Portable Headrest

[flyingpreacher]

I've searched and can't find anything, so here's my question.

My wife loves flying with me, but has chronic neck issues, and by the end of a longer flight, she's prone to end up with neck pain and/or a migraine. I hate doing that to her. My 172 doesn't have headrests, which I think would allow her to relax her neck. Is there a portable headrest that could attach to the seatback without requiring an STC by actually modifying the AC seats? Like something you could strap to the seat and then remove at the end of the flight?

I'm thinking that it wouldn't be significantly different from having a seat cushion if done correctly. I just haven't been able to find anything on Amazon, much less ACSpruce/Sportys/My Pilot Store.

Any ideas?

 

[Bell206]

Any ideas?

First, check to see if you have headrest provisions in the top of the seatback under the current seat covers. Some people have been known to remove them.

What year & model? Another "common" route if you don't have the provisions is to install seats or in some cases seat backs with headrests from a different model or year. Most A&Ps consider this a minor alteration with just a log entry and simple weight & bal correction if needed.

As to a portable headrest I can't quite see how you could mount it firmly enough to give the support you need without attaching it to the frame. Which in my opinion would still be a minor alteration if you wanted to go that route as well.

 

[flyingpreacher]

First, check to see if you have headrest provisions in the top of the seatback under the current seat covers. Some people have been known to remove them.

What year & model? Another "common" route if you don't have the provisions is to install seats or in some cases seat backs with headrests from a different model or year. Most A&Ps consider this a minor alteration with just a log entry and simple weight & bal correction if needed.

As to a portable headrest I can't quite see how you could mount it firmly enough to give the support you need without attaching it to the frame. Which in my opinion would still be a minor alteration if you wanted to go that route as well.

My initial thought was to strap a board with an amazon headrest to the back of the seat by way of the seatback pocket and a board. May give it a go for an initial idea.

As far as the data, it's a 1974 172M. My options are somewhat limited as it is a club plane.

 

[Bell206]

it's a 1974 172M. My options are somewhat limited as it is a club plane.

Looking at the S/N range for a 74 172M (61899-63458) both the standard and infinite seats came with headrests per the IPC. Good possibility you have the holes under the seat covers. Perhaps offer the club to upgrade the aircraft with some used headrests once you have their mechanic verify the provisions?

 

[Gary Ward]

Being a club plane I don't know what to suggest?
I have to say the 172 is not a great plane for XC and not the most comfortable even with headrests, IMO. Look for another plane to rent for XC is my suggestion.
I bet the plane came with seat frames that could have accommodated headrest? Cessna headrests were made of plastic inside and none of the plastic survived after 40 years. Many seats were recovered and the headrest were not replaced or they never had them to begin with. This is what the frame looks like inside.

Those are not cessna mounting rods, those are toyota mounts that are tilted forward making them more useful. If your mechanic approves then go for it.

 

[flyingpreacher]

As far as renting another for XC, I'm saving $100+/hour over the cheapest rental in the area, and I'm coming up on my commercial minimums, so just trying to knock out these last few hours with cross country flights to punch lots of hours at a time. My big goal is to build one and I'm looking at the Veloce 400 which has nice tall seatbacks.

 

[SoCal 182 Driver]

More than likely, you have the holes in the top of your seat frame for a headrest, and they were covered when the seats were reupholstered at some point in the plane's life. You might try pressing down, hard, at various points along the top of your seat back to see if you can locate the holes. Alternatively, if your seat back upholstery is just held on with some Velcro, it's easy enough to remove the seat back upholstery and look at the top of the frame. If you don't care about PMA issues for something like a headrest, late 80s Toyota headrests will generally fit (but check the center-to-center dimensions to be sure). You can remove the Toyota upholstery and have it reupholstered in aviation-approved material. Or, affordable-aviation.com sells PMA headrest frames. Spendy at $160 each (without upholstery). https://www.affordable-aviation.com/products/cessna-headrest

 

[nrpetersen]

My 172M already had the holes and I made one headrest from some 3/8" alum tube and a motorcycle backrest I found somewhere. Looked like OEM. Didn't cost more than $10 but that was 20 years ago.

 

[Gary Ward]

Could just poke 2 holes in the top of the seat and stick a headrest in just during your XC trips on her seat and take it out or leave it in when you return the plane ?
Like said you can buy PAA FAA approved parts and Airtex will gladly sew you up some covers. Only problem is the PAA FAA approved parts/mounting rods are made like cessna parts which makes the headrest pretty useless.

 

[iflyvfr]

I went to an auto junkyard and bought a pair of headrests from a mid-1970's Nissan IIRC. They fit my 172G seats perfectly. Sent them to Dodd at Airtex and came back looking sharp. They even tilted back and forth.

 

[Kevin Holbrook]

The sockets are almost certainly there. Headrests from mid 90's - mid 2000''s camry from ebay fit just fine.