Pilots seat replacement

[Pacedout]

Hi, lots of really interesting stuff on this forum. I have a quick question for all you aviation techies out there. I was recently on a flight when we were told that the back of the captains seat had just fallen off - which sounds odd, but I guess not impossible. On my return flight I was told by a member of the flight crew that they had since travelled on that particular aircraft and that the whole seat had been replaced with a nice shiny new one at a cost of £80k. We were only delayed for a couple of hours, so it struck me as odd that there just happened to be a spare pilots seat ready to be fitted. Also are pilots' seats interchangeable across all of the different makes and model of aircraft?

[bcgallacher]

Companies carry a large spares holding to cope with just the situation that you describe. Aircraft do not make money waiting for a component to be sourced,purchased and delivered. Seats are usually a customer option - I have seen several different seats fitted to B747,some electrically operated some manual.

[ross_M]

£80k sounds like a lot for a seat. Is there fancy stuff inside it?

[3holelover]

Price sounds about right, and yes, it's a common enough replacement item. One axis of movement jams, and the aircraft can't go. So it pays to have spares handy. .... it's usually quicker to replace the seat than it would be to repair the broken function.

[Pacedout]

You see? I knew I had gone to the right place!
Thanks very much for your responses. Just for info, the aircraft in question was an A332. I guess you are right about the access to spare parts, cheaper to keep a stock than to face a shed load of compensation claims.

[matkat]

Once had to ground a B747-200 in Chicago because the flight engineers seat would not work (cable snapped)
Brian it was not our old employers.

[NSEU]

£80k sounds like a lot for a seat. Is there fancy stuff inside it?

Not overly fancy. A few electric motors (where fitted), 5 point safety harness, some of the belts with inertia reels. There are numerous adjustments: recline, height, fore-aft, thigh, armrest height, headrest height/angle, etc. Manual backup controls are required for all electric controls.

All aircraft parts are horribly expensive, usually because of the testing requirements and because there is usually a limited production run.

[jimjim1]

All aircraft parts are horribly expensive, usually because of the testing requirements and because there is usually a limited production run.

And because of the extensive record keeping required - and of course the opportunity to make loads of money.

If you google b-52 toilet seat there are loads of references to something like $600 toilet seats and quite expensive hammers. That of course is military too (even more profit).

[ross_M]

If you google b-52 toilet seat there are loads of references to something like $600 toilet seats and quite expensive hammers.

That sounds like pretty bad constipation. If they need hammers.

[Peter47]

Expanding Pacedout's original question, I know that there are spares pools between airlines. (BA I think operate the 747 pool at JFK or used to.) Are parts interchangeable between different operators airlines given the high degree of customisation that certainly Boeing does? For example, would a fuel pump for a P&W engine work with a GE/RR one?

I remember many years ago hearing an engineer saying that a United airlines fuel pump was being used on a BA flight from ORD but I think that both airlines used JT9D engines on their 747s.

It makes you wonder how much cash the airlines have tied up in inventory.

[bcgallacher]

Fuel pumps are not interchangeable between engines. There is a standard loan protocol that is used between airlines if an item is borrowed - a fixed rate per day usually. It is expensive to do this so the item is replaced and returned asap.

[Wodrick]

When searching for a part to fit obviously one needs the correct part number but one also has to check effectivity. The part catalogue may list 20 different fuel pumps but will also list effectivity, so a part may be Eff DA all Eff DA 401 - 420 or even DA 356 (only being inferred)
The fuel pump is a good example as it may also be listed as ETOPS or non ETOPS, that would not stop it being fitted but would prevent an ETOPS routing.

Old Boeings say 757/767 can be a nightmare as there are so many variations.

For a JAA operator there is also an issue of certification.

Complex innit :)

[grounded27]

Parts sharing plan or not, when your craft goes AOG it is generally a easy job to find a loaner if available. $$$, it comes down to an approved vendor list, as long as your airline has the credit and parts are available.