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Thread: Seats

  1. #1

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    Default Seats

    Finally getting ready to order, what are the plus and minuses of the different seat materials. Velour, Cordura, Synergy Suede.and temper foam,(may just be the padding in the seats) I wish they explained more on the order forms.

  2. #2
    Senior Member efwd's Avatar
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    Default Re: Seats

    IMHO you will likely notice how comfortable, or uncomfortable the seats are because of the foam not the fabric. I spent the money to get the memory foam and I think many people do. I bet that if you looked backed at our posts on how comfy the Kitfox seats are, its because of the memory foam not to mention the geometry of the seat pan. As for aesthetics, You probably have heard, you get what you pay for. I have the synergy suede and I like the feel as well as the appearance. Im not so sure how it would look if I were out in the dirt with my plane all the time. Im not certain of how easily the suede will clean up. Probably requires a bit more effort than the cordura would.
    Eddie Forward
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    SS7, 912iS, Garmin G3X

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Seats

    Thanks, I know from experience Sude can be a pia to clean, Most of the Corporate jets I worked on had them, we had to take extra care not to get our dirty hands on them. And thats what I thought, the foam is the padding just needed confirmation. And I did search for "Seats" but nothing cam up

  4. #4
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Seats

    Synergy suede is the choice for me after seeing how Stick & Rudder’s seats all looked after hundreds of students sliding in and out of the cockpit plus all the folks at Oshkosh that tried on the fit of the Super Sport. After a thousand plus hours of instruction and 600 plus students you could not tell the seats from brand new. My foam choice was the good stuff, Temper foam. After a couple hundred hours in the factory demos and many Kitfox with this set up, the comfort level is unmatched. Allow a little extra time for manufacture and delivery of your seats.

    Mine are shown below. 2” Temper Foam in seat bottom cushions and 1” in seat back cushions. My seats are identical to the seats Kitfox Aircraft had in the factory Speedster. Quality is top shelf.
    879FEC0B-408A-4C4E-9E7E-0F0AFEA8467D.jpg 66956DE5-A8FD-49F7-B73C-C529779D7D75.jpg


    DesertFox4
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  5. #5

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    Default Re: Seats

    [QUOTE=DesertFox4;88628] My foam choice was the good stuff, Temper foam. After a couple hundred hours in the factory demos and many Kitfox with this set up, the comfort level is unmatched. Allow a little extra time for manufacture and delivery of your seats.
    QUOTE]
    Don't have to worry about that looks like after May 2021 for delivery. That is how many orders they have.

  6. #6
    Senior Member efwd's Avatar
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    Default Re: Seats

    Well, truth be told, this stuff is significantly easier to clean than real suede you find in corporate jets. I bet if I sprayed solution or just plain water and then followed up with a wet/dry vac, this material will look great and certainly won't behave like Suede after drying. DF4 is right. I had forgot about Stick and Rudder and how much use they get on their airplanes. Yeah, they did look really nice still after lots of ingress and egress. Thanks for the photos DF4. I love those.
    Eddie Forward
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    SS7, 912iS, Garmin G3X

  7. #7
    rcbif's Avatar
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    Default Re: Seats

    Anybody have a ballpark price for just the completed seat cushions? I plan to do the rest of the interior upholstery bits myself.
    Building a Kitfox V Outback in NE Ohio

  8. #8
    Senior Member efwd's Avatar
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    Default Re: Seats

    I needed a 1" thick seat bottom to facilitate flying will tall friends. It cost me no less than $200 for just the bottom cushion.. May have been slightly more, I don't recall exactly. Again, that's the fully upgraded foam and fake Suede fabric. One call to the factory and you will have the accurate cost.
    Eddie Forward
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    SS7, 912iS, Garmin G3X

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Seats

    Quote Originally Posted by efwd View Post
    Well, truth be told, this stuff is significantly easier to clean than real suede you find in corporate jets. I bet if I sprayed solution or just plain water and then followed up with a wet/dry vac, this material will look great and certainly won't behave like Suede after drying. DF4 is right. I had forgot about Stick and Rudder and how much use they get on their airplanes. Yeah, they did look really nice still after lots of ingress and egress. Thanks for the photos DF4. I love those.
    I finally remembered the name of the suede on the Jets, Ultra Suede, what a pia those were if they got dirty, what was worse is they also put it on the wall panels.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Seats

    Personally I'm doing all the interior myself. You can buy really great foam (memory foam if you want) at a fraction of the cost. It's going to be a lot of work, but I also have a local upholstery old timer willing to show me the ropes. He's helped source materials as well. I'm going to go with a high end marine grade fabric. I was hoping leather originally, but damn it's expensive for quality. All in I'll probably be at $500 and be totally custom. This is going to include the dash, seat pans and cushions with covers. Hopefully it turns out as good as I'm hoping. Will be starting on it this weekend as long as nothing gets in the way.
    912 IS
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