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Jim Nichols and Terry Unsworth of Brookhouse explain why composite materials can now be specified at the outset of an aircraft’s design and build


All lined up: A mock-up of the Not for Wimps concept seat inside the cabin


Blue sky seating O


Mike Richardson speaks to Contour Aerospace’s technical sales director, Bob Lovell to discover whether the industry is sitting up and taking notice of the company’s innovative seating concept, Not for Wimps.


ver the last 75 years, seat manufacturer Contour Aerospace has provided innovative solutions for its customers by creating bespoke aircraft interiors for the


world’s leading airlines. By staying ahead of the curve in aircraft interior design, Contour became the first company to create and fit lie-flat seats into a British Airways fleet, as well as create premium individual cabins and the world’s commercial airline first swivel seat, installed in the American Airlines Flagship Suite. The company’s latest groundbreaking concept in aviation seat


design, the NFW (Not for Wimps) seat, is said to give passengers a unique and entertaining in-flight gaming experience. Unveiled at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, its specific aim was to stimulate debate within the industry. Visitors to the exhibition were among the first to see


Contour’s concept seat located on its stand. The company teamed up with product design consultancy, Factorydesign to create a prototype that is not only technologically advanced, but also reflects social changes in the way passengers want to spend their time on board. Although interested customers can’t place immediate orders for the NFW seat, the hope is it


will stimulate healthy debate within the airline industry as to whether such radical thinking is viable. The NFW seat is designed to appeal to customers who


would rather spend their time on long-haul flights absorbed in a gaming or viewing experience than falling sleep. It not only appeals to passengers, but because of its lightweight design, the potential fuel savings for airline OEMs is considerable too. Aircraft interior design changes rapidly, and no-one knows


exactly what the next 10 years of cabin configurations and passenger experience will bring. This is why the creation of the concept seat is crucial in maintaining innovative breakthroughs within the industry. The NWF seat design is dominated by a huge arc of


composite Kevlar and carbon fibre that rises up from the top of a curving bucket seat and over the passenger to clip into a state-of-the-art display monitor in front. While essentially a video gaming station, the design can be adapted as technology advances, or to become a docking station for passengers to use their own devices without having to remove the entire seat. According to Contour’s technical sales director, Bob Lovell,


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