Stop Squeezing Them In

摘要

Remember the circus act in which a dozen clowns get out of the smallest car you've ever seen drive into the center ring? In theory, if you could find enough lightweight compact clowns, you could do something similar with even a four-seat airplane without violating regulations. To avoid incurring the wrath of the FAA, you'd have to be sure that you don't go over the aircraft's maximum gross weight and don't violate any manufacturer's limitations regarding seat structure and weight capacity, seat belt ratings or number of aircraft occupants. The NTSB has been trying for years to get the FAA to close what it sees as safety loopholes allowing more people on board than there are seats or seat belts, and renewed its efforts in 2010.