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Airplane Airbag Seat Belts Are Slowly Catching On

September 24, 2010 at 8:47 AM | by | Comment (1)

It’s been a little bit since we’ve talked about airbags on airplanes, but it seems like they are finally beginning to gain some traction. As the economy gets better and airlines start ordering more planes, it’s likely that we’ll start seeing these more frequently up in the sky.

Despite their cost, the airbags are beginning to catch on all over the aviation world. These new safety systems aren’t just for the planes with overhead bins, as general aviation operators have begun to install them as well. Even flight training schools have added seatbelt airbags to all of their orders. There’s no rules for flight training schools just yet, but it’s nice to see people being proactive.

If you remember, new federal rules require that seats can withstand a crash around 16 times the force of gravity, and these new airplane airbags can help airlines meet the new regulations and prevent passengers from potential injuries. AmSafe—the makers of these safety devices—estimates that there’s around 50,000 of the airbags around the world. We’re all in favor of some more safety, and we’ll be carefully examining our seatbelt on our next flight.

So keep an eye out for the devices on your next flight, and let us know if you’ve seen them in the wild in the comments below!

[Photo: AmSafe]

Comment (1)

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Will airbags really do any good?

I am no scientist but my guess is that most plane crashes are more than 16 times the force of gravity. I think everyone should have their personal ejection seat instead. Though you would need some safety device to prevent people ejecting themselves at 35,000 feet. Getting back to the point, airbags on planes? Are they really needed or a waste of money and resources?

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