Third row seat

[Luke68]

Im wondering if anyone has any experience installing a seat in the baggage area.
When I purchased my quick build kit we had a family of four but since then our daughter was born so I'm thinking it's going to be a tight squeeze trying to get everyone seated and buckled in.
i have found some pictures on the bearhawk site but nothing that really shows how they are installed.
thanks for any help

Luke

[whee]

There's three planes I've seen pics of with a 3rd row but I know nothing about them. I did like you, searched the web and found them. I'm installing a 3rd row in my plane but have planned to do so from the beginning; I have 3 kids.

Here's a pic of my frames set in place without legs. My seats will attach to the L-track. Welding in some bushings to bolt a seat down would be really simple.



One of the planes I found pics of looked like it just had thick pads for the seats with the seat belts attached to the cargo tie-downs. Something along those lines would be the easiest but probably the least safe, maybe not so great looking and likely not comfortable for anyone for very long.

[Luke68]

Thanks for the picture, I like the tracks and individual seat adjustment, will they be bolted in place or have a sliding mechanism?
I was thinking of making the seat frame like a tripod, mounting the front legs in with the back seat brackets and using the center cargo tie down for the rear, just not sure if it would be to flexible. Trying to avoid welding to my fuselage if possible but I'm thinking that might be the best option

[Luke68]

What are your plans for windows?

[Battson]

The latest Maules have similar door / window setup, and are offered with a 3rd row of seats - that might be a place to look for ideas?

[whee]

Seats will be adjustable, not really on sliders but can be moved easily without tools.

[patrickh99]

Use a kid's carseat and just put fastening points for it.

[Dave Roberts]

I had a third row seat. It was just a single seat(didn't go al the way across) that way there was room for baggage beside it. If you build it the right size it doesn't need to be adjustable. I have the maule style window. Otherwise the third row is like a cave.

[Luke68]

Did you position the seat off to one side or center it.

[whee]

Use a kid's carseat and just put fastening points for it.

That works till the kid is older. Then your left with a family of 5 and a 4-place airplane. For me that would mean the plane gets sold. Unless I completely screwed up my measurements a small adult, like my 5'3" wife, will be able to ride in the third row in reasonable comfort.

The adjustability gives me options. I can pull one middle row seat and sit two little kids in the third row and another in the middle row with a fair amount of room for baggage. I can scoot the middle seat forward a bit and give the 3rd row a little more leg room. Or I can flip the middle seats around and have club seating. Or I can remove both middle seats and position the 3rd row bench anywhere along the track. I might even be able to put one middle seat in sideways, remove the rear doors and have a great platform for aerial shooting.

[patrickh99]

I did not do any measurements, I just assumed the 3rd row would be unusable once the kids hit their teens. Of course, you may not want them with at that point, but that is a whole different discussion.

You definitely have some options with your system.

[Luke68]

I've been walking circles around my project for over an hr and I think I might install a single seat up against the baggage door and leave the other side for baggage. would there be any disadvantage to covering both doors totally with glass, just seems simpler than welding in stringers

[Dave Roberts]

Mine was off to the side next to the baggage door. My youngest was about 5' tall when he quit riding back there. Glass would be okay but ounces add into pounds and pounds are the enemy of flight.

[whee]

Single seat next to the baggage door is a good plan. That's what I was going to go with at first.

Weight is the main reason not to go with full window doors. Plexi or lexan is a lot heavier than aluminum or fabric.

[whee]

I'm a Tapatalk user so I didn't see any of the "comments" till just now when I logged in on the computer while doing some other work.

I don't have a solid plan for 3rd row windows. It will depend on how my 6y/o fits back there and how well she can see. My 2nd row windows are larger that the standard windows.


I don't know how a Maule M7 floor length compares to a BH but here's a couple pics of a M7

[Battson]

I am jealous of the guy taking that last photo - what an attractive group of passengers to host!!

[JimParker256]

Gee - I must be getting old... My first thought was "Oh, how nice that someone has three grandkids that want to fly with them..."

[SpainCub]

Jim, sorry to say, but yup! you are that is one nice cargo.... area!

[Luke68]

I would like to keep a nice line on the bottom of the windows so if I use the bottom frame of the front window and extend it back to the rear door I get about 10.5" in the front and 4" in the back
I had my oldest son (5yrs) sit in the far back and there is plenty of leg room. I plan on making the seat only about an inch or two off the floor in order to keep decent visibility out of the window in the door.

[Battson]

Unless I completely screwed up my measurements a small adult, like my 5'3" wife, will be able to ride in the third row in reasonable comfort.

The challenge I have with passengers that far in the back, especially in a short coupled plane like the BH, is air sickness. They need to be air sickness resistant passengers!

[kestrel]

I'm a Tapatalk user so I didn't see any of the "comments" till just now when I logged in on the computer while doing some other work.

...that is at the core of why I don't use Tapatalk. I love the idea, but the details are (IMHO) painful.

[whee]

I agree Battson, air sickness is certainly a concern. I'm hopeful that my kids have enough flight experience that it won't bother them. If it does then I'm screwed.

...that is at the core of why I don't use Tapatalk. I love the idea, but the details are (IMHO) painful.

This is the only forum I use that has the comment feature so I don't see it as a Tapatalk issue. I've just learned to accept that I will occasionally miss something.

[SpainCub]

You can see here a BH overexposed on a Maule, the BH is a bit larger airframe wise, the Maule has a little better usable space because of it's design. 0,005" accuracy.