My 2 cents. I hate when people have the chair back straightened near vertical and ridiculously high. Straightening the back only gives you a few little inches extra to get in, but you still have to climb over it. Once you do and get your butt down, you're in a really awkward hunched-forward position that forces you to slide forward immediately. It's not that hard to leave the back in a normal position and creates less overall workload. Also, why do people leave the seat so high? The back makes sense; it lets you slide slightly further back. But what on earth does putting the seat nearly all the way up accomplish?
For a guy with a normal height, like 5'10" to 6'0", having the pedals all the way forward sets your eyes up to align with the little alignment balls on the CRJ. So when people have the pedals way aft, I don't get it. I guess they like their own position as far back as possible.

We have not yet gone to EFB's 🙄 so it is MUCH easier to get a flight case into the holder on the RJ with the seat all the way forward and back straight up. You just throw the case up on the edge kind of pushing it with your knee a little, then rotate it in. Getting it out is sort of a little arm curl up onto the edge than the reverse. Zero back strain whatsoever. And I don't know about you but I put my flight case in before I sit down, so no, it's not common courtesy to leave the seat all the way back. You may have your way, I have my way. I don't complain that people are to stupid to leave the seat all the way forward, I just move it where I need it and get on with it!

When you leave the seat forward it blocks the hole for the flight case...AND you can't sit down! Which isn't so bad except when the seat is left reclined you have to crawl all over the friggin cockpit to reach the recline lever. Grrr... :D

This looks like fun! I'm getting in on this sideshow! This is how it's done exactly in the cr2/7/9 (other a/c just get the seat and pedals something like this however you do it): leave the seat mid-height, simultaneously unlock and hold the recline and slide controls, position your feet just ahead of the seat or on the hump where the control column comes out of the floor, and use your legs to push the entire seat full aft, allowing the seat back to flatten against the breaker panel. This positions the seat as far out of the way as possible giving the most space to step over the center pedestal and clear the overhead panel without wrecking knobs and switches on the way. Flight case? Try this low-risk method. To get it in, sit the case in the seat parallel to the bin, slide it all the way over and put a knee next to it. Now, avoiding the O2 mask and box lift and catch the leading edge of the case squarely in the leading edge of the bin, then let it drop the rest of the way in. To get it out reverse the steps except when you lift it out, lift it straight up and rotate the front of it toward you, then rest it on the ledge next to the seat and let it rock over into the seat towards you. Again, don't hit the O2. Low chance of injury since you keep it pretty close to you. Distance from the case gives it leverage which increases the chance of injury.

Now, ensure the rudder pedals are NOT full aft. The individual that said this helps pilots align the sight dots has been a regional pilot too long and has gone completely out of his/her mind. Not only is that not true (fact is the seat position controls that; the pedals don't have a damn thing to do with it and are adjusted last in that case), most don't give even a fraction of a damn about those dots. Whether you like it or not it's true! Most sit where they feel their personal best sight picture is, even during cat II which is when the manufacturer and/or company wants to actually call the damn things into question anyway. Show me an instance where the dots have been the cause of a missed or an accident and I'll show you a lie lol! But yeah, I'm seriously considering administratively slapping the next person I can catch up with that left the rudder pedals full aft. Most people are not short enough to even need the pedals that close meaning it was done deliberately! Stop it damit! Even if you are that short that's selfish! Be fair and leave the damn things at least mid-way! I mean who the heck wants to get in the seat and be forced into a damn seated fetal position because the rudder pedals are damn near in your mouth!? Lol! Almost every time I pick up a plane the pedals are full aft! Stop doing that! Please! Keep it up and I'm gonna go full immature and start leaving the seat full forward, the pedals full aft, and the seatbelt buckled and full-tight flight school style lol!

Oh, and lol at the mf that related this to "workload", I mean wtff dude how much lazier are you gonna get...

What we have here is a failure to communicate. We're both advocating having the pedals further forward. By having the pedals full aft, the only way your legs don't get crushed is to have the seat way aft, too far aft. That's the correlation between pedals and sight picture, unless you don't mind being in the fetal position (clearly you and I both do mind). In summation, arguing with and calling the guy agreeing with you a "mf" kills your credibility as a master debater.

With the seat full forward and back straight up (forward) it absolutely does not block the flight case bin, at least on the 900. Hell there's practically enough room to stand behind the seat if you had the headroom. I'm telling you, if you're reefing the flight case over the seat to get it in you're working to hard! Once it's in I slide the seat all the way back to give me ample room to sit down. Works like a charm!

But I give zero f/?ks about how the guy before me left it. That's his thing. If he has a different way good for him. The only thing I have a problem with is when he leaves his chaw cup in the cup holder and fries and peanuts all over the seat and floor!

Maybe I'll try it, but unless the seat is left all the way back, the others seem to leave it half forward and reclined. How they get out is beyond me..

Hopefully soon we won't need ANY flight cases.

Amen to that!

But yeah, first thing I do is just pull up on the recline lever so it springs all the way forward/vertical (you can do this from behind the seat or in front, whichever is easier to reach the way it was left). You can (gently) push the forward lever with your foot too.

I'll never understand the pedals full aft thing. I flew with a guy that did that every time we got out of the plane so finally I asked him what was the deal. His answer? "That's how we're supposed to leave them." After a long think and a blank look I finally said "According to who? What sense does that make? How many 4' tall pilots you ever seen in the terminal?" I mean, come on guys, we're all about the same size. Leave the pedals where they are and let the next guy make the adjustments. Seems like all downside to move them back since now the next guy just has to put them back in a normal spot. What's the "up side"?