Cessna Aircraft will be equipping all of its new single engine piston aircraft with AmSafe Aviation Inflatable Restraint (AAIR) seatbelt airbags. To date, AmSafe seatbelt airbags have been installed on over 100 Cessna single engine piston aircraft.

The AAIR is standard equipment in the pilot and copilot seats of all new Skyhawks, Skylanes and Stationairs. It is also standard equipment in the Skylane and Stationair's passenger seats directly behind the pilot and copilot. Cessna offers the seatbelt airbag as optional equipment for the Skyhawk and Stationair's aft cabin passenger seats.

The first AmSafe seatbelt airbag equipped Skyhawk was delivered in January 2005 to Midland College's flight department in Midland, Texas.

The AAIR system is also available for installation on existing Cessna single engine aircraft through a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC).

These AAIR retrofit kits are sold exclusively through Cessna's 350 worldwide Service Stations. Only Cessna Service Stations are trained and equipped to install the retrofit AAIR seatbelt airbags on Cessna airplanes. The AAIR system is designed to enhance passenger safety in aircraft by reducing head impact trauma in otherwise survivable accidents. The Cessna version of the AAIR seatbelt airbag is part of a three-point restraint system and deploys during a dynamic crash event providing enhanced head and neck protection.

The system resembles a normal seat belt in size and shape, but it contains an airbag that rapidly inflates upon sensing an impact. The airbag is folded into a sheath on the lap restraint and safely deploys away from the passenger, eliminating many of the hazards of automotive airbags that deploy toward the occupant. The system is self-contained, modular, and independent of aircraft power.

FMI: www.textron.com, www.cessna.com, www.amsafe.com