Wacky instrument question....

Hi all!

I am a co-owner of a 1968 Piper Arrow. (180 hp)
I am also a professional musician, and I play bass, both electric bass
guitar, and the big old doghouse upright bass.
Needless to say, I would like to be able to fly to my gigs whenever
possible, but fitting a double bass in a P28R seems like a tough
call....or...? The electric bass with a small amp is no problem, but much of
my work is on the upright...

Has anyone any experience with this?
Heck, I don't even know If it would fit through the door, never tried, but
for it to work at all, I'd need some sort of foldable seats in the rear, and
let the neck come between the front seats in some way.

Does anyone on this list know any bass players, or happen to be one, and
which planes would an upright bass fit in...?

Thanks for reading this absurd question..

Frode Berg
www.frodeberg.com

In a previous article, "Frode Berg" said:
Does anyone on this list know any bass players, or happen to be one, and
which planes would an upright bass fit in...?

Thanks for reading this absurd question..

I bet it would fit in a Lance/Cherokee 6/Saratoga/Piper 6/

Or you could just strap it to the outside the way bush pilots strap on a
canoe. :-)


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed...
..... Oh, wait a minute, he already does."

"Frode Berg" wrote:
Needless to say, I would like to be able to fly to my gigs
whenever possible, but fitting a double bass in a P28R
seems like a tough call....

Frode, you have the perfect excuse to buy a bigger airplane. What are
you waiting for? Get a Saratoga.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

On Mon, 17 May 2004 22:32:34 +0200, "Frode Berg"
wrote:

Hi all!

I am a co-owner of a 1968 Piper Arrow. (180 hp)
I am also a professional musician, and I play bass, both electric bass
guitar, and the big old doghouse upright bass.
Needless to say, I would like to be able to fly to my gigs whenever
possible, but fitting a double bass in a P28R seems like a tough
call....or...? The electric bass with a small amp is no problem, but much of
my work is on the upright...

Has anyone any experience with this?
Heck, I don't even know If it would fit through the door, never tried, but
for it to work at all, I'd need some sort of foldable seats in the rear, and
let the neck come between the front seats in some way.

Does anyone on this list know any bass players, or happen to be one, and
which planes would an upright bass fit in...?


Frode,

I fly a 71 Cherokee 180, and can fit a ton of stuff in it with the
rear seats removed. Skis, golf clubs, mountain bikes (disassembled).

If the neck of the bass is thin enough that it can fit between the
front seats, it might work. You will have to rig up something that
locks the bass into position and cushions it. You don't want that
thing slapping you in the face just as the flight is getting
interesting!

-nathan

It should fit in a Cherokee Six easily. Piper used to have advertising
materials showing a coffin being loaded into a Six. One with the extra cargo
door would definitely take it. You may be able to get it in the rear door of
one without a cargo door as well. The non-carge version has IIRC a 38"x42"
opening with the door open. I think the cargo door extends that opening by
about 14"

Frode Berg wrote:

Hi all!

I am a co-owner of a 1968 Piper Arrow. (180 hp)
I am also a professional musician, and I play bass, both electric bass
guitar, and the big old doghouse upright bass.
Needless to say, I would like to be able to fly to my gigs whenever
possible, but fitting a double bass in a P28R seems like a tough
call....or...? The electric bass with a small amp is no problem, but much of
my work is on the upright...

Has anyone any experience with this?
Heck, I don't even know If it would fit through the door, never tried, but
for it to work at all, I'd need some sort of foldable seats in the rear, and
let the neck come between the front seats in some way.

Does anyone on this list know any bass players, or happen to be one, and
which planes would an upright bass fit in...?

Thanks for reading this absurd question..

Frode Berg
www.frodeberg.com

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

I've known lots of bass players (classical and jazz) and I've always been
amazed at how deftly they manage to get those things into cars - even smaller
models. I think you may be in for a real challenge in light aircraft though,
mostly, as mentioned here already, because of the door. If you remove all the
passenger seats in a 172 maybe?

It's an example of how "mission sensitive" general aviation is. Depending on
where you live, where you have to go, what type of weather you typically have
and what you have to haul, GA can either be efficient and cost effective or
just plain out of the question. One slight change in your mission statement,
and you move into a whole different category of equipment.

A Saratoga is really nice, but lots of bass players will never move into such
luxury. (Hear about the bass player who ended his career with a million
dollars? Started with two!)

Good luck - please post pictures of your upright in a warrior!!

G Faris