Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection Customer Question: Can I Use Motorsport Harnesses in Aviation?
It’s a question we occasionally hear from enthusiasts: “Can I use a motorsport harness in my aircraft?” The short answer is no for any certified, registered airplane; you must use proper aviation-approved seat belts. Only in certain experimental or homebuilt aircraft do some owners choose to install racing harnesses, and even then it’s done at their own risk. In this post, we’ll break down why FIA motorsport harnesses (from top brands like OMP, Sparco, Schroth, Sabelt, TRS, etc.) are not approved for aviation use, what the differences are, and what our advice is for anyone considering harnesses for an aircraft.
Not Approved for Certified Aircraft
A Recaro racing seat with a Schroth 6-point motorsport harness on display. Many racing harnesses use an “aircraft-style” quick-release buckle for easy egress, which leads some people to wonder if they could be used in airplanes. However, despite the buckle looking similar, FIA-approved racing harnesses are not certified for aviation use.
Motorsport harnesses are not certified for aviation. All the harnesses we sell at GSM Performance, whether OMP, Sparco, Schroth, Sabelt, TRS, or others, are built and tested to FIA motorsport standards, such as FIA 8853-2016 or 8854-1998. These racing standards are not recognised by aviation regulators. Aviation authorities (like the UK CAA, European EASA, or US FAA) have their own certification requirements for safety harnesses. In fact, unless a harness has an official aviation approval label (for example, a TSO, Technical Standard Order, number) on it, it cannot legally be installed in a certified aircraft. In other words, if you’re dealing with a factory-built or fully registered aircraft that must meet civil aviation regulations, you must use a restraint system that carries the proper CAA/EASA/FAA approval. A motorsport harness, no matter how strong, won’t have that approval, so using one in a certified plane would be considered illegal and unsafe.
It’s understandable why the idea comes up, motorsport belts are incredibly robust and even feature that rotary buckle often described as “aircraft style.” But it’s important to clarify: racing harnesses are made and approved for racing cars, not airplanes. Aviation authorities require seat belts that have passed specific aerospace tests and standards. For example, the FAA in the U.S. mandates “an approved safety belt with an approved metal-to-metal latching device” for each occupant. Here, “approved” means approved by the aviation regulator – and a typical automotive or FIA harness is not “approved” in that sense. So if you were to ask your local aircraft inspector or CAA representative, “Can I put this FIA harness in my Cessna?”, the answer would be a firm no. You would be told to install a belt that has the proper aviation certifications instead.
What About Homebuilt or Experimental Aircraft?
Now, there is one category of aircraft where the rules are a bit different: homebuilt, kit, ultralight, and experimental aircraft. In these cases, the aircraft is not factory-certified in the same way, and the builder/owner has more leeway in the choice of components. Indeed, motorsport harnesses are sometimes used in homebuilt, ultralight, or experimental category airplanes. Since these aircraft don’t require fully certified (TSO-homologated) parts, the builder can choose to install a racing harness if they wish. In fact, many builders do, partly because racing harnesses can be more affordable or readily available, and they offer multiple points of attachment (4-point, 5-point, 6-point), which can be attractive for safety-minded pilots of experimental planes.
However, this is entirely at the owner’s discretion and risk. Just because it’s an experimental aircraft doesn’t automatically make it a good idea to use non-aviation gear. Even on the pilot forums, experienced builders and flyers recommend sticking to aviation-rated harness hardware and webbing whenever possible, due to the unique load paths and safety considerations in aircraft. In other words, while the regulations might allow a homebuilder to use a car harness, it’s still best practice to use belts designed for aviation if you can. The only time you generally see motorsport harnesses in a plane is indeed in those experimental or ultralight scenarios where the law doesn’t demand a TSO-approved restraint, and even then, the savvy builders proceed with caution. Remember, in an experimental aircraft the responsibility lies with the builder/owner. If you install a non-certified harness in your kit plane, you are assuming responsibility for that choice, not the harness manufacturer or the retailer. As one aviation enthusiast quipped about homebuilts: you don’t need a TSO’d (officially approved) belt in an experimental aircraft, but you also accept all the liability if you go that route.
Designed for Race Cars, Not Airplanes (Key Differences)
Why exactly can’t a top-of-the-line racing harness work in an aircraft? After all, these harnesses are incredibly strong. The crux of it is that motorsport harnesses are engineered for the racing environment, whereas aviation harnesses are engineered for flight conditions. The demands and certification tests are very different. Here are some key differences between racing harnesses and aviation seat belts:
- Certification & Testing – Motorsport harnesses are tested for the types of crashes you’d see on a racetrack (primarily a single heavy frontal impact with a car’s solid frame around you). They aren’t required to withstand significant vertical forces or multi-directional tumbling impacts. In contrast, aviation restraints must meet stringent FAA/EASA crash criteria, including the ability to hold up under vertical drops, lateral forces, and multiple-axis forces (imagine a spinning or end-over-end impact). Airplane belts also have to pass tests for things like rapid deceleration in different attitudes and even survivable inversion (hanging upside down). Simply put, an aircraft accident can impose different stresses than a car crash, so the belts are built and tested differently.
- Hardware & Mounting – The hardware on racing harnesses is meant to attach to a car’s chassis or roll cage. Most FIA harnesses use mounting brackets for 7/16” UNF eye bolts, clip-in points, or wrap-around bars on a roll cage. The layout assumes a rigid car frame and often a harness bar or cage behind the seat to anchor shoulder belts. In aircraft, the mounting system is quite different: seat belts usually anchor to the airframe with AN-series bolts or specialized aviation fittings, and the geometry is designed for a cockpit seat, not a bucket seat in a car. The angles for shoulder and lap belts in a plane are set so as to protect an occupant in a very different seating position (and without a roll cage around). Using a car harness in a plane might mean the attachment points don’t line up optimally with the seat or the structure, which could be dangerous in a crash. Essentially, the load paths in an aircraft are not the same as in a race car.
- Webbing Material & Fire Safety – The webbing (straps) in aviation harnesses has to meet strict flame resistance and durability standards. For example, aviation belts must use materials that comply with flammability requirements (so they won’t catch fire easily in the cabin) and often have to be MIL-SPEC or FAR-tested for things like UV resistance and wear. Motorsport harness webbing, while extremely strong, does not undergo the same fire-resistance tests. In a race car, fire suits and quick-release mechanisms mitigate fire risk differently, but in an aircraft, the belt itself must not be a fire hazard. Additionally, colorfastness and UV resistance can be more stringent for aviation webbing, given the longer service life expected in planes.
The takeaway is that racing harnesses and aviation harnesses are built to different performance criteria. Even if a racing harness might feel just as secure, it hasn’t proven itself in the ways that aviation authorities require. As a point of interest, one of our harness manufacturers, Schroth, actually produces both FIA racing harnesses and certified aviation restraint systems (through their Schroth Safety Products division). This shows that the technology can overlap, but importantly, they are separate product lines – Schroth’s motorsport harnesses are not stamped or approved for aviation use. They design completely different harnesses to meet FAA/EASA standards for aircraft. So even the experts who make these belts acknowledge that a race harness belongs in a race car, and an aviation harness belongs in an airplane.
Got a question about the equipment we sell?
Why Choose Garreth And Cameron At GSM Performance?
We listen to every customer, constantly develop the advice that we provide based on customer feedback, and only provide the parts we know will do the job you require.
GSM Performance’s Advice to Customers
At GSM Performance, we take pride in the quality of the motorsport harnesses we sell. Brands like OMP, Sparco, Schroth, Sabelt, and TRS have proven track records on the track. These harnesses will keep you strapped in safely during your laps or rally stages. However, we want to be very clear that we do not recommend using a motorsport harness in any kind of aircraft. It’s outside the harness’s intended use and beyond what we can guarantee in terms of safety or legality. Our FIA-approved belts are tested and homologated for racing; they are not tested or certified for aviation use. They do not meet the required TSO or aviation authority specifications that an aircraft harness must meet. For a certificated aircraft, only harnesses with official aviation approval (FAA/EASA TSO tags) can be legally installed. If a customer came to us asking if they could put one of our racing belts in their Piper or Cessna, our answer would be a polite but firm recommendation not to do so.
For those working on experimental or homebuilt aircraft, while it’s true that some owners choose to fit racing harnesses, this should be approached with caution. It may be allowed under the rules for your aircraft category, but remember that the responsibility lies with you as the builder/owner. We can’t guarantee how a motorsport harness will perform in a plane, and we cannot take any liability for that use. Our role is to supply you with top-notch gear for your car; what you do in an aircraft is up to you and the aviation authorities. Always consult a qualified aviation engineer or the relevant aviation authority if you’re considering any non-standard modification to an aircraft’s restraints. They will guide you on what’s acceptable and safe. Typically, their advice will be to stick with an aviation-certified harness made for that purpose.
Lastly, if you are determined to have a fancy 4-point or 5-point harness in your aircraft, know that there are companies in the aviation world that make such restraints. You might be able to source an aerobatic aircraft harness or military-spec harness that has the look and function you want, but with the proper certification. It might cost more than a motorsport equivalent, but it’s the right tool for the job. Safety isn’t worth gambling on. As much as we love motorsport harnesses in race cars, we have to admit that for airplanes, you should go with what’s built for aviation.
Conclusion: Stick to Aviation-Approved Harnesses
To sum it up clearly: Motorsport harnesses are not legal for use in certified aircraft, and we do not endorse using them in such aircraft. Only harnesses that carry official aviation approvals (CAA/EASA/FAA certified restraints) are allowed in standard category airplanes. While in the world of homebuilt and experimental aircraft, an owner can technically install a racing harness, it is done at the owner’s own risk and responsibility. The smart move for anyone flying is to use proper aviation seat belts or harnesses that meet the required safety standards.
We hope this answers the question in a helpful way. In essence, enjoy our motorsport harnesses in your track car, but when it comes to aircraft, always choose the real aviation gear for your safety and legal peace of mind. Safe driving, and safe flying!