Brace for Impact

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Adam Zucker
I think everyone is familiar with the safety cards and instructions we receive when we fly commercial. As such I suspect we are also all familiar with the brace position commercial passengers are instructed to assume prior to impact.

I was thinking that in 13 years of flying GA I've heard and given lots of safety briefings but never has the brace position been included in those. Is the brace position ie head on the seat in front of you or toward your knees still appropriate in a GA aircraft. If so why is it not included in our briefing or do you include it in yours?
 
We all crawl over the back seat and climb into the tail section.
Any time I see a crash in the news, the tail section is usually intact.
 
Shoulder harnesses are a game changer. Cinch it up tight when the going gets rough.
 
AdamZ said:
I think everyone is familiar with the safety cards and instructions we receive when we fly commercial. As such I suspect we are also all familiar with the brace position commercial passengers are instructed to assume prior to impact.

I was thinking that in 13 years of flying GA I've heard and given lots of safety briefings but never has the brace position been included in those. Is the brace position ie head on the seat in front of you or toward your knees still appropriate in a GA aircraft. If so why is it not included in our briefing or do you include it in yours?
Click to expand...

Adam,

I once thought about this exact question and decided not to educate passengers on that position specifically because of the yoke sitting mere inches away from their head if they did that. I would think that would be much more traumatic than a potential whiplash or the potential for a basilar skull fracture.

For those in the backseat, the same applies except instead of a yoke, it is the very think material between their head and the spine of the passenger in front of them.

What I determined was a better plan was to have them tighten their seatbelts as tight as possible, and relax their arms and legs to avoid fracture. Then focus their attention on propping the door open with a shoe (not on their foot).
 
Mine starts with...."If there's a problem, bend over, and kiss your ass good bye." That seems to shut them up.
 
Just hand them one of the project mayhem safety cards...
 

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When asked, I just say the crash position is the position you want your body found in after the crash.....
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
We all crawl over the back seat and climb into the tail section.
Any time I see a crash in the news, the tail section is usually intact.
Click to expand...
''

Yup... True dat......

The 4 survivors in the Japan 747 crash into a mountain was sitting in the back...... The first 200 feet of the plane absorbed all the crash energy....

They were a lucky SOB's for sure....Killed the other 500+ people...:sad::sad::sad:

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/w19850812.htm
 
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You hear this less during emergencies and more when you receive the bill for the annual
 
I think the brace for impact position is really designed to snap your neck when the crash occurs so you don't suffer long. ;)
 
Stewartb said:
Shoulder harnesses are a game changer. Cinch it up tight when the going gets rough.
Click to expand...

To some degree, but it certainly would be better to have your head in the "full forward" position rather than it trying to continue pulling 12 G's. Your neck, spine, and brain stem would appreciate it. ;)
 
EppyGA said:
I think the brace for impact position is really designed to snap your neck when the crash occurs so you don't suffer long. ;)
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I have been thinking about this thread today and have similar thoughts about the depictions you see for brace, where on an airline you cling to the top of the seat ahead of you and rest your head against your arms. If I understand it correctly.
I have to wonder if a kinesthesiologist or head/spine surgeon agrees with this position - seems to me that the forward and downward g forces that typically happen do position your head such that it would nicely snap your cervical spine. Haven't read about this happening however.
Just wondering if arms over your head, head on your lap..or as close as possible might'nt be better.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I have been thinking about this thread today and have similar thoughts about the depictions you see for brace, where on an airline you cling to the top of the seat ahead of you and rest your head against your arms. If I understand it correctly.
I have to wonder if a kinesthesiologist or head/spine surgeon agrees with this position - seems to me that the forward and downward g forces that typically happen do position your head such that it would nicely snap your cervical spine. Haven't read about this happening however.
Just wondering if arms over your head, head on your lap..or as close as possible might'nt be better.
Click to expand...

they teach head up for tackling
 
Geico266 said:
To some degree, but it certainly would be better to have your head in the "full forward" position rather than it trying to continue pulling 12 G's. Your neck, spine, and brain stem would appreciate it. ;)
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You've got to be kidding. You owners owe it to your occupants to add shoulder harnesses to the aft seats. I have to assume you're smart enough to already have them in the front.
 
I have heard where flying in back facing seats is many times safer in a crash but the flying public probably won't go for it.
 
EppyGA said:
I think the brace for impact position is really designed to snap your neck when the crash occurs so you don't suffer long. ;)
Click to expand...

More likely it's just telling you to put your head where it's gonna end up being a millisecond after impact anyway.
 
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