On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:06:45 -0500, "Ron Natalie"
wrote:


wrote in message news
The ones that are in my plane were APPROVED when the Type Certificate
of the plane was issued....no AD has come out to invalidate them.


OK, I'll stay in, how does the reg I referenced (in pt 91) not "apply"
the given situation?.

I didn't say it didn't apply, but you should try reading the regulation. It doesn't
say anything about approved safety belts. It says approved seat/bearth.

You wanna rephrase? I hadn't read it for a couple years, so I re-read
it. Just now. " You should try reading" it and point out any
substantial errors in my earlier reference to it.

straight from the GPO web site:


[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 14, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2001]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 14CFR91.205]

[Page 209-211]

TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE

CHAPTER I--FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
(Continued)

PART 91--GENERAL OPERATING AND FLIGHT RULES--Table of Contents

Subpart C--Equipment, Instrument, and Certificate Requirements

Sec. 91.205 Powered civil aircraft with standard category U.S. airworthiness certificates: Instrument and equipment requirements.

snip

(b) Visual-flight rules (day). For VFR flight during the day, the
following instruments and equipment are required:

snip

(13) An approved safety belt with an approved metal-to-metal
latching device for each occupant 2 years of age or older.

(14) goes on to cover the requirement for shoulder harnesses for newer
aircraft, clearly not applicable.

Even so, that approval is conformance with the type certificate. Back in 1950
the FAA approved it and hasn't rescinded that approval.

No dispute. So lets say your hypothetical seatbelts are original, have
never been replaced or re-webbed. Indeed they are still "approved".

I am by no means trying to tell you that you are wrong, or that a
TSO'd belt is categorically required by the CFR, or by your Type
Certificate.

Then what are you arguing?

I'm not "arguing" anything, just pointing out that my "right" answer
may not be identical to yours. And the odds are, that in the 41 year
old Cessna originally in question, the seatbelts installed are not
original.

I am afraid I have to disagree with the ignorant inspector comment. In
twenty years I have never had anyone successfully "ground" an aircraft
that I was maintaining.


He would be ignorant if he grounded an older aircraft based on the lack of TSO
tags for the seat belt. It was a hypothetical.

No one except you has brought up a "TSO". I was referring to the
airplane originally referenced, perhaps he was referring specifically
to a "TSO". In the original posting, "refurbishing" the seatbelts was
mentioned. While I could possibly find a properly licensed facility to
repair his original belts (if they are indeed original) and provide a
suitable service release, they aren't likely to put on a "TSO tag".

Contrary to what a lot of people in GA tend to think, keeping a GA
aircraft "legal" isn't really that difficult. I can assure you, if one
has to work within these regs daily, it is relatively easy to acquire
a working knowledge superior to that of the inspector.

An inspector cannot step outside of the regs to "ground" an aircraft,
technically he cannot "ground" anything. After finding a legitimate
discrepancy, he can however attach a condition notice to your aircraft
making it impossible for you to operate it legally.

Unless he/she is performing a required periodic inspection, an AP/IA
can do NOTHING. Even in this instance, they cannot legally stop you
from getting in it and flying away.

TC

--

You don't need a license to fly an airplane,
but it sure helps if you are trying to rent one...