Narrative:

During my visit to the 2006 X expo in ZZZ I made the following observation: one of the indoor exhibits was a mockup of the new eclipse vlj. I was standing outside looking into the cockpit through the copilot's side window. Visitors were allowed to take seats in the cockpit. A male visitor entered the mockup and sat in the pilot's seat. A female visitor then entered the mockup and sat in the copilot's seat. As she entered she used the side mounted control stick as a hand-hold to help herself into the copilot's seat. It occurred to me that it could be disastrous for anyone to use the control stick in that matter while airborne. It could easily put the aircraft out of control. This risk exists when leaving or entering either the pilot's seat or the copilot's seat. At those times one would have the seatbelt undone and pushing firmly forward on the stick could pin the person to the ceiling in an outside loop. I mentioned this concern to someone from eclipse who was on booth duty and he replied that he nearly grabbed the control stick to help himself in the first time he entered an eclipse cockpit. One solution might be to put a bright color pattern on the control stick so it would not look like a hand-hold. Eclipse needs to come up with a good fix so their aircraft don't get a reputation for falling out of the sky in pieces with unexplained in-flight structural failures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PLT OBSERVES THAT THE ECLIPSE SIDE STICK COULD BECOME A FLT STATION INGRESS/EGRESS STABILIZING AID CAUSING UNWANTED CTL INPUT IF GRABBED.

Narrative: DURING MY VISIT TO THE 2006 X EXPO IN ZZZ I MADE THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATION: ONE OF THE INDOOR EXHIBITS WAS A MOCKUP OF THE NEW ECLIPSE VLJ. I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE LOOKING INTO THE COCKPIT THROUGH THE COPILOT'S SIDE WINDOW. VISITORS WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE SEATS IN THE COCKPIT. A MALE VISITOR ENTERED THE MOCKUP AND SAT IN THE PILOT'S SEAT. A FEMALE VISITOR THEN ENTERED THE MOCKUP AND SAT IN THE COPILOT'S SEAT. AS SHE ENTERED SHE USED THE SIDE MOUNTED CONTROL STICK AS A HAND-HOLD TO HELP HERSELF INTO THE COPILOT'S SEAT. IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT COULD BE DISASTROUS FOR ANYONE TO USE THE CONTROL STICK IN THAT MATTER WHILE AIRBORNE. IT COULD EASILY PUT THE AIRCRAFT OUT OF CONTROL. THIS RISK EXISTS WHEN LEAVING OR ENTERING EITHER THE PILOT'S SEAT OR THE COPILOT'S SEAT. AT THOSE TIMES ONE WOULD HAVE THE SEATBELT UNDONE AND PUSHING FIRMLY FORWARD ON THE STICK COULD PIN THE PERSON TO THE CEILING IN AN OUTSIDE LOOP. I MENTIONED THIS CONCERN TO SOMEONE FROM ECLIPSE WHO WAS ON BOOTH DUTY AND HE REPLIED THAT HE NEARLY GRABBED THE CONTROL STICK TO HELP HIMSELF IN THE FIRST TIME HE ENTERED AN ECLIPSE COCKPIT. ONE SOLUTION MIGHT BE TO PUT A BRIGHT COLOR PATTERN ON THE CONTROL STICK SO IT WOULD NOT LOOK LIKE A HAND-HOLD. ECLIPSE NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A GOOD FIX SO THEIR AIRCRAFT DON'T GET A REPUTATION FOR FALLING OUT OF THE SKY IN PIECES WITH UNEXPLAINED IN-FLIGHT STRUCTURAL FAILURES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.