you too can have a lazyboy conversion

[rick bell]

yep, just never check the stainless steel pins that hold the back of the seat upright
(i didn.t). on takeoff you can just relax as the seat reclines to the full back position, take a little nap or just enjoy the ride. happened to me last friday on takeoff. there are four pins that hold the actuator arm to a shaft that provides back adjustment. two were sheared off and the other two were missing (most likely not replaced when the seats were redone). in my opinion the shear pins are not very strong at all, need something harder with more shear strength! just think ow much force is exerted by a widebody jerking around in the seat to get comfortable, expecially if you are a member of the rotund club. really sucks flying around with no back to the seat, interesting on the landing flair trying to apply brakes at the same time on a short field.

[kevin]

OH ya, I too discovered the joys of flying on an unanticipated recliner. I can see how it would cause an accident on takeoff (which is also when it happended to me) if you did not let go of the yoke, and then get yourself upright again quickly (more difficult than it sounds) to continue flying the airplane...

I was also a bit worried about it on the way back down, as turbulence could be a problem. The seatbelt is not much restraint without a seatback. I'm a wimp, I confessed my problem to Unicom before I landed, in case folks were later trying to figure out how I ended up screwing up a landing so badly. Went fine though...

Maybe we should start a LazyBoy club Rick?

Kevin