My ass hurts. C-172 seat cushion replacement options?

P

pj500

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
124
Display Name
Display name:
pj500
Late 1970s C-172N with factory seat cushions. I'll put it bluntly -- the seat is factory original and after 2,500 hours it is shot. The good old stuff a kitchen chair seat cushion on it works fine, but, is annoying. It's in good shape cosmetically but just flat.

What is the least expensive way to get replacement foam for the Pilots seat? Is it easiest to replace the cushion, pull it and have it retstuffed somewhere??
 
Any automotive upholstery shop can take it apart and re-stuff it for you. Past a particular year (or certification basis ) they have to use burn certyfied fabric.
 
Jim Fix sells cushions that you can be comfortable sitting on for hours without moving. They are at OSH every year. His company slogan is " Be kind to your behind." :lol:

I can highly recommend their products. :D

http://www.seatfoam.com/
 
Last edited:
I used a piece of boat cushion foam and had it sewn into a matching fabric. That allowed it to be moveable for lower back support,and to cover the bar.
 
weilke said:
Any automotive upholstery shop can take it apart and re-stuff it for you. Past a particular year (or certification basis ) they have to use burn certyfied fabric.
Click to expand...

Everything up to and including the P model is CAR 3. You only have to use fire retardant fabrics, but there's no requirement for certification.

Of course you can just keep the seat covering and replace the foam internally. I did that on the Navion as the old foam was becoming brittle and crumbling and I was vacuuming it out of the wings during annual). Oregon Aero and some others sell some nice multiple density foams that you can use.
 
Geico266 said:
Jim Fix sells cushions that you can be comfortable sitting on for hours without moving. They are at OSH every year. His company slogan is " Be kind to your behind." :lol:

I can highly recommend their products. :D

http://www.seatfoam.com/
Click to expand...
:yeahthat:

I have Jim's foam in my seats. It is great. The only thing to remember is that in the winter it gets hard as a rock until you have been sitting on it for a few minutes. I put in 5-9 hours a day for two weeks each year on a flying trip.
 
flyingron said:
Everything up to and including the P model is CAR 3. You only have to use fire retardant fabrics, but there's no requirement for certification.

Of course you can just keep the seat covering and replace the foam internally. I did that on the Navion as the old foam was becoming brittle and crumbling and I was vacuuming it out of the wings during annual). Oregon Aero and some others sell some nice multiple density foams that you can use.
Click to expand...

And when you drop off the chair with the upholstery lady say that it is 'for a boat'.
 
The official name of the foam is Confor Foam Laminate. Mine is 18x20 in dimension, 3 inch thick, 3 layers (1 inch each of the yellow, pink & blue). You can get more details at

http://www.scs-interiors.com/aerospace/foam-products/confor-foam.html

Oregon Aero gets rather expensive because they OEM the actual foam. You can go direct and get a block of foam in varying densities from the wholesalers and it comes with the burn cert. Here's Jim website and the details on the blocks:

http://seatfoam.com/aviation.htm

http://seatfoam.com/cutting_diagram.htm

I had Jim's foam in both front seats for over 10 years until I installed the new interior with AirTex. The AirTex sets don't come with the confor foam (you can get the details at AirTex). Spent 6 months flying on it and then had my seat re-done with the confor foam.

Order the foam then take it to an auto upholstery shop and use the existing material over the foam. I had some extra foam from another project a few years ago and had them use that to form the sides of the seat bottom rather than cut into the new foam block. The material is already FAA approved and you've got the burn cert for the foam, and everything else is Owner Maintenance under part 43. You write the simple entry in the log book.

Another option - As was pointed out Oregon Aero has removable cushions in varying thicknesses, the same confor foam. But I just priced the 1 in seat about a month ago for a friend. It's great if you want removable, but otherwise it's about the same price as doing the 172 seat properly.

http://oregonaero.com/products/softseat®-portable-seat-cushion-base

The 2 in cushion is $191 without shipping.

WARNING: The manufacturer raised prices on May 1, so an 18 x 20 from Jim is now $100.50 plus shipping. And I assume everyone else has raised prices.

You're gonna end up paying about $200 no matter which way you go.
 
pj500 said:
Late 1970s C-172N with factory seat cushions. I'll put it bluntly -- the seat is factory original and after 2,500 hours it is shot. The good old stuff a kitchen chair seat cushion on it works fine, but, is annoying. It's in good shape cosmetically but just flat.

What is the least expensive way to get replacement foam for the Pilots seat? Is it easiest to replace the cushion, pull it and have it retstuffed somewhere??
Click to expand...

2500 hours shouldn't wear out the cushion. The 172's seats have a stiff fabric sling glued to the seat base, and the glue (contact cement) ages and dries out and lets go, dropping your behind onto the framework. Your seat might only need regluing of that sling.

Dan
 
Dan Thomas said:
2500 hours shouldn't wear out the cushion. The 172's seats have a stiff fabric sling glued to the seat base, and the glue (contact cement) ages and dries out and lets go, dropping your behind onto the framework. Your seat might only need regluing of that sling.

Dan
Click to expand...

2500 hours may not wear out the cushion but the seat material/foam has aged more than 30 years. When I bought the 1969 cherokee in 2000, I discovered the foam had pretty much disintegrated.
 
As aircraft maintenance goes, paying someone to re-stuff some cessna seats with pre-cut foam blocks is downright cheap.
As mentioned, this is 'owner maintenance' and you can pay someone other than an aviation store to do it. If you provide parts, designs, directions it is your work and you sign for it in the logbook.
 
Last edited:
It may not be the seats. There are other reasons it could be hurting.:D
 
weilke said:
And when you drop off the chair with the upholstery lady say that it is 'for a boat'.
Click to expand...

Actually, when I had my Navion restored the shop says they had an auto upholstery shop who had never done an airplane before but wanted to give it a try. Oddly their name is Hartzell Auto Upholstery (no relation to the fan guys). They sent me a large box full of samples of materials and they did an excellent job on mine.
 
weilke said:
As aircraft maintenance goes, paying someone to re-stuff some cessna seats with pre-cut foam blocks is downright cheap.
As mentioned, this is 'owner maintenance' and you can pay someone other than an aviation store to do it. If you provide parts, designs, directions it is your work and you sign for it in the logbook.
Click to expand...

Actually if you supply any one of the three (parts OR designs OR directions) you fall within 21.303 (b)(2) operator/owner manufacturer.

Jim
 
I wish an admin or someone would change that title. Everytime I see it I get reminded of that weekend I spent in jail in Venezuela and it is not a pleasant memory. :sad:

Can someone please remove the offending words from the title?
 
Last edited:
Wait. Why were you sitting on a C-172 seat cushion in a jail in Venezuela? Is there a story that goes along with this?
 
Good one :).

What about the seat backs? Don't bother? How much do they add to the cost?

Is it ever worth replacing the covering material or just impossible to match and expesnive?

From the sounds of it its two ours of labor for the foam stuffer ($100) and the cost of the foam stuffing ($100) per seat excluding the backs? Does this seem about right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top