Replacing upholstery and interior panels

N5004W

Our plane is going to be in for maintenance for 2 months and they are going to have to remove the back seat and interior panels - so was thinking about restoring the seats and side panel coverings

My sister can make new seat cushions and reupholster the seats and recover the panels. Do I have to send the materials off for flammability testing? I think I read that if you take out ashtray and placard “no smoking “ that the flammability testing is not required for the materials. Is this correct?

MikeJJ

If you purchase materials from an aircraft upholstery supplier such as Airtex, the materials are already approved for installation in your aircraft and meet "code" so to speak.

However, there were different type certification standards over the years such as CAR 3, 14CFR Part 23, and as of August 2017, the new 14CFR Part 23. and meeting the standards at the time the aircraft was type certificated may offer other options especially if you choose to use your own bulk materials.

For example, if your aircraft is type certificated under CAR 3, and used for 14CFR Part 91 operations and smoking is not permitted, your material need only be FLASH resistant not flame resistant per CAR 3.388. This from AC 43-13.1B section 9-60.

Your A&P and/or your local flight standards office should be able to guide you and assure the proper sign offs where required.

Regards,

Mike

N5004W

Got it - thanks. That is very helpful. The distinction between flash resistance and flame resistance was something that I had not picked up on.

Our plane is MY1961 so if I am reading things right we are under CAR-3

Is there anyone who has a suggestion for a service that does the flash and flammability testing - thanks

Scott Sherer

Just purchase bulk material from Airtex Interiors. They will send you a sheet of paper for your logs certifying the fabric. I have new wall panels and seat covers coming from them as a premade kit in about two weeks. I can't wait!

N5004W

Thanks - will check with them about buying the fabric

griff390

N5004W, if you are replacing the seat webbing, I recommend that you also purchase the webbing and glue from Airtex. Everything they sell has the burn certifications included and will save you lots of time and paperwork.

N5004W

This is the first airplane we have owned - so everything is new to us with this. What seat webbing are you referring to? Looking at the bottom of my seat there are wires under the cushion - is this a fabric webbing in later model planes or is this something completely different? Our plane is MY1961.

Also - in reading discussions about replacing the cushions and upholstery on seats there is a lot of discussion about removing glue. Is there glue on all seat frames/cushions or is that something that is in later model planes as well. Again - looking at the bottom of the seat - the bottom cushion looks like it is wrapped in burlap. I would assume the seatback cushion is wrapped in burlap too - but maybe it is glued to the frame?

I am just trying to figure out what we are going to be getting ourselves into into if we tackle trying to replace the cushions and coverings. Thanks.

griff390

N5004W;

Very good questions. The rear seat(s) may have a "zigzag spring" grid. The springs look like a long bunch of S's connected top to bottom (see pic).

The back seat(s) may or may not have the burlap you mentioned sandwiched between the springs and the foam. The foam is wrapped by the upholstery, and the upholstery attaches underneath to the seat frame with hog rings.

The front seats should have webbing attached (glued with contact cement) directly to the frame. The webbing is a semi-rigid fabric that is glued to the seat frame, and the foam is glued to the webbing. The upholstery then covers the foam, and attaches with hog rings to the seat frame in the same manner as the rear seat. The upholstery for the seat backs slips on, and is attached via Velcro or a hidden seam.

Replacing the interior is not as complicated as it sounds. I had never attempted upholstery work before, but the finished product looks like it was professionally installed. 11 years later, it still looks great. If you are even moderately handy, you can tackle this project too, and if you purchase the materials from a company like Airtex, everything will fit, and all the burn certs will be included. I have no connection to them, but Airtex was exceptional to work with, and you'll hear the same from many others on this forum. When you call them for help, they will have you talking to a live support person in under 30 seconds. Of course you will also have the assistance of everyone here on this forum.

If you're not much of a DIY person, you still have the option of bringing your airplane to them or any other airplane interior shop, and let them do all the work. All you do it write a check when it's done.

Let us know what you decide.

N5004W

Thanks for the information- that is exactly what it looks like. We took the seats to an auto detail shop to be cleaned and they look much better. The fabric is actually in decent condition. The foam cushions are pretty worn out so trying to weigh the work and expense vs replacing the cushions which would also mean new and better looking seat covers. I have material samples coming from airtex to take a look at

Tough decision

griff390

My short answer is do it. You'll be much more comfortable, which you and your passengers will appreciate, especially on long trips. Less fatigue on you as a pilot means instead of fidgeting on a worn out seat, you'll be more focused on what you need to be doing: flying the plane.

Been there and done it. The new seats are night and day different in comfort. 11 years later, my only regret is not doing it sooner.

Scott Sherer

I'm doing an Airtex kit in my Arrow at the moment. Headliner is in, carpet is in, wall panels next week and seats in January. As compared to the headliner and carpeting the seat covers are a snap. Take a seat home, put it on your workbench and work on it slowly. Start with a back seat so you can still fly while you do it!

Jsmithdmd

I don't see a Saratoga in Airtex's portfolio any newer than 1980. Will that stuff fit in a 1996 Saratoga II HP?

N5004W

I think the portfolio section is just examples of planes that people have re-done with their seats and panels etc.

Take a look at the catalog tab and click seat assemblies- it lists PA-32 without any date limitations. You will see that some have date limits.

If you have questions give them a call - very nice people who are really helpful