december 2011 volume 11 • number 12 - American Bonanza Society

www.bonanza.orgsliding off the end of the rails. Thisstop is held in place by a pin (ofthe type with a spring loaded ballbearing to hold it in place). To removea seat, pull the pin and slidethe center-rail stop off the aft end ofthe rail. Then simply roll the seatoff its rails. Do the same with theother seat.Look at each of the center rails.There should be a hole drilled horizontallythrough the rail about 2/3of the way toward the forward end.This is where you’ll reinstall themoveable stop, and the hole throughwhich you’ll insert the pin to holdit in place, after you’ve reinstalledthe seats. Note, I’ve heard from afew owners of early 2000s A36swho have found these forwardholes were not drilled in the seatrails. In that case, you cannot installthe seats in the forward-facing position.You have the option of findingreplacement seat rails in a salvageyard if you want to install yourseats forward-facing if your airplaneis one of the few withoutthe predrilled holes (I’d be verywary of a mechanic drilling the holehim/herself in the field, and that maynot be a legal modification).Now reverse the seats (left andright) and roll the seats onto therails, facing forward. In order forthe shoulder harnesses to cross thewearer’s body, and for the armrestto fit between the seats, you have toswap the seats left and right whenyou change them from forward- toaft-facing or vice versa. If you havethe writing desk installed, it maytake some jockeying of the left-sideseat to get it on and off the rails, soit’s best to roll the right seat offfirst and roll the left seat on first.Once you have the seats installed,slide the moveable stop onto seatcenter rail and forward to alignwith the forward pinhole. Insert thepin and check that the stop holdswhen you move the seat as far aftas it will go.I joke that reversing the seats inan A36 takes about 30 minutes –two minutes to roll the seats off,swap them left and right, andthen roll them back on the rails,and 28 minutes to try to reach underthe low-riding seats and findthe pinholes to secure the centerrailstops.Since the POH weight and balancesection provides data for theseats in either the forward- or aftfacingposition, you do not needto update any paperwork to belegal to fly when you’ve reversedthe direction of the seats. –TTBONANZA AND BARONHi-Performance Engine OverhaulsCustom Instrument Panel RefurbishmentAnnual Inspections, Pre-Purchase InspectionsStratoflex Hose ShopGann AviationWe fly behind our work22 years in business at 9A5 (Lafayette, GA)706-638-3034 or gannaviation@msn.comVisit us on the web gannaviation.comVolume 11 • Number 12 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY 47