Wear That Lap Belt Tight

[pelmet]

I have to admit, I have always been a reasonably tight seat belt guy. I prefer to have the feel of the shoulder harness on my chest for takeoff and landing although reality does dictate that sometimes it may have to be loose to allow one to reach things. It is always annoying when you have to loosen the shoulder harness to reach things like floor mounted flap handles. I even like to put the seat belt on for taxiing without the intention of flying.

For sure, I like to have the lap belt fairly tight. One never knows when they might have a sudden drop due to some form of turbulence and have their head hit the ceiling. But I thought an actual personal story in a recent accident review video was quite interesting.

In this video of a recent crash of another business pilot flying an airplane beyond their capability, shows what can happen while maneuvering even with positive g-loading(which would have been the case after his zero-g maneuver). It starts at 9:48.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GxSJgz5v_U&t=592s

Keep those lap belts tight.

[Blaine Beaven]

I remember being told by the CFI during my PPL that when you’re flying in turbulence, every time you hit a bump grab the tail of your lap belt and cinch it tighter. I usually start with the lap belt snug, but I’ve finished some flights on hot summer afternoons where I have a hard time releasing the buckle after I land.

But it’s better than continually hitting my head on the ceiling.