Airplane upholstery can boost your business

Explore the profitable possibilities of aircraft upholstery (as long as you adhere to FAA regulations)

Upholstery Journal | February 2008

by Cheryl Dangel Cullen

You’ve created custom upholstery for cars, furniture and maybe even some boats. Now you’re thinking of stretching your wings and seeing how high your profits can fly by soaring into aircraft upholstery.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number of active civil aircraft in the United States is on the rise. The FAA Administrator’s August 2007 Fact Book records an estimated 226,400 active civil aircraft in 2005. The forecast for 2009 is 242,800. And, with that increase, the need for aircraft upholsterers who know FAA regulations and how to adhere to them will also be on the rise.

There is no FAA regulation requiring certification of aircraft upholsterers, but rest assured that the FAA is involved in the process of upholstering an aircraft. The work is monitored by FAA certificated airmen who meet FAA requirements and are qualified to inspect and return aircraft to service.

Since aircraft are subject to FAA inspection, the proper certifications must be presented after refurbishing or reupholstering. Failing to do so puts the owner at risk of his plane being grounded.

Rob Lucarelli, owner of Classic T.E.C., specializing in auto and aircraft refurbishing, Swanton, Ohio, offers FAA-certified interior trim products. Lucarelli advises that when an upholstery shop is not an FAA-certified repair station that upholsterers workunder the supervision of an airframe and power plant (A&P) mechanic.

“Meeting and discussing theproject prior to any removal or replacement of interior parts isthe best way to ensure the job is handled properly.” Lucarelli says. “The upholstererhas tobe knowledgeable about the proper use of materials in an aircraft job, and must provide documentation demonstrating flammability compliance with FAR 25.853, usually an aircraft-specific 8110-3 form.”

Certified materials

Like everything that goes into an aircraft, the materials used in an upholstery job must be certified. “By law and for safety reasons, anything put on or into an aircraft must be evaluated and meet at least the same rules as when it was originally certified,” says Mike Chick, manager, certifications, for Duncan Aviation, Lincoln, Neb.

The FAA pays particular attention to aircraft interiors due to crashworthiness issues. “When bad things happen, will the occupants be able to survive the incident or accident, and, when they do, will they be able to exit the aircraft and be able to be rescued?” Chick says. “Things like smoke given off by burning material, exit signage and exterior markings become a big deal.”

Materials used must meet the requirements of the FAA’s FAR 25.853. “The requirements vary depending upon the actual application of the material and how the aircraft is being operated,” says Michael Ganter, modifications and completions manager with Landmark Aviation in Springfield, Ill. “There are requirements for horizontal and/or vertical burns depending upon the material. That means the materials must exceed testing requirements for aircraft—which helps to ensure the safety and airworthiness of upholstery materials under conditions very similar to air travel. Therefore the materials must pass what is termed an applied state burn.”

“Our primary concern when selecting fabrics is their ability to pass FAR 25.853, which defines the flammability requirements for all materials used in aircraft,” says Nate Klenke, senior completions designer for Duncan Aviation, who notes that there are a variety of fabrics available that meet or can be treated to meet FAR 25.853. “We are also concerned with durability and how cleanable the materials are.”

The proof is in the fabric

Tom Kosobayashi, president, Pyramid Trim Products Inc., St. Paul, Minn., offers vinyl, wool tweeds, wool waffled-textured cloth (honeycomb), leathers, sheepskin used in pilot seats, wool carpet and foam. Pyramid Trim burn tests its materials to FAA 25.853(a), which is the 12-second vertical. That means that these fabrics are certified to be airworthy in private planes, corporate planes and some commercial aircraft.

“Whenever you rip a plane apart, it must meet the standards it is flying under,” Kosobayashi says. “If it isn’t properly certified, the inspector may not sign off on it, so the plane is grounded. Whoever does the modifications should supply downstream certification papers that show the fabric is burn tested and conforms to FAA guidelines. All of our fabrics have that paper, so when you ship your order form to us that certification is wrapped into the package. We recommend that customers photocopy it and attach a copy to customer invoices and their records, so they can prove it is certified.”

