How do you make long flights comfortable? Headrests?

[Oliver]

Our Mooney M20E doesn't have headrests.
I have to admit that, on longer flights, my wife and I find it pretty exhausting to just sit still for hours, without being able to rest our heads against something. We are both pilots, it would also be great if the non-flying person could move the seat back and rest comfortably.

We thought about adding headrests. From what I read, however, the original headsets aren't really effective.

So, how do you make yourself and your passenger comfortable on long flights?

[Marauder]

Our Mooney M20E doesn't have headrests.
I have to admit that, on longer flights, my wife and I find it pretty exhausting to just sit still for hours, without being able to rest our heads against something. We are both pilots, it would also be great if the non-flying person could move the seat back and rest comfortably.
We thought about adding headrests. From what I read, however, the original headsets aren't really effective.
So, how do you make yourself and your passenger comfortable on long flights?

Bigger headrests! I found the original front ones were too small to rest my head. Had them oversized. The rear ones are normal sized. The memory foam that they use in them can be sculpted to fit your profile before the outer material goes on.

What I am not sure of is whether or not the headset rails are present for all seats or just the later model ones.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[XXX]

Just now, Marauder said:

 

Bigger headrests! I found the original front ones were too small to rest my head. Had them oversized. The rear ones are normal sized. The memory foam that they use in them can be sculpted to fit your profile before the outer material goes on.

What I am not sure of is whether or not the headset rails are present for all seats or just the later model ones.





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Wow, those look great! I do not have any headrests in my '76 "F". Does anyone know if the rails are in all Mooney seats?

[Hank]

We have the factory short headrests. I've never experienced trouble holding my head up. This is how my wife gets comfortable.

.

[carusoam]

Oliver,

Did you know that there is the structure in your seat to install a standard headrest from a common Toyota?

This may actually be true.  Check the back of the seat for the structure.  

Find the thread that discusses adding headrests.  Like Marauder, some people need some specialized adjustments.

Hope this helps.  My 65C really needed some additional support.  It can get pretty tiring if you are sitting erect without support.

Best regards,

-a-

[Marauder]

Wow, those look great! I do not have any headrests in my '76 "F". Does anyone know if the rails are in all Mooney seats?

On your 76, you should have rails for both the front and rear seats (I am guessing your rear seats are split).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[gsengle]

If I didn't have headrests I'd put them in ASAP as a safety issue. In a crash after hitting the shoulder belt, I don't want my head to be able to snap over backwards :-o


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[XXX]

I don't have any visible rails. They might have been covered up when the interior was redone. I'm pretty sure my back seats are not split. From what I remember, it is one seat with kinda like a hump in the middle.

[Oliver]

@Marauder 

Now, your headrests look as whether they would do the job pretty efficiently.

 

5 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Oliver,

Did you know that there is the structure in your seat to install a standard headrest from a common Toyota?

This may actually be true.  Check the back of the seat for the structure.  

Find the thread that discusses adding headrests.  Like Marauder, some people need some specialized adjustments.

Hope this helps.  My 65C really needed some additional support.  It can get pretty tiring if you are sitting erect without support.

Best regards,

-a-

I thought the structure was standard? Padding down our seats, it actually feels as whether it is present in our seats. Reading other posts about retrofit headrest, I however gained the impression that they (factory as well as Toyota) might be too short, to comfortably support the head!?

We like to travel, it is not uncommon that we fly +4 hour legs, occationally two of such legs on a single day. We both tend to get headaches after 2 or 3 hours of sitting without support. 

Edited September 27, 2016 by Oliver

[Oliver]

Just now, gsengle said:

If I didn't have headrests I'd put them in ASAP as a safety issue. In a crash after hitting the shoulder belt, I don't want my head to be able to snap over backwards :-o


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking at Hank's picture, I am not sure if the factory headrest would do much good in such a case. It sits quite a bit under his wife's neck. I am also a taller than his wife, what would make it even less efficient.

[carusoam]

Find the thread where somebody was selling Mooney seats... this happens every now and then.

1960s was not the time to buy comfortable chairs.  The science of ergonomics wasn't started until after the Apollo project...

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

8 minutes ago, Oliver said:

 

I thought the structure was standard? Padding down our seats, it actually feels as whether it is present in our seats. Reading other posts about retrofit headrest, I however gained the impression that they (factory as well as Toyota) might be too short, to comfortably support the head!?

