(17) Seats ( Mike )

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planecrazzzy
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(17) Seats ( Mike )

Post by planecrazzzy »

Hey Guys,
I was looking all over for seats.... When I flew in a W-10 Tailwind ( Paul Baron's Plane )

He had Fiberglass "Bucket Seats"... They were Light.... but a little flimsy

I looked all over , but couldn't find seats "Skinny" enough....

Finally , I decided to cut/trim the seat to fit....

I bought Jegs "High Back" racing seats.... Fairly cheap...

and upholstered "Covers".... pretty cheap also
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I cut away the plastic with a Cut-off wheel....

and cleaned up and trimmed the hole with a carbide bit , used for aluminum...

The seats are fairly light.... But I will put holes in them to lighten them up even more...

Here's some pictures of what I have so far...
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Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" the Flying Dog
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and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
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planecrazzzy
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Hey Guys,

Once the clearance has been made for the seat to sit in it's position....

More of the area needs to be cleared for the upholstery to fit...

Gotta Fly...
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and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Mo Pix
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and build your wings on the way down...
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planecrazzzy
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Hey Guys,
The seat is aprox 18.5" across at the bottom....

it varies a little... The Flap handle has plenty of clearance...

The seats get up to 19" wide before the upper "tapper"

this is where it was ok to crowd the Flap control "hoop"

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It's not easy finding a seat to fit in these tight areas.... I looked
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

OK... From This point... I started putting in the Lightening Holes....

Steps were taken slowly , to check if too much strength was being lost....

Maybe Chromoly bracing or Aluminum skin would be needed....

No... after the Holes were finished.... I could turn the seat face down , and stand on it ( 210 lbs )

This seat is still plenty strong...

I have a bucket of plastic 2" plugs that came out of these seats... it weighs 5 lbs.... Plus a couple pounds worth of shavings...

The seats ended up weighing 8 lbs.... 9 lbs with the covers ....

That's what the average Tailwind seats weigh.... ( the light ones )

These seats have built in Lumbar support.... Very Comfortable
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Here's the rest of the Pictures...
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.
Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" in MN
.
.
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Mo Pix
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Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
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planecrazzzy
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Mo Pix
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Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
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planecrazzzy
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Mo Pix
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Last of the Seat Pix
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

Hey Guys,
Putting some finishing touches on the seat area...

I needed something to hold the shoulder strap .... I fly with it a little "loose" , so I can reach things.

This will keep it from falling off my shoulder....

The Strap can be taken out , so the seat can come out if needed....

it's not in the way of the seat cover....

I'll see how it grows on me.... I might just sew a velcro strap on the seat cover....

It would be lighter...
.
. Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" the Flying Dog
.
.
.
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Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
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Re: Seats

Post by planecrazzzy »

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I decided I don't like the extra weight of the Shoulder Strap holder....

I'm going to drill out the rivets , and sew a strap on the Seat covers...

It'll have Velcro on it... It'll do the same job with less weight...

Gotta Fly...
.
.
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Re: (17) Seats ( Mike )

Post by planecrazzzy »

Hey Guys,
Phase II of putting more "Lightening" holes in these seats...

I found a pattern that worked... I used my Die Grinder with an Aluminum Bit ( 1/2" dia )

In places that were too tight... I didn't push it all the way thru...
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Here's some pictures... I took extra "angle" shots in case somebody needs the detail...

These seats are still strong.... Total weight for each one WITH the cover is 8 lbs.....

( This was weighed with a Bathroom Scale.... Not too accurate I found out )
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Gotta Fly...
.
.
.
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Sometimes you just have to take the leap
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Re: (17) Seats ( Mike )

Post by planecrazzzy »

More Views
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planecrazzzy
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Re: (17) Seats ( Mike )

Post by planecrazzzy »

Hey Guys,
After all the holes were in place... I took an exacto knife and cleaned up some of the shavings...

After, I took a torch and lightly went over the whole seat.... Wow , it smooths out sharp edges and makes the finish look NEW...
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There "IS" room to put more holes in these.... These holes were part of a pattern....

I think I have them "Light" enough now.... I'm happy with them...

Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" in MN
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
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Re: (17) Seats ( Mike )

Post by planecrazzzy »

A few more holes were added in the upper area...

Notice a structural type frame was left for strength...

I finally weighed them on a smaller scale....

Before , I'd stand on a bathroom scale , then grab the seat....

That works pretty good...

But putting them on a small shipping scale at work made me pretty happy...

The Seats weight 7-3/4 lbs....... Wow !

The Bad news.... The covers weigh about 2 lbs..... ( I thought they were lighter )

So.... Total weight for each seat is 9-3/4 lbs

Not bad for "High Back" seats .... Head rest and Lumbar Support
.
.
Gotta Fly...
.
.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
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