Backcountry Pilot

[whee offline]

Anyone have heated seats in their plane? Been kinda cold here lately and I have been enjoying the heated seats in my wife's car. I've been wondering if they would be worth the weight to have them in the plane. They weigh about 1lb per seat according to the specs I've looked up.

[fat tire bob offline]

What about a seat heating element hooked up to a Anti Gravity battery with a switch?

[WilgaBeast offline]

Sounds great! What about a stick heater!

[whee offline]

Sounds great! What about a stick heater!

You must drive a Ford. A grip heater off a snowmobile would probly work.

[Clay offline]

Heated seat: Plug in to your cig lighter.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... s&tbm=shop

[mtv offline]

Sounds great! What about a stick heater!

You must drive a Ford. A grip heater off a snowmobile would probly work.

Whee,

I put seat heaters in a Husky I flew a lot in northern and interior Alaska. I loved them. Simple installation......since the seat cushions are removable in the Husky (velcro attach), adding a couple of the seat heat pads was just adding to a temporary installation. Peeled the covers off the cushions, glued the elements onto the foam, and re-installed the seat covers and ran the power wire out through one side of the cover.

Had the mechanics run electrical lines with "standard" outlets located on the side panel beside front and back seats, and voila! Electrical outlets were a minor alteration, and the seat heaters were a temporary installation.......

They sure were nice on those brisk -30 mornings, heading out for a moose survey.

The ones I used had switches with three settings: Off, low and high. We found that high was great first half hour, after which most folks wanted them on low.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat.....if I had an electrical system.

It might be a little more complicated to install them in an airplane with moveable seats.....figuring out the wiring and all.

MTV

[A1Skinner offline]

I don't, but plan on adding them when I do my seat upholstery. I think it'd be awesome, but it gets cold up in Canada.

[M6RV6 offline]

Just run a wire from a spark plug back and thread it through the seat fabric on top, put a momentary switch on it and every time you get cold, hold the switch down as long as you can , sure it will warm everything up!!

[Bushveld offline]

Is heated clothing an option you would consider? I would be interested to try something like this.
http://www.aerostich.com/clothing/heated-gear?limit=all
http://gydesupply.com

[Hoeschen offline]

A lot of RV folks are doing it, I'm sure a search on Vansairforce.net will yield some tips.

[Zzz]

Some googling reveals this:

http://www.flyboyaccessories.com/Flyboy ... p/2505.htm

Looks like you can get them lots of places...Jegs, Amazon, etc. I talked to David over at Oregon Aero and he says they install customers' preferred seat heaters long with the upholstery all the time, but they do not sell any as an option themselves, and only for Experimental aircraft.

Mike, curious what brand/model heater you put in that Husky?

I'm thinking this is a great idea now. Just use a little quick disconnect in the seat base with a pigtail for fore/aft expansion and route it under the floor and to the bus.

[WWhunter offline]

I picked up some heated seat pads from a Menard's store here in the midwest,similar to Home Depot. They were ten bucks each. Wal-mart and other places have them also. Cut one open and get the heating elements out and install into your seats.

[CamTom12 offline]

I hadn't thought about heated seats... Sounds like a nice feature!

[M3X offline]

+2 on the heated clothing. I have a Gerbings vest and socks that have carried me through many miles on motorcycle in the winter at freezing temps with no windshield. My plan for my experimental build is that heated clothing as my only source of warmth.

[tcj offline]

I built...and removed...three different heaters for my kitfox the first winter I was doing the phase one test flights. They were all dog breath heaters. About as warm as a dog breathing on you. Then I bought a Gerbings 12 volt heated vest and plugged it into the plane's electrical system. Problem solved. Yes a heated vest really does keep my feet warm too.

I wear it in the car too when my wife is driving. She controls the heater and likes it cold.

[whee offline]

I'm thinking this is a great idea now. Just use a little quick disconnect in the seat base with a pigtail for fore/aft expansion and route it under the floor and to the bus.

That's what I was thinking.

Heated clothes are nice but I think I'd rather have heated seats. May not work quite as good but they would always be there when you need them.

[MountainFlyerN22 offline]

I like the heated stick idea,should be doable to a yoke too if you wanted.

Moveable seats shouldn't be a problem. Just need to have enough wire to allow the seat to slide,and keep it out of the tracks.
Pretty much what Zzz said.

[mtv offline]

Zane,

I don't recall the brand of heaters in the Husky. Bought them from an outfit that sells and installs all sorts of automotive accessories. I told them I wanted a quality set, and they were. I think the total cost for two seats was less than $50.

A friend in Europe put me on the idea.....he used Mercedes heat units....dunno what those cost.

MTV

[CamTom12 offline]

Zane,

I don't recall the brand of heaters in the Husky. Bought them from an outfit that sells and installs all sorts of automotive accessories. I told them I wanted a quality set, and they were. I think the total cost for two seats was less than $50.

A friend in Europe put me on the idea.....he used Mercedes heat units....dunno what those cost.

MTV

I think it's spelled Mercede$$.

[moppready offline]

Just the thought of the seat heater is making me sleepy. I'll heat the seat the old fashioned way, bean dip and exhaust fumes.