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Thoughts on sheepskin seats?

dwranda

Well Known Member
Even though I am a ways off from needing seats, I love looking at all the beautiful interior pics that are being posted lately. I love the look of leather, but it won't be going in my plane because the wife dislikes it very much. I also don't like a sweaty back from a hot seat. I haven't really seen a fabric seat that looks anything close to as nice as leather. I am wondering about sheepskin. I haven't flown on sheepskin seats and would like to hear some opinions on them.
I would like to hear about comfort vs cloth or leather, how it feels in different temps. I live in the north so cold weather is an issue. Would seat heaters be good in them or not really needed? Are they too warm in hotter temps?
Thanks in advance!!
 
They are used EXTENSIVELY in airline cockpits, and I like it. Lots of different people, lots of temp extremes, and you never think about them. Taken for granted is nice in this scenario.

They don't look nearly as cool as leather though...
 
I assume that you mean sheepskin with the wool still on them, and not just skins. The Luscombe that taught me to fly had 'strap-on' sheepskin for most of the time I flew it, summer & winter. Never felt particularly hot, even in Mississippi summer weather.

I eventually removed them, because they were bulky & hard to keep in place, since there were just a few elastic straps holding them on.

I would have misgivings about them in an RV, because you must stand on the seats to get in/out of the plane and they would fill up with dirt & grit fairly quickly.

BTW, some small strips of those seat covers eventually became pads for headbands of my headsets. MUCH more comfortable than even the silicone filled pads on some headsets, and would make even David Clarks tolerable (on the top of my head; they were never tolerable on/around my ears).

Charlie
 
Seats

David,

You should give DJ a call at Cleveland Tool. She makes seats for RVs and made a set for my RV-4. I had the same thoughts as you about leather but she has a fabric style that is faux leather. It looks like leather, feels like leather but breathes like a cloth seat. It is durable and really looks good. I fly with shorts in the summer and even when the sun is beating down on the seats you can just jump right in and the seats will not scorch your thighs. It is as durable as marine vinyl but it really does look like leather.

http://www.bracketsweb.com/rvinteriors/

Oly

2n8nakg.jpg
 
+1 on calling DJ at Cleaveland Tool.

Don't shy away from the cloth seats. I had leather in one car and hated them. I put cloth sets from DJ in the RV-8A 14 years ago and they still look like the day I put them in. I used DJ for the cloth seats in the RV-10 as well (flying 4 years now). I'll do the same for the new RV-8 project.

Carl
 
Seats

Article on new high dollar corporate jets, new Gulfstreams etc. Thin layer of breathable foam, described as honeycomb, over main foam and then perforated vinyl upholstery.
I really like sheepskin.
There is a company in San Jose CA area that does very nice permanent sheepskin installations.
 
Really thick sheepskin covers may reduce headroom somewhat (e.g., top of headset rubbing on canopy). Comfy though!
 
Sheepskin is the finest seat covering you can get, in my opinion. I have that in my C-180. And I'll have that in my RV-3B when I get that far.

Dave
 
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I would have misgivings about them in an RV, because you must stand on the seats to get in/out of the plane and they would fill up with dirt & grit fairly quickly.
Charlie

I'm with Charlie. You'll be standing on the seats getting in and out....your passengers will be standing on the seats getting in and out. You can't avoid that. I use a towel most of the time in my RV7A to protect my leather seats but sometimes it's just too much of a hassle, particularly with a passenger, and the seats get stood on directly. I'd reckon sheepskin would look dirty and trashy very quickly if you start standing on them.

I've had sheepskin seat covers in other aircraft and they were fine... but I wasn't standing on them.
 
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Sheepskins

Nothing more comfortable than sheepskins in winter or summer. Really enjoy them in the high end planes at work and will have sheepskin inserts in my RV9 seat upholstery. Durable and easy to clean as well, a wet vac works good.

RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer
 
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The Oregon Aero seat in our RV-3 is sheepskin covered, and it's the most comfortable plane in our fleet. We've got built in seat heaters for really cold weather, but the natural sheepskin is great hot or cold. It's pretty easy to enter a -3 without stepping the seat itself, butnwe sometimes hit it with our heel, and have seen no discoloration or damage after five years and close to 600 hours of operation. We even had a sheepskin pad done to match for the parachute.

I'd definitely do sheepskin again.

Paul
 
Florida summers --- sheepskin great!

My -6A came with them ---- not as snazzy looking as the leather, but more comfortable!
 
get a darker color

You can choose from many colors of sheepskin. We had light gray sheepskin seats in our rv10. After five years they took on a yellowish cast. Vic loves the sheepskin so when we redid the interior, I insisted on a darker color gray. So far so good.
 
I had my cushions covered in leather and bought some sheepskins from IKEA for cheap. I had my upholstery guy cut them to fit and put some elastic straps on them so they are removable.
 
Thanks everyone! That's just the info I was looking for. I'll definitely be talking to Cleaveland. The seats that look like leather but aren't hot intrigue me, but I still want to sit in some sheepskin though. The dirt factor is big though. Hopefully at Oshkosh I can sit in some!!
 
Abby does them too

Got mine from Abby at Flightline. Same cost as leather, but much more comfortable.

Ed
 
Paul, how does the seat heater work out with the sheep skin. I have been wondering if the insulating properties of the wool wound negate the heaters effect.
 
Even though I am a ways off from needing seats, I love looking at all the beautiful interior pics that are being posted lately. I love the look of leather, but it won't be going in my plane because the wife dislikes it very much. I also don't like a sweaty back from a hot seat. I haven't really seen a fabric seat that looks anything close to as nice as leather. I am wondering about sheepskin. I haven't flown on sheepskin seats and would like to hear some opinions on them.
I would like to hear about comfort vs cloth or leather, how it feels in different temps. I live in the north so cold weather is an issue. Would seat heaters be good in them or not really needed? Are they too warm in hotter temps?
Thanks in advance!!

They are used EXTENSIVELY in airline cockpits, and I like it. Lots of different people, lots of temp extremes, and you never think about them. Taken for granted is nice in this scenario.

They don't look nearly as cool as leather though...

We have them in our RV-10 and love them, in all seasons.

Vic

Sheepskin is the finest feel you can get, in my opinion. I have that in my C-180. And I'll have that in my RV-3B when I get that far.

Dave

Nothing more comfortable than sheepskins in winter or summer. Really enjoy them in the high end planes at work and will have sheepskin inserts in my RV9 seat upholstery. Durable and easy to clean as well, a wet vac works good.

RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer

The Oregon Aero seat in our RV-3 is sheepskin covered, and it's the most comfortable plane in our fleet. We've got built in seat heaters for really cold weather, but the natural sheepskin is great hot or cold. It's pretty easy to enter a -3 without stepping the seat itself, butnwe sometimes hit it with our heel, and have seen no discoloration or damage after five years and close to 600 hours of operation. We even had a sheepskin pad done to match for the parachute.

I'd definitely do sheepskin again.

Paul

Wore out a set of cloth seats and switched to Sheepskin from DJ. Once you have them, you will not want anything else. The only downside is they are heavier and more expensive than fabric.

I am planning for sheepskin with seat heaters for the -8.
 
Paul, how does the seat heater work out with the sheep skin. I have been wondering if the insulating properties of the wool wound negate the heaters effect.

I haven't tried the same heaters/seats without the sheepskin, so I can't compare - but I can say the heaters work just fine with the skins.

Paul
 
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