reduced scale pilot

[bigmal]

I am 6' 3'' and I have a 1980 M-5 with the stock factory seats. I always like to sit sit as high as possible to maintain a good view over the cowling. I purchase the Oregon Aero cushion with the attached back rest. It is very comfortable and it it puts my head where I have a good line of sight. It is portable so I can use it in other airplanes if I want. I can not remember the pad height but I want to say 1 or 1.5 inches. It was a little pricey but it is very comfortable and good quality. My friends don't understand why I needed it until they sit in it.

Ralph

[whittakerw]

Most confor foam seat cushions are made up of two or three different density layers, and carved with a sharp knife tosuit you. It is easy to remove the Maule seat cover, buy the foam and carve your own for size, fit and desity. Go to www.seatfoam.com and you will save a bunch of dollars and have perfection. If you buy from Maule it will cost more as they have to buy from Oregon Aero and it is supplied in two thicknesses, but you won't know which to order.

Thinking about redoing my front seats and wanted to bump this thread back into relevancy. What's the consensus for reupholstering seats? Can I just strip mine, take them to an auto shop, and have them reupholster? I got a quote from OregonAero but not sure I'm ready to fork up that kind of money.

I've never thought of mine as uncomfortable but if an upgrade isn't too pricey I think it would be worth it. I'll try the Seatfoam company above on Monday, if they sell cushions that are already cut then maybe that is the best move. Otherwise I'm not sure I can cut a better cushion than the existing one.

[Mog]

I’m a big guy, went with some pretty custom oregon Aero seats. It’s by far one of my least regretted upgrades. For me the stock seats are just short of unflyable. Even the first round with Oregon Aero didn’t cut it. They ended up backing off the seat thickness to the absolute minimum they felt was acceptable. If you’re big, ask them to match the last iteration of my seats for N4550R. You won’t sit “high” but I can see over the cowl just fine at 6’5”. If you are an average Joe then go stock Oregons and fly happy.

FYI I went with cloth all around.

[whittakerw]

Thanks Mog, those look great. I'm not sure I can get past the $2,300 per seat yet though.

We're doing a recover right now and it looks like we might just go ahead and refinish the interior. I'd hate to have all new interior with old seats, but for the cost above I might just be happy with the old ones.

[Mog]

Boy, I don’t recall paying that much per seat. I think that was the price for two seats.

Actually it appears I paid around $1000 per seat. Rear seat is 1.5X a single seat.