Buyer beware

Certified fabrics are selected based on customer preferences. Because the materials must be able to pass very specific burn requirements as outlined by the FAA, most materials are made of natural fibers, like wood, cotton or silk.

“Most upholsterers and trim shops that are approached by individual owners of small planes will usually work with materials they deem appropriate for the given application because they are aesthetically pleasing to the consumer,” says Richard Greenberg, president of Vicar International, Union, N.J., which offers aviation products that meet FAA/FAR 25.853(a).

Kosobayashi urges buyers to specify materials with built-in flame retardant applications, rather than spray-on applications. “If you send out a seat for cleaning and the flame retardant is built into the fabric, it doesn’t matter if you clean it or not. If it is something that was treated with a topical application, it’s usually difficult to determine what is going to happen to the product.”

Greenberg and Kosobayashi agree that the most popular interior colors are muted shades of blue, gray and beige. Leather is popular because it lends a certain status look to interiors.

Getting the job done

The tooling required for an aircraft upholstery job is not specific to the industry itself and includes such common upholstery tools as wire pin and sliding table foam saws, pneumatically operated sewing machines, automated material cutting machines and a leather skiver.

Turnaround times vary by the complexity of the project. “The average turn time for a complete upholstery job on a standard seven to 10-passenger aircraft, including crew seats, jump seats, potty seats and miscellaneous pockets and curtains, could range from seven to 10 days up to five or six weeks,” says Curt Eliker, assistant manager, interior completions at Duncan Aviation.

Factors to consider when estimating a job include the total number of seats, complexity of design, standard or customized design, seat modification requirements and if pre-building can be accomplished.

The lifespan of the average job will range from five to seven years, according to Eliker. Oftentimes seat upholstery projects are timed to coincide with regularly scheduled maintenance, such as the six-year and 12-year inspections.

Most aircraft are inspected annually, which often includes the removal of the interior. This is the time when most pilots and owners look to have interior work done

Trends

Where is the aircraft upholstery industry going? “Upholstery design and passenger comfort are drawing more and more attention in the aviation industry, ranging from transcontinental first-class seating to the new Very Light Jet (VLJ) markets,” says Duncan Aviation’s Klenke. “Industrial design in the aviation seating industry has brought more focus on ergonomics, and many designers are taking inspiration from historical furniture creations by Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and others.”

At Duncan Aviation, designers are seeing trends toward more modern, contemporary designs. Seats are becoming more tailored, and Duncan Aviation is using more unique materials, such as embossed leather, buffalo leather and leather/fabric combinations.

To catch a glimpse of trends, Lucarellisuggests looking at the newest automobiles when designing a new interior in an older aircraft. When it comes to seat design, Landmark Aviation is the single worldwide distributor of the NuBax system, a new foam-based seat system that claims to improve posture and changes the way occupants sit. “For aircraft use, the system offers weight savings over adjustable lumbar supports, air bladders and other technologies,” says Ganter, noting that the system is sold under the brand Aerobax. “By subtly tilting the pelvis of the seat occupant, the system alters the body’s posture and allows the spine to stack in its natural position, ensuring that the weight is borne by the skeletal structure rather than the muscles. We think this is an exciting development in seats.”

Breaking in

Skilled craftspeople are always in demand in the aircraft upholstery market, say the experts, who urge anyone looking to get into the aircraft upholstery industry to do their research.

“We welcome individuals who would like to enter upholstery work, or upholsterers who are looking to enter the aviation industry,” says Ganter. “Ours is a strong industry. To that end, we regularly work with educational centers on recruiting throughout the year, for these and other positions. As far as finding an upholstery position in this industry, there are several publications and web sites dealing specifically with aviation jobs. We are always ready to speak with skilled craftspeople.”

Aircraft upholstery is yet another lucrative market for upholsterers. Knowing FAA rules and regulations and which approved materials to use is the clearance you need to take off into the aircraft upholstery market.

Cheryl Dangel Cullen is a freelance writer based in Frankfort, Ill.

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