Seat track in a C vs an F

[Immelman]

FYI -

I was told (and surprised to learn) that some vintage (short body, specifically E models) had more seat holes and thus travel than others. Mine has more than 3 holes.

So the limited seat movement the OP experienced might have been particularly acute in the airplane he tried. It would be worth looking into whether the longer bodies had similar variations.

[Bobaran]

On 11/17/2020 at 9:54 AM, sailon said:

Drilling more holes in the seat rails affects airworthiness.  The good news is that I have had a DER approve the modification in my F, which resulted in a VERY comfortable seating position for my 6'3" frame (weight is classified).  Bad news is that the DER is very expensive, but the end result was worth it.

What did the DER cost ?  I would like to modify my F as well.  How do I find a DER?

 

[N201MKTurbo]

13 minutes ago, Bobaran said:

What did the DER cost ?  I would like to modify my F as well.  How do I find a DER?

 

https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/designees_delegations/designee_types/media/derdirectory.pdf

 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Bobaran said:

What did the DER cost ?  I would like to modify my F as well.  How do I find a DER?

 

While not directly applicable to your F model, there is a kit from Mooney for the J model.  It may be a starting point for you.

Clarence

[M20F-1968]

Various configurations are used for the same seat rail extrusion across all models.  On some the "T" of the cross section of the rail is milled so the seat can come off the track sooner.  This depends on the console in the airplane in some cases.  The amount of milled relief and the number of holes (provided they are the same size and distance apart, does not degrade the structure, as the same variations are seen from the factory across different models.  

The critical issue is that the two holes must be directly across from each other (perhaps laid-out with a framing square, scribe tool na d machinist's dye).

If they are not exactly placed, the two pins will not latch together and the seats will not work well.

You can get a DER, but I do not believe that any IA would not accept this modification without a DER sign-off given that the same seat rails are used in all Mooney aircraft.

John Breda

[Bobaran]

On 11/17/2020 at 9:54 AM, sailon said:

Drilling more holes in the seat rails affects airworthiness.  The good news is that I have had a DER approve the modification in my F, which resulted in a VERY comfortable seating position for my 6'3" frame (weight is classified).  Bad news is that the DER is very expensive, but the end result was worth it.

What was the total cost for your seat rail modifications?  How many extra sets of holes did you drill?   How did you drill the holes?  How many inches of seat holes did you gain? Where do I get a DER to approve?   Would you be willing to share your DER data/information?     I have a 67 M20F. Bob

[Yetti]

The way to do this accurately is create a jig with two .256 holes located on CL 1.250 apart with a slot cut that matches the top of the seat rail.   Then set a stop on the drill bit to go only .25 depth in the seat rail.   Use two drill bits on the jig one as the locator for the previous drilled hole and one to drill the hole.   The legalities and the attachments can be discussed with your IA.    

mooney_seat_rail_mod.pdf

[Mkruger2021]

I believe it is DAR not DER. Designated Airworthy Representative isn't it?

[N201MKTurbo]

4 minutes ago, Mkruger2021 said:

I believe it is DAR not DER. Designated Airworthy Representative isn't it?

Open the document linked in my previous post. It answers your question.

[Bobaran]

On 1/11/2022 at 12:19 PM, Yetti said:

The way to do this accurately is create a jig with two .256 holes located on CL 1.250 apart with a slot cut that matches the top of the seat rail.   Then set a stop on the drill bit to go only .25 depth in the seat rail.   Use two drill bits on the jig one as the locator for the previous drilled hole and one to drill the hole.   The legalities and the attachments can be discussed with your IA.    

mooney_seat_rail_mod.pdf 613.62 kB · 2 downloads

Thanks for sharing the seat rail mod documentation. Are those seat rails fixed in the aircraft, or are they removable?  Do you happen to have an pics of the work being done?

[Yetti]

47 minutes ago, Bobaran said:

Thanks for sharing the seat rail mod documentation. Are those seat rails fixed in the aircraft, or are they removable?  Do you happen to have an pics of the work being done?

Seat rails are riveted in....   No pics

[Marauder]

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[Danb]

6 minutes ago, Marauder said:

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Chris did you get your rugs when you installed your super interior 

[Marauder]

Chris did you get your rugs when you installed your super interior 

The new interior was installed back in 2017. I put in new rugs last year. What you are seeing in the second picture is the paper template I made to have Airtex make custom fitted rugs.

When Bruce did the interior, he recommended SCS to provide the rugs. Little too rich for me, especially considering they are rugs. AirTex sells reasonably priced rugs. They are not the same quality as SCS’s top end rugs but I can replace the Airtex version 3 times for the same price.

Plus Airtex was really easy to work with. They originally sent me “pre cut” rugs that were supposed to fit but didn’t. They said if I would be willing to make a set of templates, they would cut and bind them for the same price.

I like the fit a lot better.




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[Danb]

Nice, I just ordered rugs from SCS the nylon not wool considerably less, airtex did complete interior on my J turned out awesome, pictures are on there website

[carusoam]

Nice pireps for both Airtex and SCS….

Thanks gents for sharing the details.

Best regards,

-a-