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RV-10 Amsafe Airbags
Has Amsafe abandoned the effort to produce airbag seatbelts for the experimental market, specifically the RV-10?
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My 2 cents
At my day job, where I manage heavy jet mod /overhaul, I work with these Amsafe Airbelts. They are usually only installed where there is no seat in front of them, such as at bulkheads ect. During a seat modification program, we "dropped" a seat a few inches and discharged the belt, resulting in minor injury. At a major aircraft mfg. last year, there was a discharge while assembling a seat, resulting in a fatality. They may help in a crash, but must be treated with kid gloves in maintenance, and obviously, EMS needs to be a bit worried when doing any rescue event on an equipped aircraft..if they even know it has one. I'm not so sure we are really ready for them in our type of aircraft. Again, just my 2 cents.
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I'm not sure why anyone would staple an explosive device to their chest?
If airbombs are so good, why are they forbidden in race cars? |
Amsafe airbags work!
My son was a student, mechanic and flight instructor at the University of North Dakota (UND). Last year they had a student pilot stall and crash during a botched go-around in one of the 172's they use for primary training. The Amsafe airbag saved her life and she walked away with minor injuries. I will try to get pictures to post, but I think they were restricted.
I would install Amsafe's in the RV-10 I'm building without question. The DA-40 I used to own had them in the front seat - and the 40 has a 26G cockpit. Although not completely applicable, the large reduction in fatalities in automobiles and trucks can partly be attributed to airbags. Krea Ellis |
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To each his own
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Clearly, the certified market has embraced airbag seatbelts (80% of new airplanes come standard with them). One of the benefits of the experimental world is you can customize your airplane with much fewer restrictions. I was simply asking if anyone knew if Amsafe had discontinued their work on developing their product for the experimental market. Krea Ellis |
Two folks
Several months ago I pulled two drivers from two cars that just had a head-on collision on a dirt road. I was the first responder. Driver 1 had about 4 airbags hanging down from everywhere. I don't think the driver had a seat belt on. He suffered a concussion and kept repeating himself over and over and walking in circles. Apparently the air bags moved him around a little bit and his body was not happy.
Driver 2 had a shoulder belt on but no airbag. Not sure why it didn't go off. He had a laceration to lower right leg with what I think was the tibia exposed, his left arm with laceration with whatever that bone is called sticking out, broke ribs along the shoulder belt area, concussion, a face plant impression in the front window with glass in this face, a broke pelvis, and some spinal and other internal injuries. He got a helicopter ride to Grady and lived, but is now disabled. Driver 1 got a ambulance ride to the hospital, and recovered enough in a couple of days to drive over and visit with driver 2. Given this and other things that I have seen over the years responding to stuff, it seems the airbags do well on the first impact. I'm not a advocate for or against, as everyone needs to evaluate the risk themselves. However, given the potential danger if not installed right, I am not sure if these things in airplanes will increase safety or not. Seems like a lot of engineering would need to be done before turning them loose on us experimental folks. But, if anyone could figure out how to do it, It would be us. Ingenuity seems to be hallmark of the experimental portion of aviation. cj |
I have a hard time reconciling this part...
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That said, the number of accidental/unintended deployments is FAR outweighed by the number of fatalities and serious injuries prevented every year. Not wanting an airbag because you're worried it might go off when it shouldn't is like not wanting to wear a seat belt because you don't want to be trapped in a burning car, or because you'd "rather be thrown clear". |
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I spent almost 30 years in emergency departments and I will tell you that while airbags cause some injuries, they are continually improving and the injuries that occur - as described in the referenced post - are orders of magnitude less severe than those without. My own daughter's life/health was saved by a side airbag when she totaled a car I had bought her 9 days earlier. |
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