REFLECTOR: Something for starters - Safer seats

[Terry Miles]

Hi Al,
Thanks for passing along the report.  I had not seen it elsewhere.  I am
in the throws of doing my seats.  Here is what I have so far.  The Foam
comes from Hi Tech Foam www.seatfoam.com  This is the same stuff that
Oregon Aero uses.  Google Oregon for a classy description of the foam.
It's also in Bradley Fighting Vehic's you name it.  Oregon Aero wants
about $325+ per seat to do it for you.  I bought more than enuf of the
proper various density's for under $500 for the whole XL-5.  
 
I am sorting out cushion construction and covering methods as we speak.
I have two pretty good how-to books on Auto Interiors I found the on
internet by Don Taylor.  
 
Next Malcom and I put 2 layups of carbon fiber in the roof, and carbon
re-enforced the o'head panel.   We can stand on that baby now and it
won't dent an inch.  I hope to use the Velocity seat pans and floor
bracket, but I am concerned about the seatpan-to-backpan integrity like
we all are.  I do plan to put less rake on the seat recline, but that
more me being 5'8" tall.  
 
Schroth (sp?) makes fancy seat belts for double to triple the price that
Hooker wants.  I haven't resolved seat belt config yet either, but as a
result of this report I may run a pair nylon cargo straps from floor to
ceiling hard points within glass channels on the back face of the front
seat backs some how to limit seat-back travel were it to break free of
its mounts.  For forward restraint I will use four point seat/shoulder
harnesses from Hooker (likely).  
 
I promise to write home with pics when this gets worked out into
something presentable.  Don't try carbon ceiling layups without
inverting the fuselage on some saw houses.  It doesn't stick very well
when wetting it out.  
 
Terry

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Al Gietzen
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 11:38 AM
To: reflector
Subject: REFLECTOR: Accident report - SQ2000



Some of you may have seen this on other venues.  This is not happy
reading but I post it here because of one factor that relates to our
airplanes – the seats.

 

You can skip the rest of the report, but note that the lack of seatback
support is cited as a cause in the pilots death.  The seat is
essentially the same as the Velocity.  From the first time I saw the
Velocity seats I was very concerned that is provides very little support
against strong forces vertically or from the rear.  Once the back
support breaks there is no longer a restraint system.

 

And speaking of restraint system, I also pressed the factory years ago
for some test of the 5/16” bolt threaded into ¼” aluminum block as an
adequate seat belt attachment; particularly for the inboard side of the
front seat.

 

The analysis of the 4 canardians who examined the wreckage of Paul
Conner's aircraft is now available at:

 

 <http://www.cozybuilders.org/N2992_Accident_Eval/>
http://www.cozybuilders.org/N2992_Accident_Eval/

 

Al

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