has to unplug it to get the seat out.

Now all my data is about four years old so things may have changed.

‘They differ from auto air bags in that auto air bags use the vehicles power and some kind of pyrotechnic charge to produce the gas that blows up the bag, so Autobags don’t require yearly service checks and periodic replacement of parts.

‘I believe not accomplishing the service on time and or replacement of parts on schedule grounds the aircraft.

There is a test box that you simply plug into the module and get a green led type of test that must be done yearly, and the module is life limited, maybe the battery? the nitrogen bottle every so many years and I’m sure the belt is life limited too.

I believe it to be based on the inkjet printer model, the money is in the refill cartridges, not selling printers 

Edited by A64Pilot
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As I understand it there are two versions of the AmSafe airbag seat belts.  There is the version that is the factory installed one which is expensive to maintain as there is a special tool needed for the annual inspection that I believe most shops rent and return given the cost.  There is also the SOARS universal seatbelt airbag restraint system that is lower cost and doesn't require the annual special tool rental.  I don't have any experience with either but have considered the SOARS version given a positive review by Aviation Consumer.

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7 minutes ago, 201Mooniac said:

As I understand it there are two versions of the AmSafe airbag seat belts.  There is the version that is the factory installed one which is expensive to maintain as there is a special tool needed for the annual inspection that I believe most shops rent and return given the cost.  There is also the SOARS universal seatbelt airbag restraint system that is lower cost and doesn't require the annual special tool rental.  I don't have any experience with either but have considered the SOARS version given a positive review by Aviation Consumer.

yes, its the SOARS kit i am after information on peoples installation on

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  • 1 year later...

update on this.  I didnt go with the SOARS kit when i redid my interior, i had the belts re webbed.  they arent done very well.  too long, etc.  so, i am still considering them.  airplane is going down for an annual next week, and i plan on addressing the belts in some way.  anyone have any updates on these? especially on the install....

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