The International Cessna^® 170 Association

If its in the latest Service manual all or A & Ps in S?africa will have to comply

johneeb wrote:George,

How do I check for the latest revisions to my 100 series Service Manual, the revision that Doug is refering to?

"I will fax it today- I got back on to the A & P about this its not an SB-
Its a mandadary thing taken from the Cessna mainenace manual for 100
series cessna s - Manual rvision 4 of 2003 no d138-1- "

The latest revision to my manual is dated 1977. I checked McCurtin's listing and that is the latest they have for the 100 series Service Manual.

If this seatbelt replacement requirement is true I see a bright future in Re-Webbing Seatbelts.

McCurtain Technologies product is a re-print (albeit on CD) of a non-copywrited early Cessna manual. Now, many years since, Cessna has decided to issue newer versions of their old manual. As the OEM, Cessna can do this and produce "new" data which might limit the life of their previously mfr'd products. (In other words, the only OFFICIAL source for the latest revision manuals is Cessna. The original manuals were titled "100 Series, 1962 and Prior, Service Manual". It had no revision status for many years and as an uncopywrited document was re-printed by Univair, and also by others. The latest manuals out of Cessna are copywrited. (The question I'd ask a South African mechanic is: "Does the manual to which you refer specifically apply to 1962 and Prior aircraft? Or does it apply to all the later ones. (?)"
I plan to follow up with Cessna to determine if their lastest manuals specifically address the aircraft prior to 1962.

Stinson Driver: I rec'd the fax of page 2-20, but unfortunately there is no reference as to which specific Cessna manual is being shown. Can you provide information as to the exact manual, title, etc. of the manual that page came from?

Can you provide information as to the exact manual, title, etc. of the manual that page came from

Its from the cessna Service manual revised 2003-for all 100 series Cessnas - Its from cessna not Univair- My A&P says its causing a lot of unhappy customers but as its from Cessna we will have to comply as our CAA goes by what cessna recomend

Well, in that case, I'd certainly not replace them with Cessna belts. I'd replace them with someone else's belts that do not have a life limit, but are replaced only on "condition". (Such as those I've already mentioned.)

George Etal,

Having my curiosity level raised by this issue and having BAS Shoulder harness belt combination installed in my aircraft I asked BAS about their life limit. Jim Mittler from BAS replied that BAS belts do not have a fixed service life and should be inspected and replaced on condition. Jim Mittler also referred me to the Amsafe WEB site ( http://www.amsafeaviation.com ) where I gleaned the following information regarding Amsafe belts.



Service Life Information


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A. General
The service life of the restraint system is subject to the periodic inspection of the restraint system while in service and depends on the service environment in which it is used and the degree of use over the installation period. This subsequently places the responsibility for the continued airworthiness of the restraint on the installer/operator since the flight times, usage, and operating environment will vary by operator. The frequency of the inspection interval should be adjusted appropriately by the installer/operator to ensure the continued airworthiness of the restraint.

Inspection of the restraint system is in accordance with the “on condition” principle and is governed by an inspection and servicing schedule. The restraint system may remain in service until defects are found upon inspection or in use.

As a minimum, Am-Safe recommends a yearly inspection of the restraint system. The continued use of the restraint system is subject to the routine inspection interval of the airframe by conducting a functional inspection check of the restraint system in accordance with the procedures listed in the TESTING and FAULT ISOLATION and CHECK sections of the CMM.

If the restraint is no longer usable based on the inspection for continued or renewed airworthiness, the restraint system must be discarded or returned to Am-Safe or an Am-Safe approved repair station for overhaul/repair.


B. Inspection Intervals
-Concurrently with the airworthiness inspection of the aircraft.
-When the equipment has sustained damage or if malfunctions occur.
-When the equipment is transferred to another owner or for any special reason.
-When the equipment has been over-stressed or if over-stress is suspected. Visual inspection of the restraint system will not always reveal the extent of the damage caused by over-stress/crash impact/severe loading conditions. In order to ensure that the original design performance and structural integrity of the restraint is maintained, the user should remove and replace all restraint systems within the aircraft after over-stress/crash impact/severe loading conditions have occurred.


C. Inspection Responsibility
Inspection of the aircraft passenger seat belt for continued or renewed Airworthiness must only be performed by the manufacturer or by agencies specially approved by the aviation authorities

I just got off the phone with Jim at BAS. While it's true that the current Continued Airworthiness document from BAS/AmSafe only calls for replacement "on condition" there is no statement that this applies to belts shipped w/ the old Continued Airworthiness document.

So if you have BAS belts made in 2004 or before it looks like the 7 year life applies. I've asked for Bud to call me and see if he can put a statement in the current document that will allow it to supercede the old one.

