Pilots n Paws in a short body?

[The Other Red Baron]

I'm considering ways to have an excuse to fly and I'm looking into Pilots n Paws.  I was looking for some pilot guidelines on their website but it seems to be mostly tax related.

So for the folks here that have done it...

Is it feasible in a short body? Will a medium sized dog crate fit through the cabin door?  IF a crate fits I'm thinking it can just rest on the back seats (I have no idea if I can even remove the back seats and there is nothing in the manual about it.)

Does the crate travel the entire way with the dog or are the pilots expected to BYOC (Bring Your Own Crate)?   Found the answer to my crate question.

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by The Other Red Baron
update

[aviatoreb]

30 minutes ago, The Other Red Baron said:

I'm considering ways to have an excuse to fly and I'm looking into Pilots n Paws.  I was looking for some pilot guidelines on their website but it seems to be mostly tax related.

So for the folks here that have done it...

Is it feasible in a short body? Will a medium sized dog crate fit through the cabin door?  IF a crate fits I'm thinking it can just rest on the back seats (I have no idea if I can even remove the back seats and there is nothing in the manual about it.)

Does the crate travel the entire way with the dog or are the pilots expected to BYOC (Bring Your Own Crate)?   Found the answer to my crate question.

 

I once had a PnP mission with my son in our M20K (mid body) where we transported a dozen chihuahua.  Notice that chihuahua is its own plural form.  That was fun.  I need to dig out those pictures.  Nothing like turning around in flight and seeing all those many bug eye'ed little guys blinking back at you.

[wishboneash]

32 minutes ago, The Other Red Baron said:

I'm considering ways to have an excuse to fly and I'm looking into Pilots n Paws.  I was looking for some pilot guidelines on their website but it seems to be mostly tax related.

So for the folks here that have done it...

Is it feasible in a short body? Will a medium sized dog crate fit through the cabin door?  IF a crate fits I'm thinking it can just rest on the back seats (I have no idea if I can even remove the back seats and there is nothing in the manual about it.)

Does the crate travel the entire way with the dog or are the pilots expected to BYOC (Bring Your Own Crate)?   Found the answer to my crate question.

 

I have done PnP trips in a J many times. I use a small crate (can get the dimensions once I go to my hangar sometime). Anything larger than what I have may need a minor disassembly of the crate. So I tend to sign up for small dogs or cats. The main issue is getting it through the door after pushing the passenger seat forward completely. I imagine there won't be much difference between mid and short body since we are not concerned with leg room.

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, wishboneash said:

I have done PnP trips in a J many times. I use a small crate (can get the dimensions once I go to my hangar sometime). Anything larger than what I have may need a minor disassembly of the crate. So I tend to sign up for small dogs or cats. The main issue is getting it through the door after pushing the passenger seat forward completely. I imagine there won't be much difference between mid and short body since we are not concerned with leg room.

One thing is easier is my rear seats are removable so it’s easy to build a good size crate back there.

or a pile of little crates for a dozen chihuahua.

[The Other Red Baron]

Yeah there’s nothing in the E manual about removing the rear seat and it doesn’t look like it would be easy any way. I love dogs but I’m not sure if I’d be Ok with a strange one just buckled in with a harness behind me. 

[neilpilot]

I've done dozens of dog rescue flight in both an E and C.  I have used up to 3 collapsible carriers in the luggage compartment when puppies and small breeds were involved.  When transporting a larger dog, I cover the rear seat with an old comforter or mattress cover and use a harness designed to accept the rear bench seat belt.  There are several different types of restraints that can be used.

The crates I do have will only fit in the rear seat if the passenger seat is moved all the way forward, and I don't like flying in that configuration.

When my wife & I traveled to NJ and MA, we frequently took rescue dogs from MS & TN.  I can recall a transport to the Hudson River valley, where the mother dog sat harnessed to the rear seat and 5 pups rode in 2 soft sided crates in baggage,.  That was in addition to my wife and our luggage for a week.  My record number of dog was a post-Katrina rescue; my wife & I flew 8 small dogs from KNEW to KAWM.

