A while back, we brought you news that the owners of the Bombardier Challenger 850 had hired Flying Colors Corp. to help design a carbon fiber cabin for their plane, with immaculate results. Chosen almost exclusively for its upscale appearance, it was used on everything — tables, galleys, bulkheads, handrails, toilet enclosures, you name it. Everything except for seating. Well now, thanks to a better understanding of carbon fiber’s other, more applicable characteristics, Lufthansa Technik has taken things a step further and come up with a totally unique concept. They’re calling it chairâ„¢.
To be used in VIP and executive jets, chairâ„¢, which currently comes in three different styles — “Office,” “Classic” and “Lounge” — was created to adhere, not only to the comfort and design aspects expected of VIP seating, but to the luxury, lightness and slenderness of it as well, each a hallmark of a carbon fiber-inspired fabrication.
“On board of an aircraft, the seats are the central interfaces between the passengers and the cabin,” says Andrew Muirhead, head of Lufthansa Technik’s new “Original Equipment Innovation” product division, via a press release.
In the chairâ„¢ family there are seats for work, seats for lounging, seats for eating and seats for sleeping, and they’re all constructed around a carbon fiber reinforced polymer pillar. And thanks to the lightness of the materials used, chairâ„¢ is about 40 pounds lighter than the typical tail toter, and each pillar is designed to adhere to the human spine, dodging the need for any thick padding or heavy upholstery.
And don’t let the fact that there are only three “models” fool you. According to the Lufthansa Technik website, because customers can decide whether or not they’d like to lay back, lean forward, rest their arms or add any of the many available accessories — including an extra arm with a small snack table attached, additional cupholders and appendages and mounts for laptops and tablets — there are over 8,000 ways to make it your own.
If you’re looking for a set for your personal jet however, you’ll have to wait. Though the products were previously showcased back in May of 2014 at the EBACE trade fair in Geneva, these luxury bum smugglers are still awaiting approval. If all goes well though, they’re likely to be available by 2015.
For more on chairâ„¢, you can visit Lufthansa Technik’s website or take a look at the official chairâ„¢ brochure.
[Sources: AIN Online, Lufthansa Technik, Official Press Release ]