Seat Belt Question

[Big_Johnno]

I have noticed in most if not all photos of the interior of a helicopter that the seat belts are always buckled. This is even when the seats are vacant. Is this part of the regulations? If so, Why do they have to be buckled?
Thanks John

[ScrewyRabbit]

Hi John,

That's just the marketing people showing off in most cases.

It's good practice to keep the belts of unoccupied seats fastened during flights though, as many an embarassed helo driver has ended a sortie with severe damage to the paintwork caused by a loose belt flapping in the breeze. There is another thread discussing the merits of leaving the controls with the rotor turning to secure a seatbelt - it's an old helo driver problem.
You're not supposed to leave the controls so you can't ensure that all the belts are in and doors locked during a quick changeover. On the older Bell 206 and 206L models this is a common occurrence as the door can look closed but the latch doesn't engage properly and the door opens in flight, loose seat belts fly out and the damage is done.

Hope that answers the question.

Cheers:ok:

[wesp]

One of the checklist items is alway loose objects in cockpit (or something similar). When you let seatbelts loose they can cause all kinds of problems, like locking your controls.

So you have to make sure everuthing is secured in the cockpit and then includes seatbelts.

[Thomas coupling]

I know of a Gazelle that was written off because of a loose seat belt up front. It vibrated onto the floor and prevented the cyclic from moving fully aft. A/c nose dived in the hover and wrote the cab off.

All for the sake of a quick check and a £50 buckle.:oh: