MD 500 cabin refurbishment

THE PROJECT >

In this project, Generation Global provided a fully refurbished cabin for this MD 500. Included were new covers and cushions for all the seats as well as the re-wrapping of all the interior panelling and supply new floor coverings. The new and refurbished parts were returned for the client to reinstall the paneling and fit the seats to the frames. Generation Global’s online shop offers a variety of MD500 parts including items such as pockets, flooring, and door inserts. Click here to view online shop.

GALLERY >

The MD 500 aircraft cabin is divided with two compartments with a bulkhead between them. The seating configuration in this helicopter consists of the two front seats with a narrower centre seat below the map pocket panel. The rear compartment has a bench seat with two separated backs. All the seats are in Charcoal Grey (ADI-1121) leather and feature white double stitching on the outer seams. All the seats sparing the front narrow middle seat feature the MD Helicopters logo and have inserts which have vertical stitch lines on the seat base and backs. The front seats mount to the wall and are built into the aircraft with the control cover under the lip of the seats.  The aft seats are a frame style seat which mounts to both the floor and the rear bulkhead.

The MD 500 cockpit is predominantly glass with the only panelling being on the doors and on the central maps panel on the pillar. The rear compartment is fully enclosed by panelling except for the two large glass doors. The panelling in this aircraft was wrapped in synthetic leather which is a labour-intensive job and requires a lot of skill to produce a blemish free finish. The door inserts are found on all the doors and comprise of the small leather insert at the bottom of the doors. This is matched in the same charcoal grey leather as the seats.

The floor coverings in this helicopter are comprised of seven carpet sections in the front and four in the rear. All the floorcoverings are in Zimmer (WN-120) carpet and are bound with a matching mesh binding. The front has the smaller individual mats that make removal for inspection easier. The rear floorcovering is a one-piece carpet with three carpets on the bulkhead either side of the air vents.

THE CLIENT>

The client is a helicopters maintenance company proving both general maintenance as well as full rebuilds and painting. The client sources and sells both helicopters and helicopter parts and is a licenced provider for Garmin avionics.