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RV8 Rear Seat Egress

davej11

Member
Does anyone have suggestions or gadgets to help a person who is older than they'd like to think, easily get out of the rear seat of an RV8? Getting in is easy, but that first lift to get out of the rear seat is a problem. Ideas?
Thanks
 
Try a Hydraulic Seat Lift Assist.

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RV-8 Ingress/Egress

Here is the way I brief it: When getting in, step right on the seat. Some folks will put a towel or something on the seat, temporarily, to keep the seat clean and neat. Then once standing on the seat, put your hands on the sides of the front seat cross bar (or the canopy rails) and move your feet to the flat part of the floor just ahead of the seat. Then holding onto the cross bar, slide your backside slowly down the seat back cushion until seated, then move your feet to the foot wells. Once seated, you may have to ask them to scoot forward while you pull the seat back cushion up and into place. There is always the risk that someone will grab the canopy lock on the left side, so I put my own hand on that to protect it. It can get bent very easily.

Then to get out, the reverse procedure applies. Grab the front seat cross bar on each side, put your feet on the flat part of the floor, and inch your backside up the seat back cushion in small increments until you can stand on the flat part of the floor. Then once again stand on the seat and exit one leg at at time. A small stool behind the flap helps a lot to get down from the airplane. Remember to protect the canopy lock!! If that gets bent, it might not work so well. Ask me how I know!
 
I find that older passengers who don't have decent upper body strength have problems egressing without some help from the pilot to pull them into a standing position. No solution from me. I suppose when I get older, I prefer something like a C172 just because it is easier to get in and out
 
This entire thread is an example why the RV15 should be a high wing....... but it won't help your situation.
 
Whilst I acknowledge its very difficult to extract a person from the rear seat unaided my solution is if they can't get out unassisted they don't fly with me!
My reason is safety, that's my overriding decision not to take incapable pax.
 
Egress

Some folks modify the front seat rest with an a frame similar to the RV4 . Visualize an A welded to the seat rest. It gives more leverage to the passengers guess.
I hope the 15 comes out soon! If? It is like my idea ,,,?? I’ll be able to get in and out well into my old age…….
 
Whilst I acknowledge its very difficult to extract a person from the rear seat unaided my solution is if they can't get out unassisted they don't fly with me!
My reason is safety, that's my overriding decision not to take incapable pax.

+1
Passenger needs to know how to egress on their own, unassisted. That's part of a standard passenger brief.
It's for their own safety.
 
Whilst I acknowledge its very difficult to extract a person from the rear seat unaided my solution is if they can't get out unassisted they don't fly with me!
My reason is safety, that's my overriding decision not to take incapable pax.

My wife of 41 years is a bilateral amputee and it will definitely take some doing to get her in and out of the back of my RV-8 but we plan on figuring out a way. Your logic is irrefutable. But will I deny her opportunites to fly in the aircraft she supported wholeheartedly, even to the point of mutual financial hardship? If you think I would do that, you would be incorrect.
 
My wife of 41 years is a bilateral amputee and it will definitely take some doing to get her in and out of the back of my RV-8 but we plan on figuring out a way. Your logic is irrefutable. But will I deny her opportunites to fly in the aircraft she supported wholeheartedly, even to the point of mutual financial hardship? If you think I would do that, you would be incorrect.

That decision is up to you two. I wouldn't even think about it!
 
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