Escape systems for aircraft

[MRussell]

Re: Escape systems for aircraft

I don't think the HAAS device would work too good in air racing as the head MUST be on a swivel all the time. The HAAS device restricts head movement quite a bit.

Since I use a HANS regularly in my race car and I'm a private pilot, this thought has crossed my mind routinely. It's entirely true that the HANS restricts your head's range of motion. To get an idea of exactly how restrictive it is, next time you're driving a car, turn your head left and right, but stop it when you can just see either side-view mirror. That's it. I haven't really checked how much it restricts pitch, but it doesn't really matter because the "swivel" effect of moving your head around is completely eliminated by the HANS. Since air racing is essentially really fast formation flying, I don't see how it could work when passes are being made.

Having said that, there's another device out there (not SFI certified) called the ISAAC, which has similar G-reduction while allowing more degrees-of-freedom for your head. I imagine a really sharp engineer could adapt it for aero-use.

[Radial LuvR]

Re: Escape systems for aircraft

Having said that, there's another device out there (not SFI certified) called the ISAAC, which has similar G-reduction while allowing more degrees-of-freedom for your head. I imagine a really sharp engineer could adapt it for aero-use.[/QUOTE]

I think anything would help, and hopefully when I start air racing I'll be able to put more time in to figureing something out.

[zeke]

Re: Escape systems for aircraft

Since I use a HANS regularly in my race car and I'm a private pilot, this thought has crossed my mind routinely. .

What do you race? and using that system, is it only practical on oval races, would it be of any use on a more normal type of racetrack. There it might be more use to actually look sideways if cars are passing you. Just curious.

[Race5]

Re: Escape systems for aircraft

Zeke, all of the major sactioning bodies world wide use the HANS device. This includes everything from NA$CAR to Formula One. In NA$CAR the way the head rest are now, you couldn't look out the side of the car even if you didn't have the HANS on. The spotter is your eyes in traffic. There is a new systen out that might be good for aircraft use however. The Leatt brace was designed to help prevent neck injuries for motocrossers, and still allow full range of head swivel. I am looking into trying one out in my shifter kart. The details can be seen here:

http://www.leatt-brace.com/index.asp

[MRussell]

Re: Escape systems for aircraft

What do you race? and using that system, is it only practical on oval races, would it be of any use on a more normal type of racetrack. There it might be more use to actually look sideways if cars are passing you. Just curious.

Only driven an oval once, but I spend all my time on "road courses" like Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Road Atlanta, etc.
The HANS is quite restrictive, and use of your mirrors becomes paramount. Furthermore, if you have an off-track excursion and need to re-join traffic, you find yourself turning the whole car to see, rather than just turning your head, hehe.