Todays Airport Observation

[Don Jones]

I was sitting in the runup area with a student today, I looked over at the plane sitting next to us, a nice, fairly new 182 and I couldn't believe my eyes. There were 5 adults in it, 2 in front, 2 in the rear seats, and 1 sitting in the floor at the rear seat passengers feet. I saw these folks on the ramp all milling around the airplane earlier, just figured someone was seeing them off. None of them were small, the 3 women would easily be 150 lbs, and the 2 guys probably went 180. Since when did Cessna install seat belts in the rear floor? I know a 182 will haul a lot of weight, so that might not have been an issue. Some regs were definately being bent tho. I never have a camera when I need one, took one with the cell phone, can't tell much from the picture, didn't bother posting it.

 

[Teller1900]

Even if, by putting a person on the floor, they had kept it within the weight/CG limits...a person on the floor?? Ya, that's not legal. Unless they have the STC for the "special person's" chair in the middle of the aircraft...

 

[Dean]

Do skydiving planes fall under a special reg? I see 182's fly all the time with only the pilot's seat and 4 or 5 skydivers seating on the floor, so what would be the difference?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Do skydiving planes fall under a special reg? I see 182's fly all the time with only the pilot's seat and 4 or 5 skydivers seating on the floor, so what would be the difference?

The skydiving ones have restraints for all 5 people. A 182 with seats does not have seat belts for the person on the floor most likely. 91.107(a)(2-3).