Hi gang,
Any suggestions for fabric for seats? There's a local fabric store with a pretty good selection but I'm not sure if standard household upholstery would be acceptable in an aircraft.
TIA,
Steve
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Hi gang,
Any suggestions for fabric for seats? There's a local fabric store with a pretty good selection but I'm not sure if standard household upholstery would be acceptable in an aircraft.
TIA,
Steve
Hey Steve, if you are looking for interior materials for you homebuilt, you can use whatever you want. Ch. 9 in AC43-13.2B has excellent guidance on aircraft interiors for those other kind of aircraft. Might be worthwhile to look it over to see if there are interior specs that match your level of comfort.
All fabrics will burn but fabrics specifically approved for aviation use are treated and rated for some measure of fire resistance. Of course, it is perfectly legal to install household upholstery in an experimental aircraft but do you really want to? Like a dried out Christmas tree, if ignited some non-approved materials will burn at very hot temperatures while generating thick clouds of toxic fumes. If an unfortunate crash scenario occurs, the occupants might as well have napalm sticking to their skin. For that very reason, some pilots will not fly wearing clothes made with synthetic fibers.
For the homebuilder, I recommend Abby Erdmann, owner of Flightline Interiors. She is well versed in the needs of our community. Over the years she has worked with uncounted satisfied buyers including me.
http://www.flightlineinteriors.com/services/default.asp
Abby can supply you with a complete upholstery package or if you desire, fabrics and leather goods that meet the following standards:
ASTM E-84 Class I
CAL 117-E
MVSS 302
UFAC Class I
Which makes it even more criminal that not one airline management understands that. Pilot and F/A uniforms are universally 50-75% polyester. Ask any flight attendant about their nylons and what can happen in a fire. Please use the types of materials Rick mentions.
Sorry for the small vent,
Jim
It is not hard or expensive to treat normal fabric with a fireproof liquid, which I think makes it as good as the expensive purpose made fabric. It was done for me by shop for my seats in a Be 45. I would not skip this step no matter what the FAR s may say.
I fully endorse the recommendation that you consult with Abbey Erdman at Flight Line Interiors. She made the seats for my RV6A and for my RV12 and she does really outstanding work. I can't recommend her any higher, she and her relatives who do the work are an example for excellence in every respect that I wish more companies possessed.
FWIW
standard household materials and threads, and most auto materials, too, are engineered with the understanding that the light hitting them will be filtered through glass. airplanes usually have plastic windows. unless specially treated, they may not filter UV radiation that will break down the upholstery. or the thread. use stuff rated for fire or treated for fire, fine, but also use stuff that will stand up to UV.
Thanks gang. Abby was a terrific resource, I was able to find a fabric I liked and the kit manufacturer (Progressive Aerodyne) substituted my fabric for theirs.
Attachment 1685
Now all I gotta do is finish the bloody thing.
Personally, I'd go with leather backed up by a layer of Nomex. I like the look of leather (and you can find fire resistant varieties approved for aviation use) and appreciate the fire resistant properties of Nomex as a former firefighter.
Do those seats have any stroking distance at all? They look like they are pretty much bolted directly to the frame.Quote:
Thanks gang. Abby was a terrific resource, I was able to find a fabric I liked and the kit manufacturer (Progressive Aerodyne) substituted my fabric for theirs.
My Nieuport seat is sheet metal riveted to tubing.
:D