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Coolness Factor Verses Coolness Factor

Crafting N112DR

Well Known Member
In my quest to be the cool kid on the block I opted for black leather seats with white stitching, black side wall panels, and black carpets. My thinking was my car is cool in all black interior so why not my airplane. I have no doubt that it will be cool looking. What might not be so cool is my body on a 85 degree summers day. I will have a sun shade overhead so I was thinking it might not be too bad. What are your thoughts on black as an interior choice? Will it be cool and will I stay cool as someone who has, say an all gray interior? Does anyone have an all black interior? What was your experience with black interior.
 
My prediction is that you are going to fry. I've been in situations where the metal in the cockpit was too hot to touch, and that's painted light grey!
 
In my quest to be the cool kid on the block I opted for black leather seats with white stitching, black side wall panels, and black carpets. My thinking was my car is cool in all black interior so why not my airplane. I have no doubt that it will be cool looking. What might not be so cool is my body on a 85 degree summers day. I will have a sun shade overhead so I was thinking it might not be too bad. What are your thoughts on black as an interior choice? Will it be cool and will I stay cool as someone who has, say an all gray interior? Does anyone have an all black interior? What was your experience with black interior.

My prediction is that you are going to fry. I've been in situations where the metal in the cockpit was too hot to touch, and that's painted light grey!

COOL looking but going to be HOT if you try to use it in the summer sun.
 
Ouch! I doubt your car has a bubble canopy, sun shade or not. It gets hot in there sitting on the ramp.
 
Ouch! I doubt your car has a bubble canopy, sun shade or not. It gets hot in there sitting on the ramp.

....and your car has a good a/c to cool things off.

I prefer lighter colors and even though cloth is not as "cool" as leather, I am sure glad I have it on hot and cold days. Leather is cold on cool days, hot on hot days and does not breath well giving you a soaking wet backside after flying in hot weather.

I vote for cloth seats :D
 
Also you could skip the real leather and get synthetic, like Ultraleather. You get the look without the heat. You don't get the leather smell though .. but synthetic does seem to clean easier.
 
As Michael noted above, even a light gray painted and upholstered interior gets very hot after sitting in the summer sun. During summertime Young Eagle flights, I always have to be careful showing passengers where they can place their hands when climbing into the cockpit to avoid getting burned. You may find that a lightweight canopy cover helps to reduce surface temps while parked. The interior overhead canopy shade is a must.
 
Cool Factor - yes. but HOT HOT HOT. Here in south Alabama I couldn't even consider a black interior, my wife would kill me.

And a side note - it'll show ever speck of grass or other pieces of dirt etc.
 
It's gonna be hot. The retractable sun shade helps keep the sun from frying your skin directly but little for cabin temp. Invest in a canopy cover for when you're parked. The one Van's sells is just fine.
 
There is no way I would ever consider a black upholstery on a canopy type aircraft. You will fry as soon as you sit down.
 
anyone doing sheepskin seat covers in their -12s?

Just the opposite of mention above, they tend to be cool in summer, warm in winter. Everything I fly at work is so equipped.

Doug in Seattle

(finally got warm here)
 
Blk Interior

Have to agree with all the above. But Hey, look at the bright side, You might not need seat heaters in the winter time!

Rod
RV8 flying since 2008, still grinning

Dues payed
 
Thanks, all for the feedback

Thanks, all for the feedback. After much though I have decided to ditch the black seats and go with a new color design that will match the exterior of the Aircraft. It should be cooler and cooler don?t you think?


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My grey leather interior is hot on a summer day, but not as bad as Black would be.

FYI - Your picture doesn't display properly.
 
Personally, I'd avoid leather if humanly possible.

On my RV-3B, I'll go for fabric and sheepskin. Sheepskin is utterly good. Totally cool - literally, in the summer, and warmer in the winter.

Dave
RV-3B, now skinning the fuselage
 
I have black leather seats and interior and live in Arizona. I have noticed zero difference between that interior and the SLSA I fly. If you plan on leaving the plane outside or not using the Kroger shade then any interior is going to boil until you get some airflow through it.

Unless you go with the sheepskin suggested, I think go with what you want because honestly exposed to direct sunlight for a period of time any color interior and vinyl or leather is going to feel pretty uncomfortable until you get air over it.
 
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There's a lot more to human comfort than just color.

Close the canopy in the sun and allow the interior air temperature to reach 140F. Very soon, everything without a conductive path to the exterior atmosphere will be at 140F....regardless of color.

Place a sheet of paper and a block of aluminum in that cockpit. Both will reach 140F. Yet when we touch the paper, it is not uncomfortable, while touching the block is very close to painful. As a practical example, consider a black seat belt with a silver buckle. If color was the only factor, the buckle would be cooler than the belt...but as we know from sad experience, the belt doesn't feel hot, while the buckle can burn.

My seats are sewn from black Cordura....perfectly comfortable.
 
Contrary opinion

I have burgundy colored leather in my RV8 over Vans foam. I heard all kinds of stories about hot and too soft in the summer and cold and too hard in the winter. Neither were true. No problem with a dark color here in Texas. It's just not an issue. Get the color and material you want. After all, most of the time you will be rolling it out of your hangar.
 
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