The Coach Seat of To-morrow ?
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A'ingenious seat design, which passed every arduous test in war and is now being produced for peacetime purposes, may well become the seat of the future for luxury coaches. The manufacturer is Christie-Tyler, Ltd., 55. Pall Mall, London, S.W.1, which has a factory on the new trading estate at Bridgend, South Wales.
"It all started in 1940, when Coastal Command was looking for the ideal seat for Radar operators," Mr. Michael Christie, a director, told a representative of " The Commercial Motor." "These members of th,e crew have to sit .in one position in a confined space, • and with a constant eye-level, for long periods. h is most important that they should not become fatigued."
A seat was produced to solve the problem. Incredibly simple in design, it was the first of many, for not only was it standardized in Coastal Command, but was soon employed—in a slightly different form, but with the same basic principle—for Transport Command aeroplanes.
Seats are now manufactured for civil air lines, but the latest development is the coach seat, which is our primary interest. The original principle is retained.
Each seat is made as a deeply upholstered hammock fixed at one end and pivoted on a special quadrant at the
other. When the passenger sits 'down, the, pivot comes under the thighs, so that.whether the legs are stretched out or drawn up, the movement which the thighs impose on the pivot causes the hammock to conform with the shape of the body and fit snugly into the small of the back. There is complete 'support of all the body and there are no hard edges to impede circulation.
Seat frames are made in aluminium alloy of great strength and light weight, with a non-tarnishable finish. Connolly Vaumol hide is used to cover the hammock, whilst rubberized hair, spring, or —at a later stage—Dunlopillo fillings can be provided. There is a soft-upholstered leather pillow of adjustable type. Weight of a double sear is only 44 lb.
These seats are in production, and more orders afe on hand than can be immediately fulfilled, because of a shortage of materials.
Still in the experimental stage, but beyond the prototype, is a new driver's seat for all types of commercial vehicle. This has been developed from the aircraft pilot's seat, in which individual leg movement is allowed for.
Such a consideration is also applicable to the long-distance driver, and the result is a seat with a divided quadrant and a split in the forward part of the hammock, so that " give " is allowed for each thigh, in accordance with leg movements for operation of clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals