Heated Seats

[mvivion]

Anyone tried heated seats in an airplane? A friend in Germany swears by them. I found a dealer who sells the kits here, for $250 for two seats. Its an easy glue in installation, with the seat and back pads glued to seat cushions, then replace the covers. Needs a 10 Amp circuit, and I suppose ideally a rheostat control at each seat.

Other than the electrics, which everybody puts in and calls a minor alteration, it seems to me the cushions are not "installed equipment" and therefore require no paperwork to install them.

As long as your electic outlet is circuit breaker protected, and the cushions are easily removable, why wouldn't this be an easy deal, with no paper required?

Am I missing something?

MTV

[Fortysix12]

I have been planning to incorporate that little detail in the next plane. When the time gets closer I will take a look at all the options. Our passenger car has them and when there on its amazing how fast your whole body heats up. They will definitly go in when I build.

[T.J.]

Mike:
I think if you use a cigarette plug and the seats are not hard wired in, its a minor. If you hard wire them with an exclusive Circuit breaker, its probably a Major.
I think its a dang good idea. Anything to keep my butt warm makes me happy!

[Fortysix12]

I also like the thermostat feature,mine has settings 1 to 5.

[sekps]

And people laughed when I mentioned a cup holder...

/Mattias

[mvivion]

But Matias,

We're talking buns here, not mugs

MTV

[ground loop]

How much power will they draw?

[mvivion]

Ground Loop,

I'm told they require a 10 A circuit, but I don't know how much power they'll draw. I'm still researching the things.

As noted, I do know at least one guy who's been using them for a long time, with no problems.

These things are available from a local car modifier, and they aren't too in tune with specifications, if you know what I mean.

But, they install them in a lot of cars these days, and cars often don't have any more electrical oooophh than a lot of airplanes, but have a lot more electrical junk on them.

MTV

[ground loop]

mvivion, Thanks for checking. I have a 20 amp alternator and I think my Whelan triple strobe already uses 28 amps.
This is a very good idea, thanks!

[Bill Rusk]

Mike

Friend of mine did them in a Cozy homebuilt. He went to an auto junkyard and ripped em out of the seats from a Volvo. I think he said it cost about 20 bucks, got the thermostat from the car also. I can contact him for all the info if you want. I am thinking of that myself.

Bill

[jimpattensc]

You might try heated vest, and perhaps chaps, designed for motorcycle riding. Mine use a cigarette lighter plug in, have a rheostat, and will roast me with a 3/10 setting. My CC cub has front and back heaters, and they have kept me comfortable at zero F with a light jacket on, so I haven't tried the MC grear, but the MC gear keeps mw warm on the bike to around 10 F, at which point I am beginning to lose interest in riding the bike for very far.

[mvivion]

Jim,

Thanks, I've considered the suits, but I'm not wild about being tied to the airplane by any more umbilicals than is absolutely necessary. I thought the seat heaters might be simple, one size fits all, and no cords to tangle with all the other winter crap one must tolerate up here.

By the way, the fellow who has owned the BMW motorcycle dealership here in Fairbanks for years (he just retired) has ridden his BMW all winter up here for years, with a sidecar. He also has ridden it down the Alaska highway every January to the lower 48 to visit kids, then back in February for many years. He wears heated suits, and is orders of magnitude tougher than I.

MTV

[pzinck]

deleted

[pzinck]

Ok they call the bush mods alaskan mods, the heated seats and cuphulders, what should we call them? San franciscan mods? I am just joking ,if i am not working i am bored.

[Bill Ingerson]

If you look under Car seat heaters you will find alot of different seat heaters. Some you install under the fabric in the back of the seat and the seat bottom. One has a high and low setting. On low at 57 Watts, it uses 3.7 amps and on high it uses 84 Watts at 6.8 amps. I would caution anyone trying this to use a quick disconnect type plug in. There have been many call backs from car manufactures on heated seats resulting from burns ect. Some of these heaters just strap onto the seat and are already incased in a pad, easy to put on and off. But thats not all folks ! while checking this out for you they also have a Massager pad available and if that isn't enough, they have a mood changer cushion, Im sure if I sat in it and plugged it in, it would really piss me off.

[Flying Dave]

MTV,

Propose this question on the "other" site. Their is a fellow their who used the heating elements out of a Benz in his airplane and I am sure he can tell you all about it.

DE

[ground loop]

Pzink, You can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the San Fransiscan seat mod comes with vibration and premounted projectile in addition to the heat.

[pzinck]

Before we know it,steve will be selling ear rings with the sc org logo.

[pzinck]

Before we know it,steve will be selling ear rings with the sc org logo.

[mvivion]

Hey,

I'm liking the direction this is taking!! So, where precisely does one find the "massager" seats, with the heated option?

San Francisco, my arse---get your butts up here to REAL cold, and tell me you don't think anything that says heat on the outside of the package is a damn good idea. We've had wimp weather so far, but I'd like to see some of the respondents out there in -35, listening to their walkmans, and singing ZZ Top songs,

Just a thought,

MTV

[StewartB]

At -35 I've got clothing on that would prevent ever knowing if the seats were heated or not. No matter, because my rear has never been a problem. Trying to keep feeling in my toes and fingers has. I hate Bunny Boots and other bulky footwear, and I haven't found gloves that were adequate in those temps and still offered good enough dexterity to operate the airplane.

