Handicap Passenger/Cherokee 140

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daveconeal

Filing Flight Plan
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Dave
Anyone with experience? I have an eager passenger who is wheel-chair bound, has very limited use of her legs as well as severly limited upper body strength. My major concern is helping her exit the plane. I think it's do-able but would like to hear from anyone who has tried it.

Thanks!

Dave
 
Can she rock back and forth from hip to hip? If so, then you could take some yoga blocks or rolled up towels or rugs and have her rock over and put a block under one bum and then rock up on it and block the other side working it up and up till she's level with the door and can slide over onto the wing.
Have a friend who is mobility challenged and we discussed that as an idea and she seemed to think it might work. haven't tried it yet and if you do then I think you should try it with a mobile person first as an experiment before she gets stuck!
 
My first concern would be emergency egress, and in a PA28, she will be between you and the only door. You might consider choosing another plane (such as a Cessna Cardinal, which I believe is the #1 choice for wheelchair pilots) for this flight unless you're sure you can get the door open and the both of you out in a hurry with no outside assistance.
 
Ron Levy said:
My first concern would be emergency egress, and in a PA28, she will be between you and the only door. You might consider choosing another plane (such as a Cessna Cardinal, which I believe is the #1 choice for wheelchair pilots) for this flight unless you're sure you can get the door open and the both of you out in a hurry with no outside assistance.
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I was thinking the same thing. The handicapped passenger is blocking the only exit. you would have to get in first and have a muscular friend available to get her in and out.

I took my grandmother flying long ago. She was not handicapped but chose not to try to stand on the wing. She chose to sit and hike herself to the seat going in and out, we laid a blanket on the wing. I was flying a Beech Sport, doors on both sides.
 
Entering the plane is actually more difficult. Egress is pretty easy, especially in a low wing. To get in the best way (make sure the wing is cool &/or bring a blanket)is for them to just pull up to the back of the wing and flip up. At that point it depends on upper body strength. For strong people I'll have pre rigged some lines with loops on portable hooks and I'll also rig an overhead grab in the middle. Since you say she has little upper body strength, it's really a lot easier (as long as you can handle their weight) if they just give self reliance and independence over for a couple of minutes and let me hand toss you in. I've gone through this issue before with handicapped clients and guests. I just approach them and make it plain that there may come a time when someone may have to throw them over their shoulder and run and they are all good with that. I then go further that due to the general difficulties of getting around a boat, that should they prefer that someone take them, that someone will always be available to do so. "If it's rough, please take help" (whenever I know that we'll have wheelchairs onboard, I always put on a couple of big guys).

If they are good with being handled, it's pretty easy, otherwise have a 5' 2x4 ready to serve as a lifting lever.
 
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I trained several wheelchair pilots in Cherokees...one went on to get his commercial and instrument. All men, however. They had to wiggle their way across to the left seat, of course. It can be done.

Bob Gardner
 
Having taken my 88 yo aunt (with limited leg strength) I decided not to use the cherokee and rented a C172. Larger doors made all the difference.
 
bobmrg said:
I trained several wheelchair pilots in Cherokees...one went on to get his commercial and instrument. All men, however. They had to wiggle their way across to the left seat, of course. It can be done.

Bob Gardner
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I was also concerned by the "severely limited upper body strength." In combination with no leg ability, could make emergency egress impossible. With a two-door plane, you could drag her out your side.
 
bobmrg said:
I trained several wheelchair pilots in Cherokees...one went on to get his commercial and instrument. All men, however. They had to wiggle their way across to the left seat, of course. It can be done.

Bob Gardner
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I knew a couple of wheelchair pilots with their own Cherokee 180s. They had the upper body strength to do it all themselves, even stow their wheelchair.

The OP does not have the upper body strength.
 
BillTIZ said:
I knew a couple of wheelchair pilots with their own Cherokee 180s. They had the upper body strength to do it all themselves, even stow their wheelchair.

The OP does not have the upper body strength.
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The thing about wheelchair bound people who have little upper body strength, they are typically quite light which increases the options for handling them in an emergency. When they are in a wheelchair due to obesity, the game changes completely, but that is rare to run into and most of them that aren't house bound have sufficient strength.
 
How friendly are you two? I have a paralyzed friend and told him if he dont mind being man-handled i'd get him in !! Worked out ok...
 
Ron Levy said:
"In" isn't the problem -- "out in a hurry" is.
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As long as weight is manageable, out in a hurry is not a worry, low wing you flip them out the door on their side and drag them off the wing into a fireman carry. High wing you you can flip them direct over your shoulder. If they have even modest upper body strength, they are typically very good at hanging on. Working with the Palegic Pelagics we went through a lot of these issue working out our program for the USCG and the difficulties were a lot less than we expected when the approached us. The good thing is none of them were personally heavy, just their gear, and none of them had issues with being 'chucked around', infact one girl (pretty much a quad) would be sitting there getting hot and say "hey, put a jacket on me and throw me overboard would you?" and she had great fun being thrown over the side and into the water.
 
Henning said:
As long as weight is manageable, out in a hurry is not a worry, low wing you flip them out the door on their side and drag them off the wing into a fireman carry.
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Easy to say, hard for many to do, especially when they are between you and the only way out. Many factors involved, so there's no canned answer -- you have to look at it yourself and be sure you can do it with the actual person involved.
 
Ron Levy said:
Easy to say, hard for many to do, especially when they are between you and the only way out. Many factors involved, so there's no canned answer -- you have to look at it yourself and be sure you can do it with the actual person involved.
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that is really the critical issue. Way back I went though all of this with my uncle who had polio as a child and he wasn't light weight. It wasn't difficult for me to drag him out and down the wing, but it took my cousin (big boy lol) to get him in.
 
Thanks for the input. I understand the safety concerns but she is fairly small. I've no doubt that I could pull her from the cabin in an emergency but it would NOT be a comfortable exit.

I would like to make this a good experience for her.
 
daveconeal said:
Thanks for the input. I understand the safety concerns but she is fairly small. I've no doubt that I could pull her from the cabin in an emergency but it would NOT be a comfortable exit.

I would like to make this a good experience for her.
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Does she have a friend bringing her to the airport to meet you? Can that friend teach you how to lift her? Seems with two of you it should be easier.
 
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