Refurbish seats and other interior components

[AeroEng]

The leather seats in my ‘07 acclaim are looking a bit tired.  I’d love to get them recovered (and maybe also have some other items in the interior like the dash, elastic pockets, etc. spruced up), but I don’t want to have the plane grounded for months while the work is done. 
 

Any recommendations on how to accomplish a refresh without significant downtime?

 

I’m located in Missouri if that makes a difference re: proximity to good shops.

Thanks as always,

R

 

 

[Marc_B]

To minimize downtime, couple this with other maintenance.  How about taking out and sending off interior you want updated while aircraft is down for annual?  But even with drop-off for a turnkey complete interior this may only take 2-3 weeks.  Hardest part is that the best shops may be scheduling 6 months+ in advance.

[anthonydesmet]

I’ve used both of these for my interior overhaul.  Aerocomfort is the best there is.  I used them for leather trim and glare shield.  I also used airtex for my carpet, solid work!  It’s going to depend on down time you require?

During an annual if you want to ship then I would lean to aerocomfort.  If you want minimum downtime then go with ordering airtex seat covers.  You can fly until they arrive then put them on in a day.  My hanger neighbor ordered and they are not typical seat covers like in cars.  They totally look like a rehab with new foam and are very tight.

http://www.airtexinteriors.com/index.php

https://aerocomfort.com

 

 

[carusoam]

+1 for Hector at Aerocomfort…

He does the leather interiors of many new Mooneys and corporate jets…

Very capable of making something better than new…

Also consider the foam that goes under the leather…. Hector probably knows this stuff as well…

Selecting bright color panels to accent seats and yokes and threads that look like baseball laces…

Don’t forget the embroidery….

There is a lot of creative art available…. With an interior refresh….

Often, people send their chairs and glare shield to Hector…

Imagine the interior of a new 2023 Mooney…. Hector can do that for you…   

 

Best regards,

-a-

[kortopates]

Take the time to do it right, Aerocomfort for quality. I shipped Hector my seats and glareshield. it didn’t take that long.
Airtex would be a very significant downgrade IMO, but very serviceable for the vintage fleet.


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[carusoam]

Often, there is a part of the discussion that indicates the level of pricing being expected…

I made the assumption, a newer Acclaim that was looking to refresh the interior is looking for Hector’s level of quality… 

The other suppliers are good for other reasons…

There is another supplier for high end carpets… whose name doesn’t immediately come to mind…

Best regards,

-a-

[Pinecone]

I haven't used them, but for a total seat rebuild, there is also Oregon Aero.  Everything I have read is that their seats are amazingly comfortable.

[Mark89114]

I have a friend who does upholstery, so no labor cost, have a decent understanding of the covering materials but what I am lacking is the foam portion.  Any sources?  Looked briefly at Oregon aero but didn't see what I wanted.  Will shoot them an inquiry. 

[AeroEng]

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback.  I am in contact with Hector down in Texas.  Seems like he really knows what he's doing.

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, AeroEng said:

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback.  I am in contact with Hector down in Texas.  Seems like he really knows what he's doing.

He does.  If you go that route, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

[carusoam]

Oregon is known for their foam products…

Various colors indicate the foam’s density…

Foam stacking guidance…

There used to be some good pics around here…

Best regards,

-a-

[DCarlton]

Speaking of foam...  I had my seats recovered several years ago.  When I sit in the seat, the foam presses against the side of the trim wheel.  It's not a show stopper but it's not ideal.  When I recover my seats again I want to make sure the seat foam is not too wide in that area.  Wondering if anyone else has encountered that issue.  

[Ragsf15e]

21 minutes ago, DCarlton said:

Speaking of foam...  I had my seats recovered several years ago.  When I sit in the seat, the foam presses against the side of the trim wheel.  It's not a show stopper but it's not ideal.  When I recover my seats again I want to make sure the seat foam is not too wide in that area.  Wondering if anyone else has encountered that issue.  

I’m having a hard time picturing?  The trim wheel is way below and foam on the side of my seats?

[DCarlton]

3 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

I’m having a hard time picturing?  The trim wheel is way below and foam on the side of my seats?

You can't make this up.  :>  I'll have to take a pic next chance I get.  Maybe my seat bottoms are wider than they should be.  

[Ragsf15e]

31 minutes ago, DCarlton said:

You can't make this up.  :>  I'll have to take a pic next chance I get.  Maybe my seat bottoms are wider than they should be.  

Some people need wider seat bottoms than others… 

[kortopates]

Speaking of foam...  I had my seats recovered several years ago.  When I sit in the seat, the foam presses against the side of the trim wheel.  It's not a show stopper but it's not ideal.  When I recover my seats again I want to make sure the seat foam is not too wide in that area.  Wondering if anyone else has encountered that issue.  

I’ve seen this on more than one plane. One owner told me the upholstery person went over size in trying to make the seat more comfortable i.e., trying to address comfort complaints with the seats.
IMO that’s not the right away to correct the comfort issues. The experts use multiple densities of quality foam which doesn’t require going over size.

Although the few owners i know with this issue seem to adjust fine, I think it’s because they’re mostly using electric trim. I don’t have electric trim from the right seat and would go nuts. in fairness though i think it takes quite awhile for the foam to start obstructing the trim wheel and gradually gets worse - i.e. i am assuming they didn’t start out new like that but took time for the foam to break down.


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[DCarlton]

On 11/10/2022 at 1:30 PM, Ragsf15e said:

Some people need wider seat bottoms than others… 

Here you go.  Not much room between the trim wheel and seat if the foam squishes.  My foam has gotten pretty soft over the years but the seats are still comfortable.  I'll be more aware of this potential issue the next time they're reupholstered.  There's not much pressure on the trim wheel it's just a little irritating and less than ideal).