Booster Seats?

kenjr

kenjr

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KenJr
Now that I've got my license...looking for a comfortable cushion/booster seat to use for my wife/kids up front so that they can see better.

We took my wife up during my training with another one of the pilots in the plane and she said after she couldn't see over the dash at all. I looked on Sporty's and all I found was crap.

Just curious what you guys are using?
 
all my people are tall but I did get a space foam cushion to make 3 hour trips more tolerable and it lifts me 2".

Kmart has some rather large child seats, I guess some children are the size of adults. You might get a $19 booster seat there. I got one that has two cup holders for my 6 year old grand daughter and she loves it. It is 24" wide so I think a smallish women would fit in it well. It probably lifts her 3-4" easy. It comes in pink/purple or blue. (since this is the 3rd seat she has grown through I bought the largest they had so hopefully its the last child seat I have to buy for this one anyway).
 
Oregon Aero might be a source.

However, visit your local auto upholstery shop. It's possible to get exactly what you need for a small to modest cost.
 
I have patio furniture cushions for the seats. Cheap, always available.
 
Heck nobody uses these anymore. They gotta be cheap!
telephone%20books_books.jpg
 
And if you have to go really bad they will hold a ton of water and are the right color already.
 
Go to a sporting goods store and look for an inflatable hunting seat. They're just a small inflatable cushion that is used to keep your butt dry and off the ground when sitting on the ground turkey hunting.

Lightweight. Inexpensive. And usually pretty durable.
 
I like the Oregon aero custom cushions look great and feel good,however not cheap.
 
Booster seats are generally not legal in airplanes.
Except as provided in Sec. 91.107(a)(3)(iii)(B )(3)(iii) and Sec. 91.107(a)(3)(iii)(B )(3)(iv), booster-type child restraint systems (as defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213 (49 CFR 571.213)), vest- and harness-type child restraint systems, and lap held child restraints are not approved for use in aircraft.
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The exceptions:
(iii) That the seat or child restraint device furnished by the operator was approved by the FAA through Type Certificate, Supplemental Type Certificate.
(iv) That the seat or child restraint device furnished by the operator, or one of the persons described in paragraph (a) (3) (iii) (A) of this section, was approved by the FAA in accordance with Sec. 21.305(d) or Technical Standard Order C-100b, or a later version.
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...and it's almost certain your booster seat doesn't meet those exceptions.

I think that's a dumb rule, and contrary to safety, but it is the rule. Do what you think best, but do so knowing the law on point.
 
Ron Levy said:
Booster seats are generally not legal in airplanes.
The exceptions:
...and it's almost certain your booster seat doesn't meet those exceptions.

I think that's a dumb rule, and contrary to safety, but it is the rule. Do what you think best, but do so knowing the law on point.
Click to expand...

So when, exactly, would sacrificing a child's safety in order to comply with the law be what's best?


JKG
 
Aren't there approved safety seats these days that have interchangeable inserts for as the kid gets bigger?
 
How much boost do you need?

I have used the 2 in Oregon Aero cushion for years. Until I got it for my wife, she always wondered how I could see to land, because to her the view out the front was 15 degrees above the horizon.
 
I had a custom seat cushion made at a local upholstery shop with fabric that matches my seats.

But, Chris likes a rocking chair pad better. It's bigger than a boat cushion, softer, more conforming and more comfortable. A boat cushion you sit on top of...a rocking chair pad you sit in. It's similar to this one (she uses the bottom only):

Best-Greendale-Home-Fashions-Standard-Rocking-Chair-Cushion-design.jpg


It, surprisingly, doesn't take much lift to make a huge difference. She's 5-1, I'm 6-1. The custom pad is 2" thick and she sits almost as high as I do when using it.
 
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Ron,

hypothetically what would you use for your 5 year old granddaughter?


Ron Levy said:
Booster seats are generally not legal in airplanes.
The exceptions:
...and it's almost certain your booster seat doesn't meet those exceptions.

I think that's a dumb rule, and contrary to safety, but it is the rule. Do what you think best, but do so knowing the law on point.
Click to expand...
 
Ron Levy said:
Booster seats are generally not legal in airplanes.
The exceptions:
...and it's almost certain your booster seat doesn't meet those exceptions.

I think that's a dumb rule, and contrary to safety, but it is the rule. Do what you think best, but do so knowing the law on point.
Click to expand...

That's the kind of rule that if it ever becomes an issue, you already have much bigger issues.

When faced with a choice between doing something safe(r) and following the rules, I'm generally gonna go with the choice that maximizes safety.
 
