Originally Posted by
lelebebbel
I'm pretty certain there is a placard that reads "do not store anything under all the seats" [sic] in the factory bench seat equipped cabin. At least in the older models that i've flown.
Define older models. The only Airbus models that I've seen with that placard had energy-absorbing seats installed like in the EC130B4. Its required per the Limitations section in the AFM. The AS350 doesn't have that requirement unless it has the pilot/co-pilot E-A seats installed but the only placards I've seen required on that model are on floor loading. Besides the original 350 bucket seats had storage compartments incorporated into those seats as well. So perhaps your placards were for a different reason as the area under the aft factory seat was used for storage on a regular basis in my experience and was perfectly legal. No different than the EMS interiors.
But I'd be very surprised if they were running these machines with stuff stored in a non-approved way.
You'll find the majority of AS350 EMS interiors flying around the US are of the same layout. And with the same amount of equipment stored in various locations. I don't know how the EC130 EMS interiors handles storing items under seats but the 350 has zero issue with it from a regulatory side other than they should be restrained in some manner from my experience.