In summer 1972 I flew on DL from DTW to CHA round trip .
I was 4 years old and distinctly remember being excited on one of the flights that the seat belt was ‘just like a car’ and told the flight attendant ‘You just push the button.’
Does anyone know if there were any aircraft types back then that didn’t have the ‘pull on the loose strap to tighten, lift up on the lever to release’ type belts?
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Re: Passenger Seat Belt Types 1960s/early 1970s
Can’t answer your question specifically but I vaguely remember hearing long ago at training that aircraft seatbelts standardized to the pull-to-release type because not all push button types were the same and fumbling for a button during an emergency was considered potentially hazardous.
Re: Passenger Seat Belt Types 1960s/early 1970s
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “push button” seat belt on an airliner. Any pictures?
I’m old enough to remember the “metal to fabric” seat belts, where one slipped the fabric end through the loop and clamped down with the metal end lever. The first “metal to metal” seat belts I recall the buckle was about twice the size of present day buckles. (It was on a Vanguard). Still it was a “lift to open” seat belt.
It comes down to how easy the belt is to open with tension on it. Simple physics and levers allow one to lift a lever and open even with weight pulling the ends apart. Is that possible with the early push button buckles?
I’m old enough to remember the “metal to fabric” seat belts, where one slipped the fabric end through the loop and clamped down with the metal end lever. The first “metal to metal” seat belts I recall the buckle was about twice the size of present day buckles. (It was on a Vanguard). Still it was a “lift to open” seat belt.
It comes down to how easy the belt is to open with tension on it. Simple physics and levers allow one to lift a lever and open even with weight pulling the ends apart. Is that possible with the early push button buckles?
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- Redbellyguppy
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Re: Passenger Seat Belt Types 1960s/early 1970s
I’ve seen push to release on certain aircraft seatbelts that also had an airbag installed.
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