Newer Seat Restraints
--Seat belts are a neglected element of flight preparation.
--Shoulder harness add measurably to the safety of the cockpit.
--Safety factors of restraints are design, materials and use.
--Measures of belt safety; Belt safe at 15g’s for two-thousands of a second + Harness at 25 g’s for two-seconds
--Belts and harness better if as tight as possible.
--Inertial reel harnesses are better than fixed.
--Four point harness + inertial reel are best of all.
--Seat belt that slants is better than when vertical.
--Adding restraints cost $1000 per seat but more expensive air bags are coming.
--Failure of seat or seat attachments is hazard area.
–A seatbelt briefing is required before takeoff and landing Rreference?)

Shoulder Harness
Aircraft are designed to channel impact into structure that will collapse while keeping the cockpit in one piece. The human body can withstand up to 16-Gs if the duration is of the worst impact less than 1/10 of a second. Most aircraft accidents are below these limits. Most serious injuries and fatalities are caused by secondary impact of the victim on the interior cockpit. It is not a bad idea to carry a large pillow. Shoulder harness exists in less than 60% of airplanes and the use of these is less than 75%. Every 5% improvement in use rate will save 20 lives a year. Having the belt and harness made as one would solve the problem.
--Use of the shoulder belt can be expected to reduce major injuries by 88 percent and fatalities by 20 percent as opposed to use of seatbelt alone.
--Shoulder harness has been FAA required since December 12, 1986 in newly built aircraft.
--An improperly installed or worn harness can cause serious injury.
--The belt buckle should be positioned to the side of your hip.
--Dual shoulder harness requires a tie-down strap to keep the seatbelt in place.
---A locked seat is a necessity.
---Retro-fit harness will multiply many times cockpit survivability.
---Safety depends on proper use, construction of belts, design of system.
---Seatbelt only protects you to 15 G’s for 2/1000 of a second.
---Shoulder harness protects you to 45 G’s for 1/tenth second or 25G’s for 2/tenths of a second.
---If you can tighten your belts a bit before impact you greatly improve your chances.
---Inertial reel harness is better than fixed type.
---Four point harness are best at keeping you from bouncing off the cockpit boundaries.
---Five point harness depends on the type of seat involved. Air bags are in planning stage.
---Ceiling mounts reduce chance vertebra compression.

Areas of Failure
Total brake failure on one side.
How to make a left turn? If failed brake is on the right, where would you land in a left crosswind? Other options

Alternator failure
Process for bringing back on line. How to conserve battery. Minimum electrical use.

Partial Failure
Reduce power to minimum required for maintaining flight. Have pilot select options.

Disconnected Throttle cable
No power below 2000 rpm possible. How to land? Use magnetos off-on-off-on-off
Is your carburetor designed to maintain a minimum power if throttle is disconnected?

Blocked air intake
Loss of power but pulling C.H. causes increase and taking it off decreases power.

Stuck Carburetor Float
Sudden engine failure. At near full lean mixture engine starts and continues to run. Try it. Worked for me.

Blocked tank vents
Try primer to get fuel to engine. In Cessna use sump strainer to drain sump and restore fuel flow.

Oil loss
First symptom is low or no oil pressure. Check to confirm that loss of oil is the

Fuel
Selector function check
(Stealthily during preflight set selector to off) Note: Doing this may well cancel the flight if engine continues to run.
(Simulate inability to change tanks) Note: This is a check on pilot's ability to make an alternate route or diversion.
Sudden engine stoppage
(Stealthily during preflight set selector off) Allow student to taxi. Sudden engine failure can be totally disconcerting.
Sputtering and intermittent stoppage
(Stealthily set fuel selector to intermediate position between off and on.)

Carburetor Heat
Lean aggressively during taxi to runup. Do not enrich during runup. Carburetor heat may not (should not) show drop.

Pitot heat
In freezing weather just before flight, moisture may have frozen in pitot tube or static air hole. Airspeed indicator will not register during takeoff. Pitot heat should be tested during preflight in cold weather.

Static Air
During preflight stealthily cover static air hole with tape. Allow takeoff if aircraft has alternate air and operation confirmed. Note effect with and without alternate air on altimeter and airspeed when making changes of altitude. Recently flew aircraft where Alternate Air must have been on for weeks.

Tires
Visually check inflation and then confirm with dial type pressure gauge. Incorrect tire pressure is most common cause of unairworthy light aircraft flight. The inconvenience of checking tire pressure as well as getting air is the problem.

Airspeed Indicator Failure on lift off
Fly attitude and power. Return for landing using power and attitude. Been there and done that.

Altimeter not functioning
Knowing height of terrain or landmarks can be valuable aid. Use difference between full power manifold pressure and 30" as estimate of altitude. Use GPS.

Elevator stuck or broken
Use power and trim to control aircraft along with rudder. I gave a DE a checkride in an unfamiliar C-172 in which, after liftoff he could not use yoke. He flew the 30-miles of OAK flying published procedures and vectors to a perfect ILS approach and go-around.

Simulated Icing
Gradual power reductions. Use of 7700 and 7600.

Multiple failures
Get no-gyro vectors from ATC.

Caught on top
Option 1. Fly to airport that is above tops of clouds. Option 2. Vectors towards airport. Above tops slow and configure aircraft so as to be at or slightly below Vso. Reduce power to start descent on South heading. Hope you break out at bases that will allow safe landing. Don't wait until dark or out of fuel.

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