Third row seat

[whee]

Very cool SpainCub! What model Maule?

[nichzimmerman]

Here's another data point on third row seats. I designed it to sit at the same angle as the rear (middle?) seat and I plan to simply attach the back rest to the bulkhead at that station. I originally thought this design would allow the seat to swivel up out of the way, but with 2" of cushion on the seat and back rest it probably won't go far, but it's also quick to remove and will fold up for easy storage. My wife is 5'5" and said it would be comfy enough for a short trip provided I put in a window.

[SpainCub]

Very nice setup!

[whee]

Great solution Nic! I think that's my favorite so far.

[JimParker256]

Here's another data point on third row seats. I designed it to sit at the same angle as the rear (middle?) seat and I plan to simply attach the back rest to the bulkhead at that station. I originally thought this design would allow the seat to swivel up out of the way, but with 2" of cushion on the seat and back rest it probably won't go far, but it's also quick to remove and will fold up for easy storage. My wife is 5'5" and said it would be comfy enough for a short trip provided I put in a window.

That's a pretty neat and clean solution. You could extend the seat bottom hinge point "arm" a bit further forward, and resolve your "cushion" problem. The cushions would be sandwiched between the seat bottom and the bulkhead.

Alternatively, have the bottom cushion "hinged" at the front ("permanently" attached only at the front edge of the seat) so you could flip it forward, and the seat back cushion "hinged" at the top. To "fold" the seat up, you would first flip the bottom cushion forward, then lift the seat back cushion, raise the seat bottom against the bulkhead, and allow the seat back cushion to drop down, holding the "stack" against the bulkhead with its weight.

With memory foam for the seats, a 1-inch "Soft" density back cushion and a 2-inch bottom cushion (1" of Med-Firm + 1" of Soft) would be good for smaller people - up to about 150 lbs. You would need to design the back cushion attachment mechanism (maybe straps to attach to the bulkhead?) so that cushion would clear the folded seat frame and bottom cushion, but just the weight of the back cushion should be adequate to retain the entire assembly in the folded position. If you were really paranoid, you could rig a strap / snap to the seat back cushion to secure the folded assembly, but I suspect it would not be needed. You'd lose a small amount of cargo space - basically the "volume" of the folded frame and seat cushions against the rear of the baggage compartment.

[SpainCub]

Thats essentially a M-5, you can see how the use if better floor arrangement and head room from the Maule give you a little better use in space for the rear 3rd seat.

[whee]

Thats essentially a M-5, you can see how the use if better floor arrangement and head room from the Maule give you a little better use in space for the rear 3rd seat.

Thanks again SpainCub.

I think it is worth noting the M7 Maule has a 6" longer floor and a higher ceiling in the baggage area than the previous versions.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Good signature

[whee]

Haha, thanks Chris. Wonder if it will work.

[JimParker256]

Not as long as there are "smart-asses" on the forum... LOL

[kestrel]

;-) ;-) ;-)

[whee]

This 3rd row thread seems to be the most complete so I guess this is where I should post some pictures.

I took the last picture while sitting in the 3rd row. Without upholstery I could sit back there in marginal comfort for maybe an hour. With upholstery one of my daughters should be able to ride back there in reasonable comfort for quite some time.

[Gerhard Rieger]

if it was me who wanted 6 seats, I would opt for club seating because it moves the middle row's weight more forward.

[nichzimmerman]

I have a factory rear seat and when I welded the bushings into the fuselage I ensured they were perfectly square so the seat could be turned around. With club seating, the front seats will have to be fairly far forward and there is still minimal room between the 2nd and 3rd row seat. Not enough for 3 or 4 pairs of legs for any length of time. Maybe doable if there was very small child in a car seat though.

Pictures of tubular fuselages are natoriously hard to see, but hopefully these will be useful to someone. In the forward facing configuration, there is 17" between the forward crossbar of the third seat and the plane of the middle seat back. In the club configuration, there is 19" between the knee crossbars of the seats. While the club had marginally more room, there would be 3-4 pairs of legs in there vs 1-2. However, club has a more forward CG and also offers usable baggage space between the seat backs of the 1st and 2nd row.

IMG_20181222_071324861.jpgIMG_20181222_071233146.jpg

Whee, I didn't notice until now but my "middle seat" window design is nearly identical to yours except that I tapered the top of the pilot-side window to match the height of forward baggage door window (which is factory). If you get around to snapping some pictures how your acrylic is fastened in I could benefit from it.

- Nic

[whee]

Leg room with club seating will be the major issue. I understand with the factory bench seat this is significant moment forward in the CG location when it is faced aft. That isn't the case with my seating arrangement. Reversing the middle row moves the CG location aft because the seat has to be positioned further aft. I can position my middle row far enough forward that the best way to load passengers is through the front doors and still maintain decent leg room for those passengers.

Nic, I'll start a thread to post my rear window pics in.