I posted awhile back regarding canopies. Subsequently I have become the owner of D-KUEP (in pieces) the RF3 formerly owned by Peter Küppers, who's photo's are on this site.
I am in the process of taking inventory, and of course getting to grips with the new EASA regs. My inspector will be taking a look at the project on the weekend and then I hope to be able to start on getting her airborne again.

One question for Collin. I seem to remember reading a post on Oregon Aero cushions, but was unable to find the post. Did you have a cushion made for your RF4? I assume that the dimensions are the same for both the 3 and 4.
Since I bought the plane in pieces I broke one of the cardinal rules in aircraft buying, namely to ensure that you can sit comfortably and still get the canopy closed with a headset on!

Fortunately we have a RF3 at my field, and the owner let me sit in it recently. I managed to fit (barely) and since I have had such positive experiences with OE cushions, would like to order a set. To offset the prohibitive cost of having it sent to Germany, I was thinking that should they have the measurements, of having them bring a set with to Oshkosh, where I can collect them and bring them home.

Any thoughts?

Grüße
Lutz

If you look at the "Maintenance"-section and look in the lower right corner you can scroll to previuos pages, on page two you find James Bavendam´s thread on Oregon seat cushions with some good tips.

On all 4´s/ Jörgen

[Edit by Jorgen on Monday, July 6, 2009 @ 07:33 AM]

I was planning on doing a report on the restauration anyway. Although it's not really a rebuild, rather putting the pieces together. The wing is done, so mostly fuselage recovering, and getting rid of 45 years of paint and dirt in the cockpit.
My examiner is coming on Saturday and then I will know more about what needs to be done. Fortunately I have some great support with Patrick Faucheron and the other members of the CFI in Speyer.

Watch this space...............

Lutz

I have 1" of medium firmness on the seat bottom with another layer of 1" soft firmness on top and the seat back is also 1" of Soft.

It turned out quit nice and compresses to about 1" when I sit on it.

I contoured the foam at the front to round and thin it behind the knee and made the stick cutout using just an ordinarly bread knife.

I sewed a dacron envelope snug around the foam to keep the 2 layers in place and joined to the backrest piece and made a removable cover that slips over the cushion envelope.

When it was complete I was rather surprised at how well it actually turned out since I have never made such a thing before.

You simply sew the final cover inside out and snug on the foam envelope and when you are done you
turn it right side out and slip it over the cushion and viola, you have a nice looking and very comforatable seat cushion with a removable cover for washing and changing styles etc.

The project took about 4 hours with most of the time taking measurements and marking up the fabric with lines so I could sew it straight.

It was quite easy and using just a regular sewing machine, although the foam was expensive at $75 USD including shipping.

Previously I got a sore butt after about 1.5 hours in the air, but my last flight of 3 hours and I felt no discomfort what so ever and as a matter of fact I noticed that turbulence was also more comfortable with the belts and shoulder straps tightened down.

Total cost $90 USD for an extremely comfortable custom seat cushion for my Grob 109.

Ray

[Edit by jb92563 on Friday, July 10, 2009 @ 02:38 PM]

But they are all two "Fourniers" and all two flies great.

ciao

Eugenio

Welcome to the Fournier family.

Oregon Aero cushions are great, but they are just an expensive way of packaging dynafoam/conforfoam, which is brilliant stuff, not just for superior comfort, but for excellent safety, because in a severe vertical impact (wheel-up landing) it only compresses slowly and absorbs the impact, rather than your spine absorbing it. Ordinary foams are dreadful in this regard, because they bounce-back and do even more spinal damage. Yes, confor/dyna foam is expensive, but what price the ability to continue walking?

You can get this foam in slabs from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty in one-inch, two-inch and three-inch thicknesses.

Matthew and I have been experimenting. We have taken out the moulded seatbacks from both our red one and my blue one and replaced them with a sheet of half-inch ply, cut to shape by tracing around the original seat back.
This gives you a more reclined seating position and frees up a useful storage area for heavy luggage, smoke canisters, oil bottles, battery etc behind the new seat back.

On the seat squab (the bit you sit on) I am currently using come of Spruce's three-inch, three-layer foam. Pink goes up (think pink bum to pink cushion). Matthew uses only two layers, two inches thick, medium & soft.

The Spruce blocks are, from memory, 18 inches by 20 inches. Saw off the excess few inches from the long length with a serrated bread knife, then use it as a lumbar support. Behind me I have, like Ray, a sheet of one-inch medium and a sheet of one-inch soft. Then we have used blocks and offcuts of this foam to provide adequate lumbar support. We started with rolled up towels and improved step by step.

After sitting on your new foam, don't immediately close the canopy, wiat for the foam to 'melt' around your shape and squash down. It squashes nearly two inches after five minutes.

Another tip. This foam easily splits and cracks if you bend it or pull it lengthwise, like pushing your bum rearwards on the cushion, so make covers soon. I do not know whether this foam is fire-resistant or non-flammable, but it is a good idea to make all your covers from wool or cotton (or leather if you're wealthy) -- fire retardant and slow-burning, rather than nasty man-made fibers, which burn fast and furiously while emitting arsenic and other highly toxic smokes.

That's why the informed pilot never wears clothes of man-made fibres. In a fire they melt and fuse into your skin making awful scars. Cotton, leather and wool only for this pilot -- plus they're more comfortable.

Enjoy your new foam, you'll find it is far more comfortable than 'ordinary' foam, and worth every cent. Also it doesn't compress under G, so your seat-belt does not go slack during aerobatics -- a nice touch.

Yours, Bob

Had my inspector around today, and it looks like I will be able to do most of the work, despite EASA's best efforts. Since I also have an experimental in progress, my time management will have to improve. I will probably be posting the one or other question, as time passes. Fortunately I also have the CFI guys in Speyer to provide assistance, when needed.

Until then, I believe the saying is "keep the rubber side down"

Cheers Lutz