MD 500 Replacement seat upholstery

THE PROJECT >

This project involved Generation Global supplying replacement seat upholstery for an MD500 helicopter. The interior is supplied as a kit which includes new seat cushions, leather dress covers, and moulded backing panels. The rear seat frame was sent to Generation Global for installation of the upholstery at the Nelson facility. These parts are available on Generation Global’s online shop.

GALLERY >

The seat dress covers were manufactured from Charcoal Grey (ADI-1121) aviation leather. The design is plain with vertical stitch lines in the inserts on the seat bottoms and backrests. The centre pillion seat dress cover is plain without any stitch lines. All stitching was matching the leather.

The crew seating in the MD500 has composite backing panels to which the seat upholstery is attached to. These backing panels are moulded in keeping with the OEM design and are highly shaped to fit the helicopter's airframe. The rear seating is attached to an OEM seat frame which attaches to mounts on the floor and the rear bulkhead.

THE CLIENT >

The client is based at Ardmore airport which is a secondary Auckland airport. The client was a helicopter maintenance provider who also owns a number of helicopters. This helicopter was manufactured in 1981 and sold within the United States.