Passengers in front seat of 135 flights

[ASpilot2be]

§ 135.113
Passenger occupancy of pilot seat.
No certificate holder may operate an aircraft type certificated after October 15, 1971, that has a passenger seating configuration, excluding any pilot seat, of more than eight seats if any person other than the pilot in command, a second in command, a company check airman, or an authorized representative of the Administrator, the National Transportation Safety Board, or the United States Postal Service occupies a pilot seat.

What allows the carriers to have passengers sit in the right seat? I read somewhere that the FAA has to reclassify the seat as a passenger. Is that how it works?

 

[FloridaLarry]

So, Cape Air, Seaport, and smaller operators slide under the 8-person wire?

Nobody likes empty seats! Plus, the view's better up there.

 

[dasleben]

9 passenger seats when the autopilot is used in lieu of SIC.

 

[Capt. Chaos]

Nothing tricky here... if you have 9 seats installed in the cabin then the front seats are for crew/employees only, if there are 8 seats installed in the cabin then you can use the copilot seat as passenger seat.

 

[ASpilot2be]

Nothing tricky here... if you have 9 seats installed in the cabin then the front seats are for crew/employees only, if there are 8 seats installed in the cabin then you can use the copilot seat as passenger seat.

OK. That makes sense. I didnt know what made a pilot seat a pilot seat.

 

[deadstick]

These relate to the TAWS requirement, but address the right seat.

http://www.aviationanalysis.com/03resources/FAA/docs/TAWS_handbook_bulletin.html
http://www.aviationanalysis.com/03resources/articles/docs/taws.html

 

[Houston]

9 passenger seats when the autopilot is used in lieu of SIC.

.. or VFR.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

.. or VFR.

What is VFR?

(heavy, heavy )

 

[Houston]

What is VFR?

(heavy, heavy )

Very Friendly Rider? The unfriendly ones have to sit in back.

 

[Boris Badenov]

Naturally this is all subject to PIC's authority. You'll have a long wait if you're looking for me to put some hysterical parent in the right seat.

 

[mshunter]

Naturally this is all subject to PIC's authority. You'll have a long wait if you're looking for me to put some hysterical parent in the right seat.

In the soup Nazi's voice "NO SEAT FOR YOU!"

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

Naturally this is all subject to PIC's authority. You'll have a long wait if you're looking for me to put some hysterical parent in the right seat.

There was a air ambulance king air that crashed a few years ago, not sure if it was Eagle Med or someone else. Had a patient and patient's mother on board (who was up front.) The cause of the accident was listed as pilot error, I believe, but some people speculate that considering the mother was going to be met on the ground by Child Protective Services it may have been more sinister.