Forum: aviation.stackexchange.com
Tags: <safety>
Title: Why do airline pilots have shoulder harnesses?
Question: On airliners, passenger seatbelts are simple lap belts. However, flight crews seem to have at least shoulder straps, and often five-point harnesses. Why do flight crew have more restraints?

Answers:
sents: text: pilots need to be able to do work during turbulence.
text: passengers don't really like to be fully restrained.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/1289/RedGrittyBrick
score: 30
sents: text: They're required.
text: ICAO Annex 6, Part 1
text: states: 6.2.2
text: An aeroplane shall be equipped with: ... c) 3) a safety harness for each flight crew seat.
text: The safety harness shall incorporate a device which will automatically restrain the occupant's torso in the event of rapid deceleration
text: It also confirm's Ben's comment that they are also meant to restrain an incapacitated pilot: Recommendation.
text: – The safety harness for each pilot seat should incorporate a device to prevent a suddenly incapacitated pilot from interfering with the flight controls.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/6919/Erich
score: 17
sents: text: I recall early in my glider training when I was about 17 before Id gone solo.
text: My instructor used to keep his shoulder straps loose
text: so I started doing the same.
text: On my 1st actual cable snap on the winch tow
text: I whacked the stick forward and the glider went into -ve
text: g.
text: It was an open-cockpit glider with no canopy
text: and I was half hanging out and only just managed to reach and get fingertips of one hand onto the joystick to pull myself back into the plane.
text: I stabilised the glider, pulled my straps tight, but then found out my instructor behind me was not responding.
text: I landed safely and then found out he was unconscious.
text: He had bashed his head on the wing above him and passed out.
text: I always had my straps fastened properly after that incident.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/7998/brianp
score: 15
sents: text: There have been some "unusual attitude" instances where the crew have recovered the aircraft but would have possibly been thrown from their seats or unable to reach the controls through excessive G if not fully restrained.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/595/Simon
score: 9
sents: text: In airliners, shoulder harnesses are not installed for passengers because: it is not not mandated by law
text: it is too much for average passengers to deal with it requires money to install
text: it is superfluous in a crash when compared to the same safety from a lap belt Flight crew is required to use the shoulder harness (when installed) as it is the law ( 14 CFR 91.105 ):
text: (a)
text: During takeoff and landing, and while en route, each required flight crewmember shall— (1) Be at the crewmember station unless the absence is necessary to perform duties in connection with the operation of the aircraft or in connection with physiological needs; and (2) Keep the safety belt fastened while at the crewmember station.
text: (b)
text: Each required flight crewmember of a U.S.-registered civil aircraft shall, during takeoff and landing, keep his or her shoulder harness
text: fastened while at his or her assigned duty station .
text: This paragraph does not apply if— (1) The seat at the crewmember's station is not equipped with a shoulder harness; or (2)
text: The crewmember would be unable to perform required duties with the shoulder harness fastened.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/65/Farhan
score: 8
sents: text: If the plane is in turbulence, and the passenger is jostled about, injured, or even knocked unconscious, well, sucks for him, but he will recover.
text: The more extreme the situation, the more important it is that the pilot be conscious, uninjured, and stable.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/1973/Malvolio
score: 5
sents: text: For passengers, while flying I feel fully restrained around the hips by a lap belt fully tightened- it would be more comfortable to have the belt load spread out.
text: A full car seat belt compared to a lap belt allows you full motion.
text: Its more likely the cost and difficult of having more anchor points on all seats especially when they spread them across the plane- a place to join the belt to the seat at higher point.
text: They might also have to design the seat to handle its load being more spread out.
text: Let alone having to work out if having such "improved" belts actually helps survivability with the greater risk of being unable to unclip.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/2671/user2617804
score: 2

Summary of the answers:
Pilots need to be able to work during turbulence and there have been instances where crew have recovered the aircraft but would have not been able to do so if not fully restrained. Moreover, it is a requirement. Passengers, on the other hand, do not really like being fully restrained.
Flight crew have more restraints because it is a requirement. They need to be restrained so they are not thrown from their seats during turbulence or an unusual attitude. Passengers have fewer restraints because they do not like to be fully restrained.