Rear Seats

[rodsmith]

From the start I always planned on having separate rear seats. That way with three people on board you can save some weight and have more room for baggage. I started with the design of the bench seat and modified from there. The seat back angle is adjustable and the back folds down over the seat. The outboard mount locations are the same as the bench seat. The inboard mount locations were approved by Bob. This is an easy mod for a plans builder. On a kit fuselage would require welding in 4 additional threaded bushings.

[Ray Strickland]

Gret innovation!

[mike t]

you should try and have a look at the atlee dodge fold up seats for cessnas and how they work.It allows you to fold the seat up against the side of cabin. It might not be too hard(maybe?) to modify what you have got. Then just unclip the middle leg and fold up against side to make room for cargo or fold back down if picking up passenger.Essentially the legs hinge, so the back folds forward flat the seat base hinges up and middle legs fold down , I hold mine up with bungies but there are other ways .

[fairchild]

Will that modest amount of spring there make a good sitting seat ?
(the factory seats in the Fairchild were about 10 inches thick and stuffed with pine needles. How about THAT ? )
Can you say "those are red bug bites jimmy----"

[rodsmith]

you should try and have a look at the atlee dodge fold up seats for cessnas and how they work.It allows you to fold the seat up against the side of cabin. It might not be too hard(maybe?) to modify what you have got. Then just unclip the middle leg and fold up against side to make room for cargo or fold back down if picking up passenger.Essentially the legs hinge, so the back folds forward flat the seat base hinges up and middle legs fold down , I hold mine up with bungies but there are other ways .

That is exactly what I wanted to do on the left side. I used to live in Alaska and made trips to Atlee's with a tape measure and notepad. I wasn't smart enough to modify them to work in the Bearhawk.

[rodsmith]

Will that modest amount of spring there make a good sitting seat ?
(the factory seats in the Fairchild were about 10 inches thick and stuffed with pine needles. How about THAT ? )
Can you say "those are red bug bites jimmy----"

The springs are what I used in the front seats and with 3" of foam on the seat 2" on the back seem to be very comfortable. I want to find something lighter to use than the springs. Also going to try to keep the foam to 2" in the rear seats for head room purposes.

[Ray Strickland]

I used heavy duty fabric, glued on and shrunk tight, just like a flying surface. Seems to be working fine.

[Gerhard Rieger]

From the start I always planned on having separate rear seats. That way with three people on board you can save some weight and have more room for baggage. I started with the design of the bench seat and modified from there. The seat back angle is adjustable and the back folds down over the seat. The outboard mount locations are the same as the bench seat. The inboard mount locations were approved by Bob. This is an easy mod for a plans builder. On a kit fuselage would require welding in 4 additional threaded bushings.

One thing I thought off and did not do, I think yours are the best. great work

[fairchild]

Could you use something like thin spectra tape --- use one piece and do a weave like X and Y like the old lawn chairs---- wouldnt take
much density with that stuff. Maybe 5 or 6 strands in each direction. Might need a way to prevent it from walking sideways on the tubing---
Surely someone has tried that method ----- and could provide more fine details---
Tim

[svyolo]

I was thinking 5 oz Kevlar, just glued to the frame, but no epoxy over the suspended part.

[James]

Yep, I was planning on getting a rectangle of tear-proof fabric, wrap it right around the base or backrest, and hold it taut with springs through some eyelets at the bottom.
Maybe some self-tapping screws like an old huey troop seat to stop it migrating off the tube?

Anyone else tried this? Is it comfortable enough?

UPDATE: After a year of waiting patiently (and building up my workshop), my brother's 1970s Louisville is finally ready to make the trip across SE Australia to deliver my Bearhawk.
So the project's going to kick off with bit of a road-trip!

[Gary Wallace]

Those are very nice Rod. I was just out in the garage scratching my head thinking what i was going to do. I have two aeronca sedan seats but together they are a bit wide as they are. Could i ask you the width of each seat outside tube measurements, as well as the height above floor at the back of seat to the top of the cross tube, as wel pm as the heigjt to the top of the front cross tube above the floor. Mine are definitely too high as well and im curious what yours may be. I think i could modify these to
be seperate as they are. Thats a great idea