Batjac Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 Hi, All. I am a new CTLS owner. I just got my plane at the end of January, and there is a lot of stuff that I don’t know. And a lot of stuff I don’t know that I don’t know. I’ve been slowly working my way through this forum, but I keep finding items that hint at other things I should understand. One of these is the strap on the back of the seats. I had assumed that the strap is just to keep the seat from pivoting forward after setting the seat position. But a couple of threads give me the impression that there’s more to it that I need to understand. Can someone explain the actual design purpose of this strap and proper adjustment? Maybe with a clarifying picture or diagram? Thanks, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Cesnalis Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 I think the purpose is the same as in my CTSW. The strap has to have tension to relieve tension on the seat frame top against the bulkhead. If it is supported against the bulkhead, the frame can and will break, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 Yeah, it's to put tension on the seat back to hold it away from the rear bulkhead. You can get cracks in the seat or the bulkhead if the seatback rests against the bulkhead with the pilot's weight on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 The strap is to support and adjust the incline of the seat, not to keep it from flopping forward. The seat should not, I repeat should not be resting on the rear bulkhead. If it is resting on the bulkhead it will cause the seat pan to crack, because it is not designed for that kind of stress. I have repaired several over the years. Some of the early airplanes had issues with the straps and adjusters slipping. For those a half hitch knot in the free end of the strap helps. Also you have to watch the positioning of the adjuster, because of the angle an placement can cause it to release when you sit in the seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Cesnalis Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 3 hours ago, Tom Baker said: The strap is to support and adjust the incline of the seat, not to keep it from flopping forward. The seat should not, I repeat should not be resting on the rear bulkhead. If it is resting on the bulkhead it will cause the seat pan to crack, because it is not designed for that kind of stress. I have repaired several over the years. Some of the early airplanes had issues with the straps and adjusters slipping. For those a half hitch knot in the free end of the strap helps. Also you have to watch the positioning of the adjuster, because of the angle an placement can cause it to release when you sit in the seat. Well said, Tom, I now remember FD-west in Carson City gave me a new passenger seat because mine then against the bulkhead seemed to have a broken fame up high on the high back seat. I never saw it with the cover off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batjac Posted March 15 Author Report Share Posted March 15 Okay, so to be clear. I have my seat positioned in the track such that the locking pins are in the second hole from the front. I now adjust the strap so that it is just snug? No tension lifting the seat from where it rests? I never really specifically looked at the seat back when I'm sitting in it but I thought that I was far enough forward that the seat back does not touch the bulkhead. Am I missing something? Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiny.ice Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 Welcome to the CT world Mark! Where do you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batjac Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 Shiny. Funny you should ask. I live in the Tulsa, OK area. I just moved from Hillsboro over by the Hillsboro airport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 4 hours ago, Batjac said: Okay, so to be clear. I have my seat positioned in the track such that the locking pins are in the second hole from the front. I now adjust the strap so that it is just snug? No tension lifting the seat from where it rests? I never really specifically looked at the seat back when I'm sitting in it but I thought that I was far enough forward that the seat back does not touch the bulkhead. Am I missing something? Mark If you are in the second hole you can have the strap tight, and the seat will be sitting almost straight up. Or you can loosen it some and recline the seat a little. Put a little pressure on the seat bottom, and make sure the seat back is not touching the bulkhead. As long as it is not touching you are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towner Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 I didn’t understand the strap either when I bought my SW. Sounded like the seat pan was already cracked when I bought it, but I definitely made it worse. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to fix the cracks, and since the work was covered, it didn’t have to be pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batjac Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 2 hours ago, Tom Baker said: If you are in the second hole you can have the strap tight, and the seat will be sitting almost straight up. Or you can loosen it some and recline the seat a little. Put a little pressure on the seat bottom, and make sure the seat back is not touching the bulkhead. As long as it is not touching you are good. I'll have someone look at it when I'm sitting in it tomorrow and make sure it's all good. So there should always be some tension in the strap holding the seat up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiny.ice Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 4 hours ago, Batjac said: Shiny. Funny you should ask. I live in the Tulsa, OK area. I just moved from Hillsboro over by the Hillsboro airport. Hah- too bad, I would have loved a CT buddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Cesnalis Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 8 hours ago, Batjac said: Okay, so to be clear. I have my seat positioned in the track such that the locking pins are in the second hole from the front. I now adjust the strap so that it is just snug? No tension lifting the seat from where it rests? I never really specifically looked at the seat back when I'm sitting in it but I thought that I was far enough forward that the seat back does not touch the bulkhead. Am I missing something? Mark uh, maybe you are. snug is not the objective. the objective is supported by the strap alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 8 hours ago, Batjac said: I'll have someone look at it when I'm sitting in it tomorrow and make sure it's all good. So there should always be some tension in the strap holding the seat up? Yes, the strap should always be under tension supporting the seat. The seat is designed to be supported at 3 points. The two seat rails, and where the strap attaches. If it is being supported anywhere else it will break the seat. It basically hinges on the pins in the rails, and hangs on the strap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batjac Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 Okay, I checked it at the airport this morning. When I'm in the seat there is about two inches between the seat back and the bulkhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricB Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Great info guys. I've had my CTLS for about a year now and never saw anything about the tension strap. There's nothing about it in the POH. Went and checked mine the next day. Needed a bit of tightening but no indication I'd damaged the seat as of yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.