Seat Belts

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Joseph Cameron

Filing Flight Plan
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Jul 29, 2021
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Joe
It is time to change out the seatbelts in my 172RG, any recommendations that will not break the bank?
 
Define "change out." Do you need new buckles? Adding shoulder harnesses? Just replacement webbing?
 
The repair manual says Remove and Replace (Complete set)
The OEM is about $1,100 per seat, but there are several STC that are about $250 +/-. Like to find a good one that just bolts in.
There is two years left of their 10 year life cycle requirement but they are brittle.
 
Joseph Cameron said:
The repair manual says Remove and Replace (Complete set)
The OEM is about $1,100 per seat, but there are several STC that are about $250 +/-. Like to find a good one that just bolts in.
There is two years left of their 10 year life cycle requirement but they are brittle.
Click to expand...

WOW!
I never knew there was a seatbelt life requirement... I see guys do aerobatics in old biplanes all the tine and they are hanging upside down with 60 year old belts.... I have owned lots of planes from the 60's and 70's and I bet most of them had the original belts.
I do know auto racing belts have dates and get changed quite frequently.
 
pigpenracing said:
WOW!
I never knew there was a seatbelt life requirement... I see guys do aerobatics in old biplanes all the tine and they are hanging upside down with 60 year old belts.... I have owned lots of planes from the 60's and 70's and I bet most of them had the original belts.
I do know auto racing belts have dates and get changed quite frequently.
Click to expand...
Lol seat belts in the 60s. Good one.
 
Joseph Cameron said:
The repair manual says Remove and Replace (Complete set)
Click to expand...

That isn't legally binding unless it's listed in the Airworthiness Limitations in your POH, or is an AD. Rewebbing is commonly done. If the buckles are good (no corrosion, especially on the springs) they should be OK. The aviation rewebbers would inspect them, too.
 
pigpenracing said:
WOW!
I never knew there was a seatbelt life requirement... I see guys do aerobatics in old biplanes all the tine and they are hanging upside down with 60 year old belts.... I have owned lots of planes from the 60's and 70's and I bet most of them had the original belts.
I do know auto racing belts have dates and get changed quite frequently.
Click to expand...
It's not a legal requirement, but maybe it should be. Nylon deteriorates with age and UV, and might not hold right when it's needed the most. They need to withstand 26G (front seats) or 21G (other seats). FAR 23.562. And FAR 23.785 says that those G loadings apply to a 215-pound person, with an additional safety factor of 1.33. So those belts, their fittings and the attachment points need to be able to withstand 7435 pounds. Decaying belts aren't a good bet there.

I've taken out belts that emitted nylon dust when I flexed them. I wouldn't trust them in moderate turbulence, never mind a forced landing.
 
BAS
The cost in a soft, fabric headliner for our Inertia Reel S/Harness kit (both front seats) is $1585.00 for black or $1,605.00 for colors. Add $50 to the kit price for if you have a hard headliner. The estimated installation time is 3 to 4 hours for fabric headliners, and 5-6 hours for hard headliners. The kit includes mounting brackets, dress covers, hardware, installation instructions and STC.

I like my airplane but not sure she warrant's this extravagance. I would rather spend the money on a upgraded engine monitoring system
 
Joseph Cameron said:
I like my airplane but not sure she warrant's this extravagance. I would rather spend the money on a upgraded engine monitoring system
Click to expand...

How do you feel about yourself or your passengers? BAS harness' was the first upgrade I installed in my aircraft...
 
No doubt a good seat belt is a great safety device, but even the stock one, in good shape, will hold about 5,500 pounds. Right now, I am working on getting the annual completed. Looks like I need to have an Eddie current done on the gears for the landing gear. The other issue is the ELT doesn’t have a switch on the instrument panel and my mechanic thinks it should have one, but still looking into it. Although I have had my A&P since I was 18, I am a first time owner and haven't work in general aviation in decades. I am hoping to get through this annual with out having to live on top Ramen. LOL
 
Joseph Cameron said:
No doubt a good seat belt is a great safety device, but even the stock one, in good shape, will hold about 5,500 pounds. Right now, I am working on getting the annual completed. Looks like I need to have an Eddie current done on the gears for the landing gear. The other issue is the ELT doesn’t have a switch on the instrument panel and my mechanic thinks it should have one, but still looking into it. Although I have had my A&P since I was 18, I am a first time owner and haven't work in general aviation in decades. I am hoping to get through this annual with out having to live on top Ramen. LOL
Click to expand...
Holding you isn't the issue. It's keeping your face from meeting the panel. With the inertia reel harnesses, you don't have to disconnect the shoulder harness all the time, so it's inherently safer. Plus 3 vs 4pt harness.
 
The Alpha ones are a little more budget friendly. 4-5 hours job to install seat belts doesn't sound easy
 
Hooker Harness has been my choice for my airplanes. Seat belts and Y straps. Rear seat diagonal chest straps in the Cessna, too.
 
Just found where it is listed in the Service manual 7-7-2003 Revision 4 Restraints pilot, co pilot and passengers, 10 years, no overhaul.

That eliminates the salvage yard and having them redone.
I am leaning toward the Hooker Harness
 
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Joseph Cameron said:
Just found where it is listed in the Service manual 7-7-2003 Revision 4 Restraints pilot, co pilot and passengers, 10 years, no overhaul.

That eliminates the salvage yard and having them redone.
I am leaning toward the Hooker Harness
Click to expand...
You're looking at this:

upload_2021-7-30_10-53-45.png

That, as it says, is a Cessna-established time limit, not FAA-established. All the stuff in the service manual is FAA-Approved, but not FAA-mandated. For example, the inspection checklist in that chapter of the manual is exhaustive, but many mechanics choose to use the FAR43 Appendix D list for their inspections. Appendix D will tell you this:

(c) Each person performing an annual or 100-hour inspection shall inspect (where applicable) the following components of the cabin and cockpit group:

(1) Generally—for uncleanliness and loose equipment that might foul the controls.

(2) Seats and safety belts—for poor condition and apparent defects.

And that's all they say about it. I've never seen a mandated time limit on belts, or a no-overhaul (rewebbing) provision.

You should talk to an aviation belt rewebbing shop. Could save you money. If you want better stuff, yes, the Hooker is good.
 
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Dan,

I plan on using this airplane to build skill and time and then jump to either a Mooney M20J or Commander 112TC to do cross country flying, so making it safe is important but don't want to do a lot of upgrades.

Thank you for the information
 
Joseph Cameron said:
Just found where it is listed in the Service manual 7-7-2003 Revision 4 Restraints pilot, co pilot and passengers, 10 years, no overhaul.

That eliminates the salvage yard and having them redone.
I am leaning toward the Hooker Harness
Click to expand...

I don’t believe the entry prohibits re-webbing the belts with the original hardware. It does prohibit repairing the buckles.
 
Clip4 said:
It does prohibit repairing the buckles.
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For sure. That would be insane. Besides not being cost-effective. Junkyards are full of seat belts with good hardware.
 
We sent ours to Wag Aero and had them rewebbed. It wasn’t very expensive, and they came back with the required tag sown on. If I were you, I would give them a call.
 
They look nice but I will have to call them and see if they can be used in the RG. I see all the other 172's but not the RG model
 
The current set is from Wag Aero and the can remanufacture all four with shoulder straps for about the cost of two new ones. Looks like the deal to me.
I was told that only the original manufacture of the seat belts can rebuild them.
 
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