BLUF: Be careful when adjusting the Black Hawk cockpit seat to avoid hitting the dome light dimming switch connector.
Photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht
This article initially appeared in PS 774 (May 17)
Co-pilots, your Black Hawk cockpit seat can be raised and tilted! However, when the seat is completed lowered, tilting it back isn’t a good idea. Here’s why:
Some have learned the hard way that when you tilt the seat back while it’s in its lowest position, the connector for the dome light dimming switch hits the box housing of the pilot’s collective stick. When that happens, it breaks the dome light connector.
The only way to prevent tearing up the connector is to raise the seat up just enough for the headrest to clear the circuit breaker panel above, which provides clearance below for the dimming switch connector, then push the seat back completely. When you tilt the seat back to the cabin floor, the connector will clear the box and it won’t get damaged.
Make sure seat is raised enough to clear dome light connector