Tabitha came out today and started working on the seat foam while I made some of the rigid brake lines.
While she was working with the electric knife, I installed some nutplates in the firewall. For such a big sheet, the blind dimple die is really useful.
It’s very important to stay focussed with this operation. The tool only requires a soft squeeze with the rivet setter. On one occasion I was thinking about something else, and gave it a full pull, promptly breaking the nail.
Since we deciced to go with a 3-inch bottom cushion instead of a 4-inch, we had some extra 1-inch foam left. My preference was to make the top of the seat flat to help make the covers easier to sew, but she wanted to go this route to make the seats more comfortable. To settle the dispute, she agreed to make a wedge so that we could compare the two configurations and see if the benefits would outweigh the costs.
I also decided to move the fitting in the firewall where the brake line comes through. The first one is too close to the brake pedals, and I’m concerned that it might limit brake travel if the pilot’s foot is high on the pedal. The first location was arbitrary, so it’s no trouble to move it. I’ll just need to come up with something else to put through that hole, or perhaps a patch. If I can end up with just one wrong hole in the firewall, I’ll certainly be happy.
Here’s a good view of the seat foam, including the lumbar support. The white foam in the seat back is two layers of a more rigid foam, which will hopefully help provide good lumbar support. The Avipro fames actually have a pretty good lumbar support built in. You can also see the “wedge” proposal on the seat bottom.
