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Cockpit Upholstery
Running Total Hours:
0.0
 | 2007.??.??:
(0.0) The key factors
for me in selecting the designs and materials for seat cushions and
other cockpit upholstery are:
Comfort: For a more enjoyable flying experience, and to reduce
pilot fatigue, which is a safety factor.
Crash-worthiness: In terms of energy absorption in a high-G
impact. Also flamability qualities and toxicity of fumes.
Maintainability: How will it hold up over time, how easy is it to
clean, etc.
Noise reduction: Through attenuating of transmission and/or
reflection of sound in the cockpit.
Aesthetics: Elegance in simplicity. Nothing fancy.
Weight: Self explanatory.
Cost: Self exmplanatory.
The comfort and crash-worthiness energy absorption factors steer me
toward seat cushions encorporating visco-elastic foam (a.k.a.
tempur-foam, confor-foam, etc.). I sleep on a Tempur-Pedic
mattress and love it! Viscoelastic foam is generally heavier and
more expensive than elastic foam, but well worth it.
Flamability qualities and toxicity of fumes steer me toward leather,
or fibers specifically designed with this in mind.
Maintainability steers me toward leather as opposed to fabric, because
it can be wiped clean. The standard method of getting into and
out of an RV is to step right on the seat cushions, so they will get
dirty and will need cleaning on a frequent basis.
RV cockpits are noisy. Some noise reduction can be achieved by
covering the firewall, floor, and side panels with upholstery.
This of course also adds weight and cost. I will likely make
judicious use of this, covering only strategic locations with
upholstery. Other factors can strongly influence the noise level
in the cockpit, such as unsealed gaps, so I will be paying close
attention to those. I also intend to employ high-quality active
noise reduction headsets.
Aesthetics are by definition a matter of taste. I like simple
elegance, nothing flashy. I've seen some airplanes with
interiors that rival that of a luxury car. Very nice, but that's
not for me. If a piece of upholstery doesn't serve a practical
purpose, then it doesn't belong in my airplane.
Started looking
at vendors. By
far the best offerings I've seen are from Classic Aero Designs.
More later... |
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