Are you sitting comfortably?

[Fergus_617]

Hi all!
Newbie here, great website/forum. I'm looking forward to engaging in some good conversations!
I collect (& ocassionally sell if the wife asks!) aviation parts.
Just recently, I found some fab seats, including a Airspeed Ambassador co-pilots seat!
This one is unusual. It is the similar tubular construction to the ones used by the RAF in many of the Avro range.
The seat belt recoil unit remains.
Any ideas which aircraft it could have come from?
BW, Fergus

 

[Spitfire Steve]

I've seen a seat like this before but not sure what it came out of. I was told it was a rear gunners seat in something like a SBD Dauntless. Maybe.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Spitfire Steve]

Oh, the coiled thing on the back of the seat is just for the harness. What ever you do, don't open it, unless you want about 14 foot of spring steel jumping out at you!

 

[MiTasol]

Nice one Fergus and welcome aboard.
Try and find part numbers and inspection stamps as they really help.
Unless parts are missing t would appear this seat is mounted off the side of the fuselage and on a single seat track or mounts on the floor like some DC-3 installations but a locking reel was not normally used on civilian aircraft and what appears to be the top attach fitting is too high for the DC-3. A photo of the bottom would help.
The hardware (nuts/bolts) look like 2BA to me which means the seat is British which narrows things down considerably.
Can you see if a 3/8 spanner is a nice fit or very loose - the latter means 2BA.

 

[GreenKnight121]

Darn - I was expecting a Moody Blues video.

 

[Fergus_617]

Thanks for your input chaps. I'll get on it first thing Saturday morning and see what other info i can update you with.

 

[GrauGeist]

I've seen a seat like this before but not sure what it came out of. I was told it was a rear gunners seat in something like a SBD Dauntless. Maybe.

Cheers, Steve

The rear seat of the SBD was a backless seat made from of formed aluminum and looked much like the seat of a tractor.
The "back" of the seat was a semi-circular frame that held the seat in place as the radio operator rotated from the forward position to to the rearward position (to man the MGs).