October 2005 - American Bonanza Society

More documents

Recommendations

Info

INTERIORSTHE INSIDE STORYPART IVBY DENNIS WOLTERAIR MOD. CINCINNATI. OHIOIf you were with me last month, youknow the design is fi nalized, thepunch list is completed and thematerials are selected. The next stepmay not be as visually exciting, butis definitely one of the most importantdesign steps we take to develop an optimuminterior.ErgonomicsSince you physically relate to yourairplane through the seat you sit in,making the flight station as ergonomicallycomfortable and functional as possibleis extremely important. It's timenow to take the numerous ergonomicmeasurements to ensure the best fit possiblebetween the airplane and its users.Fortunately for me, my first jobafter college was working in the medicaltraining film department at theUniversity of Cincinnati MedicalCollege. One project we did thereinvolved making cinemascope X-rays(X-ray movies) of people walking, sittingand standing, allowing us to seehow the body structure articulates indifferent positions and doing varioustasks. One of the many things I noticedabout a person sitting in a straight-backchair with no lumbar support was thattheir vertebrae became misaligned intheir attempts to get comfortable.Some of this orthopedic informationI picked up has really paid off inmy aviation career. When you becomeuncomfortable and begin to squirm inyour airplane seat, you are subconsciouslychanging from one musclegroup to the next until all of your musclesare tired.In a nutshell, if your skeletal tructureis held in its proper position by theseat you are sitting in, your muscleswon't have to work to hold you in thatposition. Obviously then, the design ofa seat and foam shape is critical to comfort.And pi lot comfort is a major factorin fatigue control and flight safety.Remember, the hard part of flying usuallycomes last. You want to avoid beingtired or in pain when you're shoolingthat tedious approach.Fitting a seat to a person can be donein one of two ways. If the person is ofnonnal stature (5' 2" to 6' I ") and has nophysical anomalies such as fused vertebraeor scoliosis, we can use the standardmeasure-of-manseat that is in the Beechcabin mock-up we keep in our office, andwhich many of you have probably seen inmy booth at conventions.With the customer sitting in thatseat, we add (if necessary) additionalfoam shape in various places, makingslight adjustments until the customer iscomfortable. Multip le dimensions andmeasurements are taken to completethis full ergonomic study of the personin the airplane. The seat, armrest andglareshield are all factors.It sounds like a daunting and complextask, but it is actually quite intuitiveand simple. The process really justinvolves cutting to fit and adjusting forcomfort. The goal is for the customer tobe comfortable with the shape of theseat and the position of the armrest, andbe able to see without difficulty over theglare hield as well as see and reach allinstrumentation and controls.A word about the "standard measureof man." Periodically, an ergonomicstudy of the US popu lation is taken andthe re ulting data analyzed to establishthe physical dimensions of the averageAmerican. This standard measureallows manufacturers of automobiles,furniture and other commodities tobuild production items that fit 90 percentof the people who are likely to buythem. At my shop, we most often custom-buildthe pilot seat for the ownerpilot,and fabricate the remaining cabinseat to the standard measure of man.If a person is taller than 6' I "or hasFitting a customer to his partiallv foomed seat.a special medical condition, we askthem to allow additional time for us tore-sling their seat and build the foambefore they leave. While the customer issitting in his airplane, we then cut ourfoam and install lumbar, thorax andthigh supports as the customer gives usprogress ive feedback. We continue unti lwe are assured by the customer of correctgeometry and approval.What a benefit that all of this takesplace before we actually cut or sew anyupholstery. For those customers withback issues, we've even made use of alateral X-ray as an aid in coming upwith a correct and comfortable seatbuild.Due to the fact that most Beechseats are mounted directly to the sparand for all practical purposes don 't havea height adjustment, a very tall personmay require a quite radical approach tothe seat build. We're not miracle workers,but a surprising amount of adjustmentandlor modification can be done tothe seat bases, seat backs, foam build,armrests and even headl iners to squeezeevery inch out of these cabins. We'llcover this in more detail later.Taking InventoryWith that behind us, it's time tofocus on the airplane itself. The firstthing we do is taxi it to the avionicsPage 9270www. bonanza.orgABS October 2005
