During the late 1980s & early 1990s two Tiger Moth accidents (that I had the opportunity to inspect the remains of) caused server spinal injuries to their occupants
From these events I developed the Frames to raise the shoulder anchors 10”, 25cm & secure the lap anchors behind the pilot & passenger. My requirements were that it had to be as cheap as practical to manufacture & fit. It had to use
up very little luggage space & it had to look as if DH may have designed it in the 1930s (by using squared tubing) & that any approved belt & harness can be used (some require shortening of the shoulder straps - but keep the adjuster approximately 9 to 12 inches below the shoulder over the pectoral muscles) All this to encourage its use
Another positive advantage from this RSH kit installation is that because the pilot is securely restrained aerobatics become more precise & enjoyable. An unexpected bonus was that on long flights your calf mussels do not get fatigued by constantly pushing yourself back into the seat. Amazingly during the research to design this mod, I found documents from 1939 detailing the loads & angles of loading to apply to a harness system (why was this knowledge not applied to all Tigers built during WWII) & what's more it is the same specifications as recognised as suitable today
This Raised Shoulder Harness system has been tested in anger twice, first with the pilots control stick coming out during the landing flare resulting in a cartwheel, the second being a spin into the ground after take off. In both instances, the integrity of the harness frames remained and both occupants in each Tiger managed to walk away,
To date 20 kits have been supplied to customers in New Zealand, Canada, Australia & USA
