Post-Annual Flight

The 74 is starting to show some of the usual Cherokee aging pains, even
though we have not quite hit 3000 hours.

Holy crap, your bird is hardly broken in! Atlas, our '74 Pathfinder, has
4670 hours on his bones. Of course, we fly the pants off that plane,
averaging 200 hours per year, and I know a previous owner who flew him even
more than we do now.

Might be why our compressions are so good...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

The 74 is starting to show some of the usual Cherokee aging pains,
even though we have not quite hit 3000 hours.


Holy crap, your bird is hardly broken in! Atlas, our '74 Pathfinder,
has 4670 hours on his bones. Of course, we fly the pants off that
plane, averaging 200 hours per year, and I know a previous owner who
flew him even more than we do now.



The thought of trading this one in on a much higher time bird is scary.
This thing is already presenting challenges due to aging parts. I
shudder to think about maintaining a 5000 hour beast. Every penny I
currently put into upgrades would likely be redirected towards worn out
airframe parts.

Yikes!
Mike

William Hung wrote:
On Feb 23, 12:01 am, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
Couldn't you have done the same and saved some $? I think the shoulder
harnesses were $125 each for the reweb and repairs.
Yep. But the OEM reels are a bad design, with sharp gears that shred the
edges of the belt. The new version supposedly doesn't do that.

The new design also has a more stout connection to the seat belts (which
come along with the deal). Sadly, I just put all new seat belts in a
couple of years ago, so I'll have two nearly new front seat belts on Ebay
shortly...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I don't know why seatbelts (new replacements) for cars aren't accepted
by the FAA as acceptable replaements in small 2-4 seat aircrafts. One
would think that the DOT testing of thoses belts ar just as tough as
the FAA's. Lambourghinis and Ferraris could reach 175mph before they
were fitted with airbags.

Wil

Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:


Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

What? I can get an inertia reel seatbelt for my Bo that is the same as
an auto seatbelt. And so cna many others.

http://www.alpha-aviation.com/page11.html

Newps wrote:


Gig 601XL Builder wrote:


Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

What? I can get an inertia reel seatbelt for my Bo that is the same as
an auto seatbelt. And so cna many others.

http://www.alpha-aviation.com/page11.html



I didn't say you couldn't get an inertia reel seatbelt for you plane I
said it is different than the ones in cars. Those for a plane lock in
multiple axis of acceleration most of the ones in cars don't. Well let
me rephrase that last part, didn't as of the last time I messed with one.

Gig 601XL Builder wrote in news:13s5uvtaue9i94
@news.supernews.com:

Newps wrote:


Gig 601XL Builder wrote:


Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

What? I can get an inertia reel seatbelt for my Bo that is the same as
an auto seatbelt. And so cna many others.

http://www.alpha-aviation.com/page11.html



I didn't say you couldn't get an inertia reel seatbelt for you plane I
said it is different than the ones in cars. Those for a plane lock in
multiple axis of acceleration most of the ones in cars don't. Well let
me rephrase that last part, didn't as of the last time I messed with one.


I had one I took apart ~( can't remember why) and it locked no matter what
the direction of acceleration. It had a small ball bearing in a dished area
which would roll out and lock the belt. Datsun, I think.





Bertie

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:


Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

Check into that. I don't think it's true.

Cars roll over!

B A R R Y wrote:
Gig 601XL Builder wrote:


Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

Check into that. I don't think it's true.

Cars roll over!


I just checked in my 2006 Honda Ridgeline. Slam on the gas and lean
forward no lock up of the inertia reel.

Tried to produce about the same but opposite "feel" braking and the reel
locked up.

So maybe I'm wrong but it is at least more effective in one vector than
it is in the other.

Gig,
I believe it locks based on the reel rotating quickly like a car - hence
the name inertia reel. Most newer cars however have much better seat
belts in general than the best belts in airplanes because they also use
a pre-tensioner that pulls the belt based on the car decelerating. The
problem with any inertia reel belt is that it's never really as tight as
one would like in an accident because it has to rotate to some degree
before it locks. Pretensioners helps minimize or even eliminate that
slack.
Dave
M35


Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
Newps wrote:


Gig 601XL Builder wrote:


Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.

What? I can get an inertia reel seatbelt for my Bo that is the same
as an auto seatbelt. And so cna many others.

http://www.alpha-aviation.com/page11.html



I didn't say you couldn't get an inertia reel seatbelt for you plane I
said it is different than the ones in cars. Those for a plane lock in
multiple axis of acceleration most of the ones in cars don't. Well let
me rephrase that last part, didn't as of the last time I messed with one.

Inertia reel seat belts in cars are designed to lock only when
braking/stopping do to impact. Airplanes need support in multiple axis.


Check into that. I don't think it's true.

Cars roll over!



I just checked in my 2006 Honda Ridgeline. Slam on the gas and lean
forward no lock up of the inertia reel.

Tried to produce about the same but opposite "feel" braking and the reel
locked up.

So maybe I'm wrong but it is at least more effective in one vector than
it is in the other.

Having fixed cars over the years I have seen plenty of auto seat belt
reels in various stages of disassembly.

There WAS an early design I saw that used a suspended weight. Decelerate
in any lateral direction and the weight would move and lock the reel.
Newer designs appear to have done away with that system, but they may
still be around. That one would likely not work well in a rolling auto
or airplane.

Newer designs use spinning weights driven outward by centrifugal force.
Does not matter what the attitude of the mechanism. Pull the belt out
quickly enough and it will lock. Many Pipers (including my 74 Cherokee
140) use this system.

Try your experiment in the Ridgeline slightly differently. Instead of
leaning forward, give the belt a quick tug when stepping on the gas.
Likely it will lock then. Who knows, maybe it is of a design that needs
physical deceleration of the locking unit (as opposed to the motion of
the belt).

Good Luck,
Mike