Appendix 3
3. Specific Seating/Restraint Configurations.
a. Side-Facing. Conventional side-facing bench seats employing dual point lap belts are a superior means of carrying parachutists in aircraft large enough to accommodate them. They offer the advantages of being simple to use and can be designed to provide significant vertical energy absorption.
b. Rear-Facing Floor Seating.
(1) Restraints are more effective if attached to the floor instead of the sidewall. Only use sidewall attachments if floor attach points are not available.
(2) Effectiveness is increased if overall tether length is kept as short as possible and the tether attachment to the aircraft is aft of the harness attachment point.
(3) Single point, single tether restraints are not recommended.
(4) Dual point, dual tether restraints offer superior restraint compared to single point, single tether restraints. This restraint method consists of two straps, each connecting the parachute harness to the aircraft floor on both sides of the parachutist as shown in Figures 7, Tether Restraint Attachment To Floor For Rear-Facing Floor Seats, Figure 8, Dual Point, Dual Tether Restraint Configuration For Rear-Facing Floor Seats, and Figure 9, Dual Point, Dual Tether Restraint Attachment To Floor For Rear-Facing Straddle.
c. Rear-Facing on Straddle Bench.
(1) Straddle benches can offer more occupant crash protection than floor seating since they can be designed to provide significant vertical energy absorption.
(2) As with floor seating, restraints are more effective if attached to the floor instead of the sidewall.
(3) Restraint effectiveness is improved if the tether strap is attached to the floor such that it is at an approximately 45 degree angle, as shown in Figure 9.
(4) Single point, single tether restraints are not very effective.
(5) Dual point, dual tether restraints offer superior restraint compared to single point, single tether restraints.
Appendix 3 FIGURE 2. DUAL STUD QUICK RELEASE TRACK FITTING
FIGURE 3. TETHER RESTRAINT USAGE
Appendix 3 FIGURE 4. PASS TETHER LOOP UNDER UPPER LEG STRAP
FIGURE 5. PASS TETHER LOOP UNDER MAIN LIFT WEB
Appendix 3 FIGURE 6. LATCH TETHER LOOP AROUND PARACHUTE HARNESS
FIGURE 7. TETHER RESTRAINT ATTACHMENT TO FLOOR FOR REAR-FACING
FLOOR SEATS
Appendix 3 FIGURE 8. DUAL POINT, DUAL TETHER RESTRAINT CONFIGURATION FOR