Overview
The seat structure is based around three main assemblies. The turntable assembly allows the seat to rotate through 360° and carries the floor mountings. The lower frame assembly rotates in guides on the turntable and sits on low friction nylon pads to allow easy orientation. It also incorporates the locking mechanisms, controls and diagonal braces for lateral stiffness. The upper frame consists of the seat module which carries the armrests, headrest and harness. This upper frame slides on nylon-coated guides to provide height adjustment. All of the structural frames are machined from high-grade aluminium alloy.
The seat mountings are on 14” (356mm) square centres which provide fore/aft adjustment on suitable floor track. Seat height can be adjusted through 135mm and rotates through 360° indexing every 15°.
The seat recline, armrests and headrest are all adjustable. The 5-point harness comprises of two lap belts, two shoulder straps which can be individually adjusted with a fixed length crotch strap, all terminating in a rotary Quick Release Fitting (QRF). The seat cushions are contoured for maximum comfort over long periods.
Specifications
WEIGHT: 24.95 kg
Qualified for 114 kg aircrew
Exceeds requirement of FAR 25
Fireproof: All materials comply with FAR 25 appendix F part 1 requirements. Toxic gasses are not released from any of the materials employed when burnt. Materials have been tested in accordance with section 7.3 and 7.4 of Airbus Spec ABD 0031
Temperature: Temperature soaked at -40°C to 90°C for 2 hours then functioned at -30°C and 70°C respectively.
Humidity: Seat qualified to the requirements of MIL-STD-810E method 507.2 procedure 1 Cycle 2 which is a 10 day test at a temperature of 24°C with the humidity varying between 95% and 100% RH
Restraint mechanism: TSO C114 approved harness
Maintenance: Seat maintenance / repair is achieved through replacement of components and assemblies. No special tools are required.
Endurance: Seat tested to a 25 year life
How it works
A relatively high percentage of helicopter crashes are survivable. This is especially true in modern helicopters with robust structures designed to survive the crash. However, the human body cannot tolerate the crash forces and accelerations. The back and neck are particularly vulnerable to major and often fatal injuries. Our patented crashworthy seat technologies offer reliable and proven solutions to this problem by attenuating crash energy so that forces and accelerations imposed on the seat occupant are below injury thresholds. In the process of attenuating energy, the seat strokes (moves downward) in a controlled fashion. The energy is attenuated by the seat structure over a longer time period and keeps it well below injury thresholds. Martin-Baker has developed the technology and design approach that not only attenuates these loads over a broad weight range, but remains lightweight and affordable.