shop on our fie ld for an a sessment ofcurrent conditions with radios. vacuumsystem, alternator, lighting, etc. Thinkof everything that will be affected bybuilding, unhooking and movi ng thingsaround. One loose wire or clamp andsomething won't be working at the endof the job. Everything is recheckedwhen the interior is completed. helpingensure a trouble free delivery.The point is, even if you're doingyour interior yourself, it makes sense tocheck all of this at the onset of the project.You have an ideal time to troubleshootand repair a problem when theinterior is opened up, and imagine howyou' ll feel if you finish your beautifulnew interior only to discover a problemthat requires removal of newly insta lledcomponents.OrganizationInte ri or renovation is usually afour-to-seven -week process, and thingscan get confusing and items can becomelost if you 're not well organized. Ourfirst step is to secure the aircraft's documents,flight manual and logbooks.Then we box, tag and safely store anypersonal items the customer may haveleft. If you are taking your airplane to aprofessional shop to have a new interiorinstalled, it's best to remove your personalitems and keep them safely athome-peace of mind for you and lesstrouble for the interior shop.Those tasks out of the way, wemove on to parts and components. Thesystem that works best for us involvesthe use of various sizes of plastic storagebins and tubs. One wi ll be markedfor and contain all headliner components,one for side panel parts, one forfloor parts and so on. We often put intricateand small subassembly parts inlabeled zipper bags before putting in theappropriate tub. And we are sure wehave a place set aside for large and delicatepieces, such as plastic trim components.(Take this fro m a guy who onceacc identally stepped on a $400 windowframe! Live and learn.)We always keep a disposable cam-era at each project location to recordprogress as we go. This camera is ultimatelygiven to the customer. Memorybeing what it is. we also take digital photosof how things are originally installedthat might be helpful to us weeks laterduring reassembl y. The digital camera isalso a great commu nication tool to showan out-of-town customer an unexpectedproblem or condition.As components are being removedfrom the airplane, each is evaluated forneeded repairs or replacement. With theairplane completely stripped out, everycomponent, structural member and visiblesystem can be checked, and requiredaction outl ined accordingly.We obviously have our own inhouseforms for this' purpose, but ifyou 're doing the work yourself you' llhave to come up with some method tokeep the project organized. (It's easy tooverlook something in the course of alengthy project).Our formal teardown report containsa record of the discrepancy inques tion as we ll as a customer'sresponse when we call back to get eitherapproval for the repair or a request todefer the work.Look over the list of items we typicallyencounter during the course of athorough interior renovation.Also included with this article arephotos of some of these problems.Discrepancy list with cuslomer's response.Space for photos is limited, soyou' ll just have to imagine what someof the stuff looks like. And yes, it'strue-we really do see all of thi s!TYPICAL ITEMS FOUNO IN ANINTERIOR RENOVATION PROJECTSEATSCrocked or broken fromesWorn trocking rollersWorn or inoperotive seot recliningmechanismsWorn seat trocksMissing or incorrect seat stopsImproper seot belt attachmentsfrayed or deteriorated seot belts andshoulder harnessesSIDE PANELSTorn or deformed side panel backingCrushed or torn composite side panelsDamaged aluminum mounting roilsDamaged armrests and mountingsOld unused wiring not removedfLOORSNo spor crock checksDamaged or deteriorated floorboardsIncorrect hardwareDirty belliesOil·sooked wood floorboardsNeglected components under thefloorboards (cables. hoses. etc.)Missing or torn landing gear retroct rodbootsTorn, deformed or missing spar coversCollapsed heat ducts and plenumsCorroded floor structural componentsCABIN TRIMDeformed, brittle or crocked plastic trimDeformed or crocked gloreshieldsPoorly fining componentsHEADLINERTorn metal backing panelsfoiling air outlet nozzlesDefective cobin lighting componentsImproperly installed antennas and wiringDamaged air ductingWINDOWS AND DOORSLeaking windowsImproper sealsPoorly installed sealsMisodjusted wind lace cordsOut-of-odjustment or worn door latchesWorn or damaged hinges and stopsYears of door seal glue build-upImproper point on doors and jambsDamaged or bent doorsABS October 2005www.bonanza.orgPage 9271
Page 2 and 3: . 'iDcllep!Ddent:ty owned. miI .. "
Page 4 and 5: www.bonanza.org1922 MIDFIELD ROADPO
Page 6 and 7: Scot CookCheyenne. Wyoming1953 C MO
Page 8 and 9: M E M B E R'SV lEW SNovember 2 dead
Page 10 and 11: ABS LIFELONG LEARNING &THE ABSAVIAT
Page 12 and 13: LET'S GET ORGANIZEDBY AL BANEN, FOU
Page 14 and 15: FLYING THE AUTOGIRO ATTHE NATIONAL
Page 16 and 17: High oil tempDan MeesterLongmont, C
Page 18 and 19: Trim riggingSimon MilesGlendale, Ca
Page 20 and 21: When the passionit can become an"NA
Page 22 and 23: AEROMEDICALQuestion 18c on the medi
Page 24 and 25: American---n---BonanzQSocietLOOKI
Page 26 and 27: EVACUATING A BARONABS member Robert
Page 30 and 31: CorrosionThe big item nor included
Page 32 and 33: "HEY, CAN YOU SAVE MESOME MONEY ON
Page 34 and 35: HARTZELL PROP &E-SERIES ENGINESAlth
Page 37 and 38: configuration. This is how the seal
Page 40 and 41: Re: Hirsch emergencyproceduresIn th
Page 42 and 43: !,REGIONAL NEWSMidwest Bonanza Soci
Page 44 and 45: BY ELLIOn SCHIFFMANHINGHAM. MASSACH
Page 46 and 47: 5·9 • Beech Party. Tullahoma, Te
Page 48: · --,..;;.- -- --_II1II11 ,..,....

October 2005 - American Bonanza Society

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?