Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:33 pm
#1618148
I've had a seat go on me in a C152, whilst flying a stall test from the LHS. I shot to the back, the aeroplane stalled as I was already slow and pulling back and the seat movement before I let go exaccerbated it.
Fortunately I had somebody with a PPL in the RHS so was shouting "You have controooooooooooolllll Mike" as I shot to the back of the aeroplane.
He brought it back under control and I clawed my way back forwards - but I can absolutely see the problem and can only guess at the outcome if that had happened, say, on final.
I did once approve, as an airworthiness engineer, an aeroplane with a similar seat mechanism. I insisted on a backup strap as a mandatory component that would allow the seat forwards but not backwards if the seat pin failed. The designer when I talked him through Cessna problems accepted my argument and it's still mandatory across that particular fleet I believe. I'm good with that bit of "gold plating" that we're so famous for in Britain: the material cost per aircraft was probably less than a tenner.
G
I am Spartacus, and so is my co-pilot.