Originally Posted by
barrywei
Is it legal to change the seat in a small plane (e.g PA28 or C172) during the flight? It's within the Center of Gravity Limits.
Thank you for your answer
I used to fly an Islander on surveillance operations. The customer wanted their operative to move from the back seats to the front if they wanted to take photos out of the DV window.
The thought of a 15 stone law enforcement officer falling onto the control column and pushing the nose down towards the ground did not seem like a good idea so it was a NO from me. If any of my colleagues allowed this to happen then more fool them, a risk not worth taking in a small aircraft.
Even in a heavy jet if my colleague is getting out of their seat I will place my hand on the control column and cover the thrust leavers just in case.