Airplane with 3 car seats...am I crazy?

tanusscott22

New member
We will be taking a trip to FL to see grandma and grandpa next year and will have 3 kiddos to take with. My question is should we bring 3 carseats with for all of them, send something down with my parents eairly, or have my parents buy something before we get there? (they are snowbirds and make the drive in Oct. each year, so we could send a seat or two with them)

I should say that we are flying out of a very TINY airport and even airline approved seats will NOT install on the itty bitty puddle jumper for the first leg of the flight. The seats will have to be gate checked for that 40 min flight. We did this same flight 2 years ago when we had just one child so I've been through this first hand. (I know you are all going to say don't check the seat, but it WILL NOT fit on the plane, I promise....ALL of our carry on luguage had to be gate checked the plane was so small....even backpacks.)

Sooooo, any ideas for me, please and thank you.
 
ADS

BeautifulChaos

New member
I would either send 3 seats with them, or have them buy something/have something shipped to them UNLESS the seats I was checking were in their original boxes, but that would be a PITA to cart around.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I only see two kiddos in your siggie.

What are the ages and sizes of your kids?

I'm sure *some* car seats will fit in the seat even on the little plane (like a Coccoro or a Radian) but whether that's a car seat you actually own or would be willing to buy is another story.
 

J-max

CPST Instructor
I agree with Brigala. Can you tell me type of plane and I can tell you some seats that might fit in it (and what seats you have). I have put many different carseats in many different planes (my dh is private pilot and we rent/ lease several different planes, as well as fly commercial out of a very small airport also) so I might be able to help you with that. (or you can PM me with the airport code and I can check and see what common planes fly in there if you don't know that ;) )
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I've fit carseats on every plane I've been on. From private plane to 30 seaters. I'm sure even a Beechcraft 1900 would fit seats, though they'd have to be narrow enough to fit on the seat, since there's no option for raising the armrest.

If your kids are under 40 pounds you need to bring seats. The lap belt just won't fit, and they're a risk to everyone on the plane, as well as themselves. Especially in a tiny plane where they could bounce quite around and hit half of the people on board. It'd be like this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Qhmdk4VNs"]Rear Passenger Seatbelt - YouTube[/ame]

But at 150 mph.

So let us know the ages of the kids, projected/estimated weights, and we'll help you find a solution that works.

Wendy
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
I'll argue that seats will fit on a puddle jumper...I have put seats in a Piper Super Cub and Cessna 182.
 

Ladybugmama

New member
My radian and I think it was an old triumph fit beautifully on a puddle jumper before. I gate checked the rolling bag and installed her with me on the side with 2 seats and my mom sat on the single row.
 

Lenae

Active member
There is a 6 seater plane here (I do not know what it is though) that flies regularly to Nikolski and Atka that will fit a Radian and a Scenera. Even the very smallest of planes could fit a seat, you just have to be willing to make it work.
 

tanusscott22

New member
Ages and weights are in my siggi, and the new baby will be 2 months old when we fly. The last time we flew it was with our TFP and that's the seat that wouldn't fit. I believe the plane is a beachcraft D1900 19 seat plane. I've read somewhere about needing a seatbelt extention for a radian....we have a coccoro too now so that may work.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Those of us who view the forums from a mobile app can't see siggies ;) You don't need an extender for the Radian, and the CCO installs beautifully on planes. :)
 

tanusscott22

New member
Current ages and weights are:
3 yrs and 29#
14 months and 22# and
still in the oven at the moment...will be 2 mo. at the time of the trip.

Current seats are a Via bucket, coccoro, radian xtsl, and 3 TF's.
 

tanusscott22

New member
The Via is a bit of a monster....Is there anyone out there who has traveled with one on a really small 19 seater plane? I just don't want to lug it throught the airport only to have to gate check when we get there if it doesn't fit. I could sent it down early with my parents if need be....
 

tanusscott22

New member
Also thank you all sooooo very much for all the help. It's nice to get input from others. So many times they come up with ideas you don't think of!:D
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I haven't used a Via but I've heard it can be really hard to install baseless? Or maybe that's not every model. If I'm wrong, then bring the bucket (without the base) on the plane.

But... probably what I'd do is a Radian for the oldest child (FF on the plane so it will fit nicely), a cheap Scenera (NOT an Apt - must be a Scenera) for the middle child, and a Coccoro for the new squish. The coccoro should fit rear-facing even on the tiniest of planes, but the Via may not. The older kids can FF on the plane if there isn't room to RF them.

If you want and you have an extra, you might send a True Fit ahead with the grandparents so you don't have to use the Scenera, but that really would be quite unnecessary.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
It's not that DIFFICULT to install baseless, more COMPLICATED. There are belt guides you have to open and put the belt through to install baseless, tighten the belt then close them. Easier on an airplane than with a lap/shoulder belt, probably? (This is the new model. Previous models required use of the base at all times so if it's an older model that wouldn't be ideal for an airplane at all.)

If you can't get hands on a Scenera (they're now a Wal-Mart exclusive and many seem to be continually out of stock) an OnSide Air is the same shell, if you wanted to go that route.
 

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