Henning said:
Aren't there approved safety seats these days that have interchangeable inserts for as the kid gets bigger?
Click to expand...

Yes, but they are not simply "booster type" seats. They are heavier and more expensive than the boosters.
 
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Rwsavory said:
Yes, but they not simply "booster type" seats. They are heavier and more expensive than the boosters.
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Right, but they provide side support as well while boosters provide a fulcrum that can break the spine, I'm pretty sure that's why the FAA doesn't allow them.
 
JGoodish said:
So when, exactly, would sacrificing a child's safety in order to comply with the law be what's best?
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There are actually safety reasons why those booster seats are prohibited. Talk to the FAA Tech Center folks at ACY to get them, but I think Henning's on the right track.
 
Ron Levy said:
There are actually safety reasons why those booster seats are prohibited. Talk to the FAA Tech Center folks at ACY to get them, but I think Henning's on the right track.
Click to expand...

I thought the reason had to do with decapitation hazard in airliner seats in a crash. Never seen one of those in a 172....

Booster seats are not necessary for safety in any aircraft I've flown. In cars, they are needed to position the shoulder harness. They do nothing for lap belts.

Boosters are nice to let a kid see over the panel, but the side windows are not generally a problem even for a preschooler.
 
MAKG1 said:
I thought the reason had to do with decapitation hazard in airliner seats in a crash. Never seen one of those in a 172....
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If you have any documentation for that, I'd love to see it. I know some people who could get the rules changed if the research exists to support such a change.
 
According to the AC, the prohibition is based on a 1994 CAMI study, published as AM-94/19. The report is an interesting read.

While this is not evidence of safety, there are some problems applying that study to spam cans, now.

1. The boosters tested have tray-type restraints that seem to be obsolete. At least one of those broke in the test, causing simulated abdominal injury. I've never seen a booster like that and I suspect they may not conform with modern DOT standards.

2. The boosters didn't fit in the airline seats, causing failure and contributing to injury.

3. The major risk came from the seat back breaking over (which they were designed to do), combined with an adult in the row behind hitting the seat, resulting in probable abdominal injury.

4. An additional risk was head contact with the row in front, elevated due to the raised height.

None of this applies to small aircraft. The study is rather explicitly of transport category aircraft.

But one conclusion does merit a second thought. There is no advantage of a booster seat over a plain lap belt.

Banning these in small aircraft is not supported by the data the FAA says it used to make the decision.
 
If I had kids, I'd still have one with side restraint/protection, but then, I don't have kids. :D
 
Evenflo Tribute DLX is a certified car seat (not merely a booster) that weighs about 9 lb, designed for tight spaces, and it will fit up to 40 lb, 40" tall child. Just ordered one for our 3 year old to use in the plane and rental car on trips. We shall see how it goes.
 
Anyone have any experience using one of these:

Gio-102-small.jpg

http://kidsflysafe.com/

I ruled it out because it wouldn't work with the rear seat bench of my club's 172. It seems designed for airline seats, but might work for other models.Not much to it, so plenty light. Doesn't do anything to lift the child, though.

I've once or twice flown with my daughter in the co-pilot's seat, in her (FAA-approved) full-up car seat, secured to the aircraft seat by the seat belt in the usual way -- also required full-aft seat position for avoidance/reduced risk of control interference. She definitely enjoyed the ride more being up higher and able to see out and down to a greater extent. Our first flight with spouse and both kiddies put my wife and younger child in the back, so she could tend to him as needed. However, once we got past that 'test flight' of sorts, when I've had another non-flying adult in the aircraft I preferred to have them in the right seat.
 
The first question is - do you have a shoulder belt for the seat where you might want to use a booster?

If you do, a booster seat is designed to lift a smaller occupant up to the proper height for the shoulder belt to work. Not using one increases the potential for injury. Of course using one would be contrary to the rules which apparently were written for airline seats that don't use shoulder belts. Seems like a simple choice to me.

If you don't have a shoulder harness, the booster seat probably does nothing to improve safety and could make things worse if the angle of the lap belt comes out wrong. The question then would be why you don't have shoulder harnesses, but we already know the answer for those of you in type certified aircraft...

Of course, things like boat cushions (type 4 PFD), pillows, and other random things are totally safe and could never slip out from under someone and limit the stick travel because they are allowed by the FAA since they are not "booster seats".

So to comply with regulations, I would peel off the label on what used to be a booster seat and stick on the label from a pillow to turn it into a cushion. YMMV.
 
Why not just get the Oregon Aero pads and have something nice, or for a kid get the good seat that affords extra protection and better restraint? Are we trying to save money here on this or what? I'm not getting it...:dunno:
 
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