[Hector]

Last one I flew. Covered the rear seat in my C with a blanket and secured him in a harness so he could not jump to the front. He spent the entire flight just enjoying the scenery.


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[Lance Link]

I just got a crate that fit and limited the dogs to ones that fit in the crate.

 

[bonal]

36 minutes ago, Hector said:

Last one I flew. Covered the rear seat in my C with a blanket and secured him in a harness so he could not jump to the front. He spent the entire flight just enjoying the scenery.


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That is a great photo. 

[Mcstealth]

On 5/16/2020 at 12:43 PM, aviatoreb said:

."....... a dozen chihuahua.  Notice that chihuahua is its own plural form.  "

Okay.  I must know. Whose benefit was that quote for???? 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Mcstealth

[Mcstealth]

On 5/16/2020 at 12:10 PM, The Other Red Baron said:

I'm considering ways to have an excuse to fly and I'm looking into Pilots n Paws.  I was looking for some pilot guidelines on their website but it seems to be mostly tax related.

So for the folks here that have done it...

Is it feasible in a short body? Will a medium sized dog crate fit through the cabin door?  IF a crate fits I'm thinking it can just rest on the back seats (I have no idea if I can even remove the back seats and there is nothing in the manual about it.)

Does the crate travel the entire way with the dog or are the pilots expected to BYOC (Bring Your Own Crate)?   Found the answer to my crate question.

@gsxrpilot and @carusoam explained the back seat question fairly well for me on this link. 

[carusoam]

As PIC...

expect to answer this question in several different ways...

The traveling pets won’t know the difference between the long body and the short body....

They will enter the plane through the same sized door.... from front and back...

Will they know if they got an extra 10” of leg room to stretch out in?

If one complains about the space issue... you can assure the refined animal... sitting sideways, as pictured above, works really well for both dogs and humans... 

Go easy the first flights until you get experience...

It is better to under promise and over deliver...

Be sure to be able to keep the animals from moving around the cabin... large changes in balance can occur in flight...
 

PP thoughts only, not a CFI...

Best regards,

-a-

[aviatoreb]

33 minutes ago, Mcstealth said:

Okay.  I musk know. Whose benefit was that quote for???? 

For me - I still laugh every time I think of a dozen chihuahua in my little airplane.  I laugh even saying the word chihuahua.  And its chihuahua is just a fun word to spell and type out.  Give it a try.

[markgrue]

I put big dogs in a harness attached to the tie down in the baggage compartment.  Leave enough slack so they can lay down on the seat or sit up.  With the leash across the back of the seat they can move around without getting wrapped up in it and still cannot get into the front.  I have had them climb into the baggage compartment to sleep and even had one climb onto the hat shelf to take a nap.  I cover the back seat with a heavy moving blanket that will prevent urine from getting through to the seat if an accident occurs.  No problems so far.  As to crate size 34" long 24" wide and 24" high seems to work well.

 

Mark

[chrixxer]

I flew a couple of PnP missions in my E. Crates were a mixed bag, sometimes they had them, often times they did not. Only a couple of small crates would fit in the cargo area / rear seat of the E, and IMHO it's not a practical platform for most PnP missions. (Largest dog I ever transported was a Mastiff puppy, from SMO to AVQ; fortunately, he was a mellow lovebug who just slept in the back seat.)

The F, especially with removable seatbacks, is much more capable. I fly large dogs all the time, often multiples. I have my own big softside crate that takes up the entire back, and it's easiest for me to just use that (I'll bring their crate along, collapsed / disassembled, if they have one). I use the sof-krate n2 crate for the F with no rear seats (dimensions: 42"L x 28"W x 31"H); I've also used a Precision Pet Products 3000 3501-35013 (30L x 20W x 19H).

If you're okay without a crate, I had my 65 lbs Labrador and my 45 lbs street stray in the back seat with a long weekend of luggage in the back of an E and it was "okay-ish" (SMO to HCR), but the dogs were mostly just tolerating being in those conditions.