Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

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Lance Murray
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Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by Lance Murray »

Amsafe has approved their SOARS seatbelt system to be installed in most airplanes. Unfortunately the Diamonds have been left out of the STC. The cost of the system is only $2,800. This is great news for GA but not great for those of us with Diamond airplanes.

Has anyone retrofitted their DA40 with airbags? If so how much did it cost?

https://www.amsafe.com/airbag-systems/soars/
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Colin
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by Colin »

I was offered this for something like $5,400 at the factory for my DA42 and I am pretty sure they do DA40's as well. They show up as an option on the current DA40 XLT (AmSafe Airbag Seatbelts, 5 lbs).

(I didn't choose to put them in and the factory admitted that almost no DA42 has them installed.)

My salesman for our DA40 was talking to me after Diamond started offering them and he said, "Yeah, the Cirrus has the chute, but we have the open-coffin seatbelts." I don't think traditional aviation people think they are worth much, but the testing showed they made a huge difference in a higher-speed impact.
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by TJS »

Amsafe's cost enough to maintain too. last two annuals; parts timed out on date of manufacture not installation.
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by Lance Murray »

Ten year inflator replacement?
TJS wrote:Amsafe's cost enough to maintain too. last two annuals; parts timed out on date of manufacture not installation.
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by TJS »

and the ema. $1000cad each per side. i looked at the cost of ripping them out it was more than the referb. I would never recommend install at new, just close the casket
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by curts63 »

Can the Amsafe seat belts be removed? IF so, what's involved?
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Keith M
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by Keith M »

There are running costs associated with the standard seatbelts as well, at least in EASA-land. My DA40 TDI is 12 years old next week, so has to have its seatbelts replaced, otherwise I can no longer fly it.
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Don
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by Don »

I am guessing that the life span of the airbags probably well exceeds the recommended refab time. I have never heard of having to refab the airbags in your car.
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by Antoine »

Wow this is very useful information, thanks.

Both of my DA40s had them and I wish I could have them installed in my present aircraft despite all of the disadvantages. If I ever have to put it down straight ahead after losing the engine on take off it could well make all the difference in the world.
I remember this terrible DA40 TDI accident in Switzerland where they lost the engine at night and crashed - both crew members just barely survived with severe head (face) injuries from impacting the G1000... Airbags would have been just right.

Amsafe have a great product and they are making tons of money out of it. So what... good for them...
We talk all day about safety and here's a case where we know for sure (from the auto world) how much more safety we can buy.

I will contact Amsafe and see if there's a way of adding my aircraft to the AML.
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Re: Amsafe SOARS airbag seat belt system

Post by gordsh »

I have them in my current DA40 (2010 XLS)...but here is the thing.... Flying one day with my CFI and he says to me "Shawn your seat belts are turned backwards, do you want to loose an organ". Turns out the yellow label (which is not very legible) must be on the outside of the set lapbelt allowing the airbag to deploy away from the body and not towards the body. I had been wearing the seat belts incorrectly for a long time until he pointed it out to me. Would not want the airbags to deploy in my abdomen!
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