frontseater

English

Etymology

From front seat +‎ -er.

Noun

frontseater (plural frontseaters)

1. Someone who occupies a seat near the front of something.
   • 1984, Matilda Nordtvedt, The Family Idea Book: Praying and Playing Together, Chicago, I.L.: Moody Press, →ISBN, page 87:

     Bible Twenty Questions. Divide into two teams— the backseat versus the frontseat. Each team picks a person or object from the Bible. For instance, the backseaters choose Noah's ark. The frontseaters try to discover the answer by asking twenty questions. They begin by finding out if it is animal, vegetable, or mineral. They only ask questions which can be answered by a yes or a no.

2. (USAF, specifically) In a plane with two cockpits: the pilot controlling the aircraft (even though both seats are equally to the front).
   • 2002, Lynda Twyman Paffrath, Angels Unknown, San Mateo, C.A.: Lightbourne Books, →ISBN, page 257:

     You undoubtedly know that each F-4 Phantom jet carried two pilots in separate, tandem cockpits. Major Dennis Harper was the frontseater and was the AC or Aircraft Commander. Jim was the backseater or the GIB.

Coordinate terms

• backseater

 

References

• “frontseater, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.