I do use ThermaCare back wraps. I don't need to have a sore back to enjoy those things on a cold day. And they stay inside your insulation layers, where they can do some good. I little heat on your lower back does wonders for your overall comfort level, and your attitude.

SB

[mvivion]

SB,

My truck has heated seats and I've gotten in it when I was "dressed to freeze", with full winter regalia, and I'm telling you, you feel the heat pretty fast, surprisingly so. I think sitting on all that insulation simply compresses it so much, it doesnt insulate so well.

Anyway, Bunny Boots are miserable contraptions, but they are the only thing I wear when its cold, or I'm about to do something "interesting".

So, what's this thing on your back? I use the shake em up heat packs for my gloves, and a few inside my coveralls sometimes, as hand warmers. Are you talking a big version of those?

MTV

[StewartB]

Mike,
The ThermaCare back wraps are the same stuff as the little handwarmer packs. It goes on like a kidney belt, and they really do stay warm for 8 hours. That little bit of heat in the small of my back makes the cold in my hands and feet more tolerable. It may not make sense, but it's true. It also eases the stiffness you get from sitting in the cold all tensed-up.

As you know, when flying in really cold temps you get the coldest when getting ready to go. By the time I start the engine, my toes are aching and my fingers hurt. The flying part is the easy part, since then you get a little heat from the airplane. Of course, then you get to put on the covers and tie it down after you land. That's when the truck's heated seats are really nice.
SB

[pzinck]

I am not gonna bust your balls anymore on the seat or cupholders.I may eventually show up to a flyin and you guys might see my chi chi dice on my field approved rear view mirror( to check my hair before i get out of the plane).I want to be more open minded and culturally tolerant.Are you people all enjoying Kwanzaa.

[mvivion]

pzink,

You're gonna have a hard time making fun of rear view mirrors in Cubs. They were standard equipment on Spitfires with the Malcolm Hood, and I've flown several Cubs that have been used for glider tow that have em.

Now, as to holidays, every day's a holiday that you get to fly.

Keep on pinging,

MTV

[pzinck]

Mike i cant ever get one over on some of ya,you guys been around too long. Mike you are a wealth of knowledge, but we gotta get you out of those darn huskys.

[mvivion]

Hey, I go both ways, when it comes to little airplanes, man. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Give me the keys to it, and I'll happily fly it, even a Mountain Goat.

Hell, maybe even especially a Mountain Goat.

I love airplanes. They're all different, and they've all got their own character.

As Adolf Galland replied, when asked what his favorite fighter aircraft of WWII was: "The one I was flying at the time."

I like that.

MTV

[mvivion]

Okay,

Heated Seats: Made by Webasto, Inc. http://www.webasto.us

Price, in Fairbanks: $260 for two seats. Weight: less than one pound. Looks like they'll fit a Cub/Husky/Scout seat easily, and can be trimmed to fit.

They require a 10 amp breaker for service to each seat. Two heat settings: high=8.4 amps low=2.29 amps

They also come with a switching relay (to select high, low, or off), which is controlled by a high low switch, also provided.

I'm gonna try it. And will report back.

-38 here this am. Not flying, but thinking heaters.


MTV

[wilbur]

Mike,
I get a catalog called "The Sportsmas Guide" (www.sportsmansguide.com) and saw two different massage/heat cushions advertized. Stock # AX5K-86424, $23.00, #AX5K-86427, $72.00. Don't know anything else about them but might be worth checking into.
Wilbur

[pzinck]

My friend has heated seats in his Ford, his wife says it makes his farts smell worse.

Supercubber, you are a classic.

[T.J.]

Can we say that on the internet?

[mvivion]

Hmmmm, he did, so maybe. My wife, on the other hand, says they make her feel like she's gotta pee.

MTV

[Bill Rusk]

Mike

Did you ever do this and if so how about a report?

Thanks

Bill

[mvivion]

OOps, sorry, I never followed up on this one. Yes, I did install the heated seats. Total no brainer, and worth doing if you have a cold airplane and don't want to spend a gazillion dollars and tear the airplane apart to put in additional heat muffs, etc.

The seats themselves are simply pads. Removed the seat cushions, and unzipped the covers. Glued the heat pads to the tops of the cushions. That leaves a cable for the seat back and top. Wired these together into a single quick connect plug.

Had a mechanic "officiially" install an "auxiliary power plug" (conveniently terminated in the same type quick connector) on the seat leg, after bringing power cable up under the floor to keep em out of harms way. We also installed the "Hi, Lo and Off" switch in the side panel next to each seat, upstream of the plugs.

Now, put the covers back on the cushions, put the cushions back in the plane, plug em in and off ya go.

They work fine, even if you're wearing a lot of clothes. I don't know how much they draw, but its not over a couple amps. They were protected with 10 amp breakers each seat.

They aren't the answer to all your heating problems, but they really do help, and particularly they help you warm up quickly when you've been outside and got really chilled, and first fire up.

Its worth doing. Total invested was less than $450, including the mechanic's time. Signed off as a minor.

MTV