Story ID: 
DeCrane’s latest 16-g seats advance new technology
By: AIN Staff
Caption: The DeCrane Cabin Management Group’s seating division had planned to attend the 54th NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention in September with a considerable di
Word Count: 473
The DeCrane Cabin Management Group’s seating division had planned to attend the 54th NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention in September with a considerable display of its latest technology, including the 16-g divan certified in July.The divan, manufactured at DeCrane’s Dettmers facility in Stuart, Fla., is unique in its modular design, upon which the STC is based. By placing one module next to another, with about an inch of space between them, the customer can create a custom-designed divan for as many people as space allows, within the bounds of 16-g regulations.DeCrane is now considering whether or not to attend the rescheduled NBAA Convention, and display its 16-g side-facing divan, being built by DeCrane’s ERDA facility in Peshtigo, Wis. The divan is certified for installation in the Gulfstream 200 (formerly the Galaxy) and the Boeing Business Jet. A recent innovation is a smoother operating mechanism to convert the divan from the 16-g takeoff-and-landing configuration to a sleeker, more sylish line during flight that does not block the windows.The division’s new 16-g Model 6000, a large-aircraft executive seat designed and produced by the ERDA facility for the Airbus A319CJ and Boeing’s BBJ, has 11 in. of fore and aft tracking and 7 in. of lateral tracking.The seat comes with a variety of armrests and options, including recliner-style leg rest, adjustable lumbar support and in-arm display monitor and computer connections. A lifting seat pan allows for full berthing. The model received STC approval last year and is already flying in several A319CJs and BBJs.Also available from ERDA is the latest Omniglide II technology in the form of the Model 5000 executive seat, also known as the DeCrane LXS. An angled back allows up to three inches more legroom per seating position, and a low-profile aluminum base holds the leg rest. The 5000 reclines to a fully flat position and a ball-bearing swivel mechanism can be locked at every 1.75-deg point throughout the 360-deg of rotation. The 9-g seat comes in singles or doubles and is available in three styles, two manual and one electric.According to a spokesman, “This latest Omniglide technology reduces slide and swivel friction by 90 percent and is considerably lighter than linear-bearing seats.” The basic 5000 frame weighs 38 lb, and with all available options comes in at 120 lb.The Omniglide II technology in the 5000, said the spokesman, is already being used by OEMs in two development projects and will be part of the DeCrane division’s third-generation follow-on seats.Also at the Cabin Management Group is the latest in cabin tables from its Dettmers facility. Among them is the new motorized, single-pedestal “hi-lo” table, providing a “substantial increase in legroom.” Dettmers is also showing its new game table with a counter-lever deployment mechanism that allows it to be more easily removed and placed back in its sidewall well.