REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

[Jim Sower]

<...  makes sense to infer that it is safer to fly with airbags ...>

Didn't I hear someplace that when aircraft crash in a more or less 
controlled manner that the second impact is the most serious, and when 
less controlled, the severity of the impact moots an airbag?  And of 
course with belt mounted sensors, false positives could cause more 
problems than the device could ever prevent.

Ejection seats are another matter :o) ... Jim S.

Fred Marconi wrote:

>Thought you guys would be interested in information on airbags.
>
>Why airbags are important to the GA market
>
>According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) 2004 Nall
>Report, the general aviation industry has experienced its safest year ever
>recorded.  Statistics show just a 2.5% increase in the total number of
>accidents that occurred in 2003.  This increase correlates directly with the
>slight increase in flight hours flown.  Fortunately, almost 80% of these
>accidents were non-fatal and almost 76% of the accidents were pilot-related.
>More than 50% of all GA accidents occurred during the takeoff or landing
>phases of flight.  These figures represent what happened in 2003, but one
>year of general aviation activity alone is not enough to represent what has
>occurred historically.
>
>Looking back 10 years from 1994 to 2003, overall GA accidents decreased to
>25.3% and fatal accidents dropped to just below 25%.  While these figures
>are relatively low considering the timeframe, it is important to note that
>between 70% and 80% of these accidents were directly related to the pilot.
>Most pilots believe they are safe when they fly, but these statistics point
>to human error as the direct cause of accidents that could potentially have
>been avoided.  Although more experienced pilots are less likely to become
>accident statistics, they are also more likely to take more risks by flying
>in more challenging conditions than less experienced pilots would take.
>Mistakes happen and people are hurt or killed because of human error, poor
>skill, or lack of judgment.  As evidence, seven out of 10 accidents, or 71%
>of accidents in 2003 occurred when pilots were flying for personal reasons.
>Of these personal travel accidents, almost 76% were fatal.  It is reasonable
>to infer that pilots flying for personal reasons may benefit from the added
>protection of AmSafe Aviation's Inflatable Restraint (AAIR®) systems on
>board.
>
>The AAIR® is essentially an airbag which is built directly into the seatbelt
>so that when the sensors detect an impending aircraft incident, the airbag
>will deploy up and away from the seat occupant to protect the head and upper
>torso from injuries within the cockpit.  The AAIR® airbag is comparable
>protection on board an airplane to what one has in his or her automobile.
>Everyone knows it is safer to drive with airbags, so it makes sense to infer
>that it is safer to fly with airbags on board.
>
>  
>