Mysterious aircraft seat!

[mantog]

Hi folks, new member here!

Thought someone on here might be able to help. My friend has bought a seat but we have no idea what it's from!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/thebobwalker/partsairplane017.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/thebobwalker/partsairplane018.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/thebobwalker/partsairplane019.jpg

Fixed wing? Helicopter?

The manufacturer of the seat was L.A.Rumbold & Co Ltd Part No is P O43910 C 1 and serial no. C0437

Your help would be much appreciated!

[ZH875]

Canberra B2's and TT18's had a Rumbold seat, with the glut of canberra bits around, it might be off one of those.

[mantog]

Ah...interesting. Thanks for your reply. After reading your post I trawled the web for pictures of early canberra seats but didn't have much joy. Presumably it wouldn't be a pilot's seat...more like a nav seat or something??

[lightningmate]

The Canberra Rumbold Seat was a collapsible item that was restrained against the starboard cabin wall to allow the rear crew to enter and exit their dark domain. When deployed, it was to the right, slightly aft and below the pilot's ejection seat.

Flew on it once, absolute death trap if anything serious went wrong. The only good thing about the Canberra T4 was the lack of a Rumbold Seat!

The illustrated item could be some form of 'passenger' seat from a Rotary Wing or Tactical Transport type.

lm

[Tiger_mate]

Its not from a Puma, (fold up seat) Wessex or Whirlwind though a Belvedere may have had one. More likely a trappers seat from a transport aircraft, the style is similar to fifties trend, any Varsity, Valetta, Pembroke folks here?

"In 1933, Rumbold set up his business making aircraft interiors for the Hatfield-based De Havilland Aircraft company. Rumbold's fledgling outfit has since gone through a variety of incarnations and is now better known – albeit only marginally – as Contour Premium Aircraft Seating. Britax-owned Contour has, in its time, provided aircraft seats to British Caledonian and British Airways, Air France and Air New Zealand, Gulf Air and yes, you've guessed it, the Sheikh's own airline, Emirates."

[ORAC]

In which case probably from a Heron or a Dove?

[mantog]

Keep at it folks, this is driving me mad! Someone else has said it may be off HS125/Dominie...any thoughts?

[lightningmate]

The illustrated item could be some form of 'passenger' seat from a Rotary Wing or Tactical Transport type.
On reflection, I withdraw the above offering. The illustrated seat has what appears to be a standard raise/lower handle on the LH side, a large lever on the RH side below the 'Go-Forward' release and the RH arm rest has a complex stowage mechanism. These accessories do not usually appear on pax-seats.

The function of the large RH lever with its cable appearing to terminate on the LH side of the seat is unclear. Usually, such a lever would release the locks to allow fore & aft movement of the whole seat - or possibly lateral rotation of the whole seat. I have to conclude there is a vital part missing, namely a frame assembly that picks up the apparent attachment points at the rear of the seat and finally attaches the whole assembly to the aircraft floor.

The provision of a life preserver stowage at the lower front of the seat indicates the seat is probably from a transport type. However, after all that, I have no idea what that type may have been!!

lm

[HectorusRex]

L.A. Rumbold & Co still exist.
Perhaps they could provide the necessary answers by contacting them?

Contact us

Tel: +44 (0) 1633 793500
Fax: +44 (0) 1633 793650

Email: [email protected]

Contour Premium Aircraft Seating
Kestrel House
Llantarnam Industrial Park
Cwmbran
NP44 3HB

For media enquiries, or to obtain high
resolution images of our case histories, please:

call Rachel Barnett on 01633 795127

or email [email protected]

[mantog]

We've already tried! They have technical drawings etc for every seat they ever made...apart from this one. Aaargh!! Thank you for taking the time to post though, I do appreciate everyone's help!

[Flap40]

The cable from the righthand lever seems to go to the reel for the shoulder straps so this would be the lock lever. On current commercial aircraft, this lever is always on the side of the seat nearest the centreline of the aircraft (so cabin crew can reach it easiuly when dealing with crew incapacitation).

Does the belt buckle have another socket in it at the bottom for a crotch strap?

