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Seatback hole for access to rear


tu54

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Understand that I've yet to sit in a Cozy. I'd like to get feedback on a thought of making a hole or vertical slot in the center of the front seatback (between the front people) to allow the pilot and front passenger to reach back thru it, to at least the area immediately behind the seat. If there was such a hole, what kind of physical gyrations would be required to get an arm thru it? How would it effect back support? Is this unrealistic?

 

Thanks

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Hmmm. I understand you wanting access to the back. My solution was to replace the turtleback bulkhead with a spar cap embedded in the turtleback itself. This way you (or more likely, the passenger) can reach stuff on the back seat, or actually climb in the back to use the bathroom etc. etc. Also people in the back seat wont feel quite as trapped this way. (no, I don't have a bathroom in the back of my Cozy, but I do plan to keep a supply of those little gel baggies, and I have a REALLY BAD experience of my retention challenged brother using one while in the left seat of a PA180 while I was in the right seat.)

 

Anyway, I digress. Back to you're original question. I'd say its not a good idea. You have some structural issues. The plans fuel valve is there with it's hard points, plus three pipes and the landing brake support. You have the triangilar seatback support right in the middle sitting on the heatduct, so you'd have to go one side of that. As soon as you get away from the middle you'd have to move the seat cushion out of the way to get at the hole. It would be tough for the pax to lift his/her own seat cushion, then reach around it to get at the hole. Perhaps I'm not visualizing you're plan correctly. I guess you could put a small door behind the pax seat, and that might be handy to get at the space behind. I even thought of making a large door in each side so both could lie back and sleep, but I didnt want to mess with the structure and reason prevailed.

 

There's plenty of space in the baggage areas for spare underware and other stuff you might need in flight.

 

I'd bet that this didnt help you at all.

Regards,

John Slade

I can be reached on the "other" forum http://canardaviationforum.dmt.net

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It does take a fair amount of preplanning and some discipline to pack the plane during preflight to assure all essential equipment is within easy reach. (Ever try living aboard a small sailboat?)

 

Fortunately, the Cozy does provide just enough storage for charts, pencils, and small flight manuals. There are the map pockets in the front seat armrests and the forward strake baggage compartment. There's also a small amount of space between the front seats and the fuselage walls if you build your side consoles right. There are supposed to be access holes from which to retrieve things from under the front seats, but those tend to be prime areas form installing electrical wiring and fuse blocks.

 

While it is next to impossible to retrieve things from the rear seat areas, there are tricks to the trade. Some builders hang tethers from the shoulder support that are attached to water bottles, food bags, whatever. Simply reach back, grab a tether, and pull up whatever is attached to it. Other builders have installed a removable shelf that fits immediately behind the shoulder support. It is installed high enough to facilitate being able to reach behind one’s head without having to unbuckle the seat belts and lift one's self up from the seat.

 

Forget ever trying to reach anything on the rear floor boards or on the rear seat unless you (1) have really long, long arms; (2) are willing to unbuckle and twist up out of the seat (who's flying the plane????); or (3) have an access hole/door.

 

On #3, Mr. Slade is correct. The best place to put such a hole/door would be in the lower portion of the pilot's and co-pilot's seatback. Could work well if you fly solo alot. You would however be responsible for assessing if the structural integrity is somehow compromised :-)

 

I've flown about 18 hours in the front seat of Marc Zeitlin's plane. Except for needing a 9-volt battery, we didn't have an occasion to want to crawl in the back to retrieve anything. The hole/door idea would offer convenience, but it's certainly an acceptance that you get used to over time.

 

================================

Wayne Hicks

Cozy IV Plans #678, Chapter 23 Engine and Cowls

http://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/index.html

Wayne Hicks

Cozy IV Plans #678

http://www.ez.org/pages/waynehicks

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