We like to travel, it is not uncommon that we fly +4 hour legs, occationally two of such legs on a single day. We both tend to get headaches after 2 or 3 hours of sitting without support. 

I recall seeing the threads about Toyota headrests, seems it was from an SUV, just don't recall which one.

Like you, Oliver, I used to get headaches after 2-3 hours in the air. Moved my old FlightComm headset to passenger use and bought Halos, and voila! My flying headaches went away. Mysteriously coincident with restarting flight lessons at age 43, my migraine headaches went away, too. Flying is good for me! So it my be your clamp-o-matic headset (my apologies to Gallagher) and not the seatback. My Halo headset weighs, I think, 3 ounces, and even after six years they work great, haven't been damaged, and I still sometimes forget I'm wearing them and try to get out of the plane.

[Marauder]

I don't have any visible rails. They might have been covered up when the interior was redone. I'm pretty sure my back seats are not split. From what I remember, it is one seat with kinda like a hump in the middle.

You might be able to feel the two rails on the seat back if they are there. If you have them, most upholstery shops know how to make them. My rear seats had the rails but were missing the complete head rest including the post they sat on.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Vance Harral]

3 hours ago, Chupacabra said:

I don't have any visible rails. They might have been covered up when the interior was redone. I'm pretty sure my back seats are not split. From what I remember, it is one seat with kinda like a hump in the middle.

For what it's worth, our 1976 F has headrests for both front and back seats.  Like your airplane, ours does not have a split rear seat, just the single rear seat.  Here's a picture of the rear seat with the headrests: http://www.harral.net/photos/Jalbums/N7028/slides/i.html

The front seats are separated, of course, but the headrest design is identical.  The headrest itself is nothing more than a U-shaped aluminum tube onto which you slide a cushion.  The receptacle in the seatback is just a pair of slightly larger diameter tubes which the headrest tubes slide into.  In our airplane, the receiving tubes don't stick up past the top of the seatback.  There is just a pair of little holes in the upholstery on top of the seatback, with the receiving tubes slightly below the cuts in the fabric.

If some previous owner lost your headrests (or they were never installed to begin with), it would be easy for an upholsterer to cover the place where they go, either on accident or on purpose.  I expect there's a good chance your seats have the receiving tubes, and they're just covered over.  If you press down firmly on the top of the seatback upholstery, you might feel the top of the receiving tubes.  Then if you're brave, you can cut through the upholstery to verify.

 

Edited September 27, 2016 by Vance Harral

[XXX]

4 hours ago, Vance Harral said:

For what it's worth, our 1976 F has headrests for both front and back seats.  Like your airplane, ours does not have a split rear seat, just the single rear seat.  Here's a picture of the rear seat with the headrests: http://www.harral.net/photos/Jalbums/N7028/slides/i.html

The front seats are separated, of course, but the headrest design is identical.  The headrest itself is nothing more than a U-shaped aluminum tube onto which you slide a cushion.  The receptacle in the seatback is just a pair of slightly larger diameter tubes which the headrest tubes slide into.  In our airplane, the receiving tubes don't stick up past the top of the seatback.  There is just a pair of little holes in the upholstery on top of the seatback, with the receiving tubes slightly below the cuts in the fabric.

If some previous owner lost your headrests (or they were never installed to begin with), it would be easy for an upholsterer to cover the place where they go, either on accident or on purpose.  I expect there's a good chance your seats have the receiving tubes, and they're just covered over.  If you press down firmly on the top of the seatback upholstery, you might feel the top of the receiving tubes.  Then if you're brave, you can cut through the upholstery to verify.

 

Thanks Vance, I'm going to stop by the hangar today and feel for those receiving tubes. Since I have leather, I'll have an upholstery shop do the cutting and stitching. I have a set of 3rd row Toyota Sequoia seats in the hangar which according to a previous thread, they should fit without too much modification.

Steve

[bonal]

Don't have head rests but as for long flights my wife curls up on the back bench and sleeps. For me I just remind myself how much longer it would take were I driving a car.

[Bob - S50]

We are more along the bonal technique.  The following works for my wife.  As for me, I'm used to having my ass planted in one spot for up to 6 hours at a time while driving or  working.

1.  If my wife is along, I rarely plan a leg longer than 3 hours.  Although, now with our new technique, we might fly longer.

