Inflatable Seatbelt/Airbag For Ovation2 DX/GX and Bravo DX/GX

Mooney Airplane Company announced Monday that it will offer the Amsafe Aviation Inflatable Restraint Seatbelts on the new Ovation2 DX/GX and Bravo DX/GX models beginning in the third quarter of 2004. The certification Program is now underway and is expected to be complete by mid-summer. Earlier this month, Mooney announced the new GX models,which feature the Garmin G1000 avionics package.

Commenting on the announcement, President J. Nelson Happy said, "Our strategy regarding safety is to equip the Mooney aircraft product line with the best devices to insure maximum safety of the crew and passengers in case of any unintentional landing off a runway or an airport. The Amsafe inflatable seatbelt is the ultimate and best solution around. It will basically work like the airbag in a car, reducing the intensity in case of sudden acceleration and providing maximum protection of the occupants."

Nicolas Chabbert, Mooney's Executive Vice President, stated: "We are extremely excited about our ability to offer the Amsafe inflatable seatbelt. Mooney is the safest airframe with an incredible safety record. We want to reduce as much as possible the risk of injury in the cockpit. This device will be proposed for $6,000 and will equip the 4 seats of the aircraft."

Chabbert continued, "We strongly feel that by offering the inflatable seatbelt, we have not only listened to our current Mooney owners but have addressed the issue of increasing safety with no need for other uncontrollable devices such as a parachute system."

FMI: www.mooney.com, www.amsafe.com