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New member asking about seats and comfort w the RV AC

R

riobison

Well Known Member
Hey Guys,

I?m new here and 5 yrs I had sold off my 177A Cardinal of 20 yrs due to a divorce but now I?m back in the game. (it was fast w the Sobchuck Speed Mods on a 180 HP and FP @ 8500 TAS was 160 MPH) I?m looking at buying an RV 4 but I have some concerns. I do have 3 lower herniated disks that do present a problem when sitting for any length of time. Every seat is different and some of them kill me and I?m lame in 15 mins and others I?m ok for a couple of hours. How are the seats in the RV 4 for comfort? I know is kind of an individual thing. Can the seat backs be adjusted at all? Are the bottom of the seat only foam on aluminum or is there webbing with foam on top of the webbing? (that is ideal) Will my legs be stretched out a little or will it be like driving my Viper where I?m almost curled up in the fetal position?

I?m not that big at 5?11? and 210 pds and at 54 yrs I?m not getting any smaller.

I would like to buy an RV 4 and fly it while I build a Super RV8

Thanks

Tim
 
Welcome to VAF!!!!

Tim, welcome to VAF:D

There are a couple of custom seat makers who can help you with the bad back issue------Classic Aero Designs, and Oregon Areo come to mind, as they do a lot of RV stuff, and are both close to Vans location.

There are others out there that are popular also, but I am not personally familiar with them, hopefully someone else will chime in with a pirep.

I have Classic Aero seats in my plane, and love them. They did a custom rework of the stock foam to suit my requirements, and the results are fantastic.

Good luck, and again, welcome aboard.
 
RV-4s - Probably everyone is different

riobison said:
Hey Guys,

I?m new here and 5 yrs I had sold off my 177A Cardinal of 20 yrs due to a divorce but now I?m back in the game. (it was fast w the Sobchuck Speed Mods on a 180 HP and FP @ 8500 TAS was 160 MPH) I?m looking at buying an RV 4 but I have some concerns. I do have 3 lower herniated disks that do present a problem when sitting for any length of time. Every seat is different and some of them kill me and I?m lame in 15 mins and others I?m ok for a couple of hours. How are the seats in the RV 4 for comfort? I know is kind of an individual thing. Can the seat backs be adjusted at all? Are the bottom of the seat only foam on aluminum or is there webbing with foam on top of the webbing? (that is ideal) Will my legs be stretched out a little or will it be like driving my Viper where I?m almost curled up in the fetal position?

I?m not that big at 5?11? and 210 pds and at 54 yrs I?m not getting any smaller.

I would like to buy an RV 4 and fly it while I build a Super RV8

Thanks

Tim
Click to expand...

Tim:

The RV-4 is probably one of the best RVs Van's has designed, but that being said, you have to be sized to comfortably fit into one. Your height may not be an issue, but your weight distribution may be. Many RV-4 pilots are probably your size, but you would have to check it yourself to be sure. The seats, as designed by Van, are not particularly comfortable, but that all depends on what the builder installed for seats, whether it's confor foam or polyester foam. The seat back does not have to be thick and should have a lumbar support, which would have to be located where it needs to be for your back. The seat can be made up of all confor foam, if made by Oregon Aero, or can be combination of a thinner cushion (conform foam or polyester foam) and aluminum metal wedge under the cushion. You can replace the seat cushions, if they don't suit you, but be prepared to spend over $1,800 if you get a pair of new Oregon Aero confor foam seats that have been scientifically designed.

The seat back angle cannot be easily changed, as far as angle. There is a little adjustment possible, that you would have to figure out yourself.

I have been flying RV-4s for 23 years. My first one, finished in 1988, with an 0-320,fixed pitch is based in Saskatoon now and the one I have now is 0-360 constant speed that I converted to fastback in the last two years. I am shorter than you and have usually weighed about 175 pounds and found the airplane comfortable. I now weigh closer to 160, and the airplane likes that. In relation to your prior Cardinal, with the same power, but heavier, my current 0-360, constant speed, with the fastback will give me a consistent 200 smph true airspeed at 9,500 ft. burning 7.5 gallons per hour.

Lots of luck in your decision.
 