2.  Before we leave, my wife downloads several TV shows/movies to her smartphone.

3.  She brings a pillow and sits in the back seat so she can spread out, move her legs around, etc.  We take a patch cord and plug the audio out from her phone into the music input for the back seat.  That way she can hear the sound from her shows on her headphones and I don't hear any of it.  I put the intercom in isolate so she does not hear ATC.  When she wants to talk to me she taps me on the shoulder and I put the intercom back to all.  When she is done, she tells me to isolate her.

[Brandontwalker]

6 hours ago, Vance Harral said:

For what it's worth, our 1976 F has headrests for both front and back seats.  Like your airplane, ours does not have a split rear seat, just the single rear seat.  Here's a picture of the rear seat with the headrests: http://www.harral.net/photos/Jalbums/N7028/slides/i.html

The front seats are separated, of course, but the headrest design is identical.  The headrest itself is nothing more than a U-shaped aluminum tube onto which you slide a cushion.  The receptacle in the seatback is just a pair of slightly larger diameter tubes which the headrest tubes slide into.  In our airplane, the receiving tubes don't stick up past the top of the seatback.  There is just a pair of little holes in the upholstery on top of the seatback, with the receiving tubes slightly below the cuts in the fabric.

If some previous owner lost your headrests (or they were never installed to begin with), it would be easy for an upholsterer to cover the place where they go, either on accident or on purpose.  I expect there's a good chance your seats have the receiving tubes, and they're just covered over.  If you press down firmly on the top of the seatback upholstery, you might feel the top of the receiving tubes.  Then if you're brave, you can cut through the upholstery to verify.

 

Front seat headrests from a mid 2000's Toyota Camry work well for the front and back seats in a 20J.

[Piloto]

Aside from headrest sun shades are a most for long trips. They have them in all airliners for a good reason. I got these ones from Walmart . They are retractable roll over. You just roll down enough to block the sun and push a button to retract. I attached them using the same screws that hold the plastic liner. Later on I replaced the perforated cloth with solid vinyl cloth.

Check: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dreambaby-L258-Extra-Wide-Car-Roller-Shade-for-SUV-s-and-Trucks-2-Pak/15641489

José

[1964-M20E]

Once I am at altitude and everything is OK is push the seat back take may shoes off and settle in to first class on flights longer that 1.5 hours.  Sometimes the flight attendant will pass beverages and snacks around the cabin.

 

 

[Piloto]

1 hour ago, Hyett6420 said:

Now Jose funny you should mention these because I was thinking of investing in just such a thing, however then the brain went "magnetic compass".  So the big question therefore is "have they affected your compass in any way"?  

And no I don't mean the one on your pee tube before anyone else comments Mr Maurauder .  

The whole thing is made out of plastics. No effect on compass.

[mike_elliott]

7 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

Baby is geting her interior done in November and the fitters are putting headrests in for me as she hasnt got any, they are also installing lumbar supports.  I cant wait for the new comfort level.  

As for sleep, i find that those wierd collar cushion  things you can buy at airports before you travel are the dogs bollocks when it comes to comfort for passenger sleeping.  Just use the cotton omes and not the polyester ones and you wont sweat buckets.  They support the neck really well and allow the head to lie to the side without getting a crick into it.  

Check out Bruce Jaeger's interior while you are at the Mooney Summit, Andrew. I put one in my former F, made a new plane out of her. Bruce will be happy to talk to you about it.

[flight2000]

14 hours ago, Oliver said:

Our Mooney M20E doesn't have headrests.

So, how do you make yourself and your passenger comfortable on long flights?

Upgrade to a cabin class twin....

For our '67 M20E, I upgraded the seats and went with a denser foam and added the headrests. The denser foam really was the big winner with making my flights more comfortable.  The previous seats would give me a cramp in my right butt and thigh after about 2 hours and my back didn't take to well to the "softer" foam either.  Never saw anybody use the new headrests once they were available, so thought they were pretty useless, but they did look good.... 

When we did the next upgrade, we went from our M20E to another E (E33A) and ended up with better reclining seats in the back...

Cheers,

Brian

[Piloto]

From 1982 and on Mooney made the rear seats fully reclinable down to almost horizontal. They are very comfortable but you cannot carry baggage behind the seat if you want to fully recline, except for the long bodies (M20M, M20R).

José

[flight2000]

4 minutes ago, Piloto said:

From 1982 and on Mooney made the rear seats fully reclinable down to almost horizontal. They are very comfortable but you cannot carry baggage behind the seat if you want to fully recline, except for the long bodies (M20M, M20R).

José

That's good to know.  That was the piece I wasn't sure of when I was window shopping. 

Thanks!

Brian