I have read this posting, and then I looked up my 100 series Service Manual, 1962 and Prior. My book includes , revision #1 18 Oct. 1977. My research shows this as being the current service manual,for this model /year group of aircraft.

In the forwad it states "this information can be used as a guide for maintenance of the Model 120 , 140 and 170". To the best of my knowledge ( limited ) this is the only manual with this statement ,and therefore the manual that applies to our 170 's.

I have reread the section that applies to seatbelt maintenance / inspection and can only see the "on condition" requirements.

Is it possible that the A&P in South Africa who came up with this life limit,is using a 100 series service manual that is designed for a differant, model year group of aircraft ? If this is the case does or does not this apply to our 170's ?

John Atkins
CF-HER, 1952 , 20292

talked to Bud Blancher, owner of BAS today. They're working with FAA now on yet another revision to the ICA (Instructions for Continued Airworthiness). While it doesn't sound like it will explicitly say it supercedes the previous ICA, it could reasonably be construed that way. Part of the problem is that the new ICA references a report # that the old paper work doesn't, and the new doesn't actually list the STC #. Another complication is that while the same AmSafe reels have been used all along, AmSafe changed their part numbering scheme, so it may be difficult to convince a doubtful FAA type.

Bud said this latest ICA will eventually be posted on their website. I think the solution for us with the 84 month ICA would be to print out the new ICA and put it in the aircraft's documents after throwing out the original one...

regarding the "new" Cessna 100-series manual: has anybody actually seen it to see if it does apply to our 170's?

This is what I was attempting to address with my previous question to
Stinson-Driver as regards the specific model aircraft to which the manual his mechanic/inspector is using applies.
If Cessna has issued a later revision to any Service Manual which applies to all "100 Series" aircraft, then it may very well apply to 170's. If so, then I would look for a statement within that manual that specifically declares it to supercede the "1962 and Prior" manual. That as the intent of my previous question. I suppose I shall contact Cessna for a definitive answer and post the findings here.
In any case, Cessna (and their manual) can only claim jurisdiction over seat belts of their own supply and/or vendors. Any belts STC'd, TSO'd or otherwise approved for the airplane by another mfr which has an "on condition" status should be governed by that status. IMHO.

I got tired of reading all the responses, so I don't have a total education of what the others might have offered. I have a brand new set of 4 belts that I bought in 1988 and never used. They are dark brown. They have been in a clean box all this time. Question is, does the 10 year rule that is mentioned pertain to us. I don't know any member by the name of Stinson Driver. If I am going to contact personally I guess I will do my best to punch the right buttons here to do an e-mail. Duane Shockey

I don't know about a finite life of setbelts. I thought the AME or pilot would determine if the seat belt has become un-airworthy.
On a side note, Cessna makes a shoulder harness retrofit kit that is very reasonable in price. I just bought a set for both front seats, that includes mounting hardware, for $263.71 Canadian! This is way cheaper than just buying replacement seat belts.... I think Cessna makes the retrofit kit to try and get older aircraft equipped with proper shoulder harnesses. This Service kit is part number SK170-12C1.
There is a rear seat shoulder harness kit SK170-12C3 that sells for around $450 Canadian.
I tried numerous Cessna parts dealers in the USA, and they all said that the shoulder harness retrofit kits were discontinued. This is not true. The Brampton Flying club can get you a set (905 838-1406 ext. 223 or 1800 387-2534).

Hello All,

I have a copy of revision one to the 100 series maintenance manual D138-1-13. It was released by Cessna on 2/3/03. Our fiche printer isn't the greatest but it is about 20 pages total and I will fax it to anyone that wants it. PM me or email me with a fax number at mfullen@cmhaviation.com.

Happy flying,

Mark

johneeb wrote:George,

How do I check for the latest revisions to my 100 series Service Manual, the revision that Doug is refering to?

"I will fax it today- I got back on to the A & P about this its not an SB-
Its a mandadary thing taken from the Cessna mainenace manual for 100
series cessna s - Manual rvision 4 of 2003 no d138-1- "

The latest revision to my manual is dated 1977. I checked McCurtin's listing and that is the latest they have for the 100 series Service Manual.

If this seatbelt replacement requirement is true I see a bright future in Re-Webbing Seatbelts.

The 100 Series Service Manual, 1962 and Prior, as we've all seen in reprint form, from Univair, McCurtain, and others,... was never copywrited by Cessna. Their foolish mistake, which allowed others to reproduce the manual, was corrected by them in recent years by a new edition, which is subsequently revised from time to time. This allows, among other things, Cessna to sell not only the "current" manual on our out-of-production 50 year old airplanes, but it also allows them to sell the revision service (which is required to be kept current by Repair Stations.)
You can obtain a current copy and the revision service through your local Cessna Distributor, or thru Hill Aircraft, http://www.cessnaparts.com/
Have your homeowner's equity loan approval in hand.