Oregon Aero has worked for me

I've been flying my RV-4 for about 6 years now. I bought my Oregon Aero seats in 2004. They are not customized in any way (other than upholstery). The seats in my RV-4 are literally the most comfortable "chairs" I own. I have a sciatica issue with my lower back and I never have a problem in my RV. I have problems in my car, office chairs and the couch in my house, but NEVER in my airplane. My seats are never the limiting factor in the duration of a flight for me. I haven't tried any other seats and I may have just gotten lucky, but I couldn't be happier with the Oregon Aero. BTW, I'm 5' 11" and 185 lbs.
 
RV4 seats

Another d*** Canadian, we're taking over :p
Bought my 4 three years ago and took it to Ft. Myers and back last winter. It has Oregon Aero wool covered seats and they are very comfortable. Thick foam and that's it. They came with the a/c and were not custom fit or anything but I like them. 5' 11" 175.
 
Oregon Aero and Flightline Interiors

I am currently going through the seat ordering process and both Oregon Aero and Flightline Interiors offers custom seats for the RV-4. There's probably several others, but I have personally narrowed my search to these two.

Oregon Aero insists they ship the uncovered foam seats to you to try before you have them covered. Oregon Aero will make as many shape modifications to the raw foam seats as required for free, before you have them or someone else cover them. http://www.oregonaero.com/seating-systems/vk-smartcushion-system/experimental-homebuilt

Flightline Interiors designs their seats with movable bolsters for easy moving and aligning to your requirements just by unzipping the covers and reaching inside to move the bolster to your liking. Another major difference is the Flightline Interiors RV-4 seat back does not rest on top of the horizontal seat cushion. This allows the seat to be easily raised without affecting the seat back. www.flightlineinteriors.com
 
Oregon Aero

. . . seats rock. I bought my Oregon Aero seats for around $800 if I remember correctly (this was about 2 yrs ago). I had Flightline Interiors do the covers. I provided my sitting height and weight and they added/subtracted foam where appropriate. With a taller than normal canopy (from Todd's) I sent them back and they added another 1.5 inches of foam to the bottom (no charge) to give me higher seating height. Like others have said, they are never a limiting factor on my flight length. Hope this helps,

Rick
RV-4 N999XS
 
A Chiropractic POV on Disc Pain from Sitting

In the studies where they have actually installed pressure sensors in people's discs (not in the USA!) it has been shown that the highest disc loadings occur while seated. NOT squatting, lifting weights, running, etc; sitting!

That said, there are things you can do to reduce disc loading while seated, the number one being to have your spine in extension. Since the discs are on the front aspect of the spine, extension unloads discs. Extension is the "bending backwards" motion, bending forwards is flexion.

What I am saying is that you will likely do better with some sort of lumbar support to increase extension in the area of your herniated discs... However, many times folks with multiple symptomatic disc herniations don't even have the ability to extend their low back at all... Likely why the discs are blown in the first place, overloaded 24/7 from not enough extension. So it is possible that a lumbar curve support may not work for you...

If not, I have a little trick for you that has made a big difference for my clients: Breath where it hurts! Huh!?! If you have low back pain, put your hand where it hurts, and exaggerate the spinal breath motion in that area. When you inhale move your low back into extension, and when you exhale move it into flexion. You may be surprised at how well this works. I'll spare you the theory on why.

That'll be $160 for the the consult. ;)

Hans
 
Seats

Thanks guys. Yes my basement looks like a Chair Store with all of the chairs I have bought trying to find something comfortable. What does work better than most is a seat out of a Dodge Viper that I use in my office and installed in my 1 Ton Diesel. It gives me lateral support, cushion on the bottom end and the important lumbar support. Electric seat heater helps a lot, getting my RFN every 9 months and cortisone shots 3 times a year keeps me going. I will have to try before I buy and mod from there. At least in the RV a guy can cover a 400 miles in a little over a couple of hours so that helps. I will contact these upholsters and work with them.

Thanks again
 
Seats for the RV

While at OSH this year, I stopped by Vans booth to see what's new, and grabbed the new catalog. When I walked around the corner, I then saw Cleaveland Aircraft Tool's Booth, and noticed some seat laying there. I mentioned to someone that it seems that nobody makes seats for the 4.
One of the workers there heard me say that and replied " WE DO!".
I was able to see their product, and it's great! Memory foam and all!
The person that makes them is called DJ, and certainly seems to know how to "build" you a comfortable seat. These will be the ones going in my 4, for sure. Check them out at,
WWW.Cleavelandtool.com
 
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