Ownership: Out of the box

I thought my only option was to use the mildewed 1960s vinyl cushion I had and steal a pillow off the living room couch to fly the airplane to a custom shop, but feared that might elicit the wrath of my wife. Plus, I’d have to get home, and then wait weeks for the shop to complete its work and present me with a custom-size bill.

Then I discovered Airtex Products Inc., a company with a long history of helping owners revamp their airplanes’ interiors. Airtex could work with me to create the cushions and then ship them for my slip-and-snap installation.

Soon I was speaking with Dodd Stretch, the third-generation owner of Airtex, who assured me the company had patterns for the seats and interiors of “almost every plane still flying out there.” Almost. Mine is a 1952 Super Cub Special, built for the U.S. Air Force to train cadets during the Korean War, and one of only 242 produced. The seat is lower than normal Super Cubs to accommodate the fat seat-type parachutes the cadets used, so I was going to need custom work after all. “No problem, we make adjustments to the standard patterns all the time,” said Stretch.

So, after I determined how many phone books gave me the best view from the cockpit, I sent Stretch my “make it four inches thicker than normal” order. But since I’m lucky to live within an hour’s drive of Airtex, I decided to deliver my front seat frame so they could fit it precisely. A few weeks later, I went to pick up my custom seat and the rear cushions. I bolted in the seat and snapped on the rear cushions back at my hangar. The interior was finished and my restored airplane looked like it just rolled out of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, factory 63 years before.

A stitch in time

Hmm, parachute tester. Now that’s a career that could come to a sudden conclusion if everything doesn’t go just right. How about a career in sewing? I like to imagine Albert Stretch was thinking this way in 1949 when he left a job testing parachutes for the Switlik Parachute Company and started sewing canvas items such as propeller and engine covers for the aircraft industry. Thanks to the postwar boom in general aviation, Albert was soon running a thriving business. At first the work was largely sewing fabric envelopes to re-cover airplane wings and fuselages, but as metal-skin aircraft began to dominate the general aviation market, the business drifted into creating custom upholstery and interiors that pilots could install themselves. Today, the family business is still humming, with Albert’s grandson, Dodd Stretch, leading a team of 20 craftsmen at Airtex in Fallsington, Pennsylvania.

“We have the capability to produce interiors for just about every aircraft built on a production line. Everything is made to order.” —Dodd StretchBusiness experts often talk about “corporate memory”—generally the body of knowledge accumulated over the years—and at Airtex that’s really important. In addition to the accumulated skills of its craftsmen, many of whom have worked there for decades, and 70 years of experience with hundreds of aircraft types, important physical assets hang row upon row down the center of the shop, too—hundreds of paper patterns, with labels such as “Cessna 123, special baggage (Canadian)” or “Commonwealth Sky Ranger, cushion set bottom, trim panel.”

Early on, making new interiors meant taking apart the worn panels and seats, and then using them as patterns to fabricate the replacements. The Airtex craftsmen created paper patterns for use the next time, with notes on cutting, stitching, and other assembly details. “We have the capability to produce interiors for just about every aircraft built on a production line,” said Stretch. “Everything is made to order; the customer can pick his fabric and carpet colors to suit his taste.”

Automation has come slowly to Airtex, with almost the only machines being electric carpet cutters (still guided by hand), sewing machines, and an air compressor to spray glue and clean surfaces. “This is always going to be a labor-intensive business, as each job is really a custom job with all the variations available in colors and fabrics. We use pencils, scissors, and the paper patterns as we have for decades”

Although the craftsmanship is old-school, the materials are state-of-the-art. All carpets and fabrics are selected to meet FAA fire rating requirements. Stretch sends all materials out to a private testing lab to ensure the safety of every product.

Styles keep up-to-date, too. “Instead of old-style cushions, which never fit that well, we’ve updated the styles and adjusted them for the perfect fit. We’ve changed customers’ expectations of what they’ll find in that box on their doorstep,” said Stretch.

“It’s like changing a ’50s pickup truck bench seat to modern bucket seats. These aircraft from the ’60s onwards are not like classic cars—most owners don’t want to replicate the original interior; people want a ‘like new’ aircraft. One that feels like a new plane, not a refurbished old one. The classic airplanes are not going away, but owners will always want to modernize the interiors.”

When you contact Stretch to order an interior set, he’ll discuss all your options for colors, fabrics, and stitching. Do you want flat seats or tufted? