The shoulder harness thing is real simple. It is true that in the late fifties
the military discovered that straps which exerted a downward force on the
shoulders could cause back injuries (specifically in ejections). In the old
days they used a sliding tube with a 75mm blank howitzer shell in the bottom.
I swear I am not making this up! In the early sixties the seat manufacturers
began using small rocket packs which provide a smoother acceleration rate..
The bottom line is - make sure the attach points- or at least the load points
for the straps are above your shoulders. Their purpose is to keep you from
going forward should you (god forbid!) collect the armco. I fly 737s and
that's how the folks at Boeing designed 'em.
John Price
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