[TwoDeadDogs]

Hi there
Is it from a Link Trainer? Failing that, is it a gunner's seat?
regards
TDD

[mantog]

Flap40, I'll have to check on that..will get back to you.
It seems that Rumbolds made lot of seats for DH...could it be out of Twin Otter or Beaver perhaps...trying to find pics of seats from these aircraft but proving tricky

[spekesoftly]

With the probable DH connection, somebody that used to work at Hatfield could possibly help. I believe some of the volunteers at the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre (http://www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk/location.html) are ex-Hatfield employees. Bit of a long shot, but you could try approaching them. Another possibility, and much nearer to Leeds, is the Yorkshire Air Museum (http://www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk/) at Elvington.

Personally, I think the seat looks more Varsity/Beaver/Devon vintage than the younger DH125/Dominie.
I've flown in all four, but it's far too long ago for me to remember.

[Cornish Jack]

Definitely not a Devon and, therefore, by assumption, not a Dove either.

[mantog]

Hmmm....taking into account the above deductions I find myself drawn more and more towards the Beaver. :eek:

Or maybe Twin Pioneer?!

[NutLoose]

Well its not a wessex as they fold up, it's not a puma or a chinook either, if it is a helicopter could you not ask these guys if they recognise it?

http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/collection.htm





Quote

"I find myself drawn more and more towards the Beaver. :eek: "


I suffer that all the time ;)

[mantog]

My mate has already tried helicopter museum I think.

Now, if I could just get inside a Beaver and have a good old rummage around .........maybe take a few pictures.

[Conan the Librarian]

Now, if I could just get inside a Beaver and have a good old rummage around .........maybe take a few pictures.

Sometimes, it seems the interweb was created for those sort of sites...

Conan

[mantog]

Well the thot plickens

helicopter museum have got back to my mate and they think it's off a Whirlwind Mk 10! They seemed fairly sure of this from what he tells me. Has the mystery been solved?! until I see a pic of said same seat in a Whirlwind Mk 10 then I won't believe it!

[MReyn24050]

The Helicopter Museum are in the process of restoring a Mk 10
http://www.hmfriends.org.uk/restorwhirlpge2.htm
So I would have thought the advice given was correct. They probably have the aircraft's air PublicationTopic 3 Illustrated Parts Catelogue or even copies of the aircraft's drawings. Why not ask them to confirm?

[spekesoftly]

Well the thot plickens

........ until I see a pic of said same seat in a Whirlwind Mk 10 then I won't believe it!
There's also a Whirlwind HAR 10, not a million miles from Leeds, at The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum. (http://www.aeroventure.org.uk/mainexhibits.php)

[ORAC]

Whirlwind HAR.10:

XD163 - The Helicopter Museum, Weston-Super-Mare Aerodrome - Display
XJ398 - AeroVenture, Doncaster - Display
XJ409 - Maes Artro Village, Llanbedr - Display
XJ723 - Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre, Montrose - Display
XJ726 - Caernarfon Airworld Museum, Caernarfon - Display
XJ727 - RAF Manston History Museum, Manston - Restoration
XP299 - RAF Museum, Cosford - Display
XP345 - AeroVenture, Doncaster - Restoration
XP351 - Gatwick Aviation Museum, Charlwood - Display
XP355 - City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Norwich - Display
XP398 - Gatwick Aviation Museum, Charlwood - Display
XR485 - Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton - Display

[Cornish Jack]

Whirly 10??? yet another no-no I'm afraid! ... that is to say it's not a Whirly pilot seat. The only non-pilot seating was the usual canvas sling type. Even our VIP fit didn't run to armrests.
Must check my logbooks and see how many of that list appear!!
There used to be another one in the Science Museum overflow storage at Wroughton = that one definitely featured several times.

[om15]

mantog,
The seat is from the HPR7 Dart Herald. The seats are handed and this is the Captains side, the spigot on aft left side engaged in a ball race on the bulkhead, and the right hand side pivot was held in place with a clamp and pip pin. The right hand arm rest rotated up and locked after you had wedged yourself in place, the harness is a standard teleflex reel and heavy webbing,
hope this helps,
best regards, om15

[Tiger_mate]

Herald cockpit - seats visible (just)

http://p.airliners.net/photos/middle/1/7/1/0218171.jpg
post original seat photo
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/thebobwalker/partsairplane019.jpg

[spekesoftly]

I'm surprised that the seat manufacturer was not able to identify one of their products (posts #9 & #10) that was still in use until only a few years ago! :confused:

[mantog]

Guys...thanks a lot! I knew someone would get it. You would not believe how timely and appreciated that answer is. I owe some people a beer!


Mantog