There is one thing I learned that I would like to pass on. Please listen to this advice and do not take it lightly. I would not make my mistakes public if I did not think that this may help someone someday.
If you are hanging upside down by the seat belts in a plane that is on fire even the calmest person can easily panic some and forget how to unlatch their seat belt. My truck has the newer type of automotive seat belts where the push button is on the same side that the latch plugs into. My KR had the older type of belts where the button was right on the front face of the metal latch. This put the buttons for both belts basically touching each other where it was hard to get to them with two people belted in. More importantly, the button was not in the same place as I unconsciously pushed in my truck at least four times a day for the past three years. The few moments where you are pushing on the latch in the wrong place because you are panicking and are so used to where they are in the car can mean the difference between getting out and not. Moral of the story: If you use automotive style belts try to use the same type of latching mechanism as in you are used to in your car assuming that it is a type that you can work easily. If you use something else make a conscious effort to know exactly where they are and how they unlatch. Spend some time practicing getting to them quickly alone and with a passenger strapped in to make sure you can get to them quickly and make sure it is something that you can do without thinking about. Get the unlatch sequence ingrained in your brain. Ten minutes practicing and thinking about it can make a world of difference in an emergency. You should also test the latches before you buy them with a lot of tension on them. Latch the belt and get some help pulling on it with the weight of you hanging upside down from them and make sure they still unlatch easily. Brian Kraut Engineering Alternatives, Inc. www.engalt.com
