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Seat Foam

g zero

Well Known Member
Thinking of new seats for my 8 . Vans Seat Foam vs Oregon Aero Foam ? Looking for feedback , currently have Flight Line Seats .

I Have an upholsterer that can do the cover .
 
Oregon Aero have been around almost as long as I have been flying. Never heard anything bad about them except may be their headset accessory once 30 yrs ago. Not sure what your upholster will change...

Van's sells Classic Aero
https://shop.vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?browse=airframe&product=seat-foam

Classic has seats for RV8 and RV8a (not sure the difference, gear structure?) and Aviator and Sportsman models
http://www.classicaerodesigns.com/w...=72&ProductCategory=RV-8&ProductCategoryID=21

http://www.classicaerodesigns.com/w...=60&ProductCategory=RV-8&ProductCategoryID=21

I say call them, Oregon, Classic, and who ever. Find three alternatives and shop around. Looking at prices I have to laugh. 15 years ago I bought a full set of seats, stick boots, covered for less than $800. Ha ha. Times have changed.
 
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Make your own or buy them already formed?

3M 77, bandsaw and the right foam ... you can do it yourself for a lot less $.

Take a look at Dynamic Systems, Inc. for the foam supplies in their Sunmate section (overstock). www.sunmatecushions.com

No relation, just a good supplier.

Cheers
 
I have some of their Sunmate overstock foam, and it's pretty darn comfortable.

So far it's not upholstered. Got to change that. The plane is still in the shop, though, so that's merely one item on a still-endless list.

Dave
 
+1 on Bill's and David's comment. One trick is get good foam and cut it and glue it to make the shape. Design it so you glue on a top layer of "temper foam" or memory foam (invented by NASA for space missions). It is a foam that forms to the person with weight and body heat. You do NOT want a whole seat of it, as it will compress too much and you'll sink. So a layer of it is great on top of good closed cell medium density foam. It will make a nice cushion for your seats. The trick is finding a vendor to sell different foam types and sizes in smaller quantities.

You can keep carving and adding and subtracting (before upholstery) until it is perfect, then cover them. I did that on my first RV, RV-4. It came out great. I had a local upholstery shop cover them. The middle of the seats had horizontal tuffs or "pillows" with some filler to make it look Pro and very comfortable.

Ideally your seat cover material should be fire resistant. Many synthetic materials burn fast and hot. Aircraft approved stuff is flame retardant.
 
DIY if you can

As others have said, the DIY solution is worth a try. I made mine for my RV-4 using several different densities, 3m spray adhesive between and cut with an electric turkey carving knife (needs used more than once a year anyway). You can get very creative doing this. The corners and edges sand well with with a 90 degree grinder and 3 " sanding wheel. When you think you have it just right, wrap it with an old T-shirt and go fly for a bit..adjust if needed and take to upholster. I have about $350.00 into mine covered with nice grey leather and had matching set of stick boots made also.
 
I bought the Vans foam blanks and I found that the car seat covers I bought from Walmart will fit the blanks just fine. Once I put sheepskin on top of the seat, nobody will know about the $60 seat cover.
 
Keep it up on the DIY ! Good tips and techniques here.

One comment about using "comfort foam" for the whole cushion. The Sunmate foam is available in various densities from Hard to Extra Soft. They also sell an item that looks like expanded ice chest foam but is not flammable and nearly solid, designed to absorb impact. This is the stuff I used for the base of the seat.

There is also a good article on their site that discusses research done regarding safety of seating for helicopters and ejection seat aircraft.

"Build something and then go fly it!"

Cheers
 
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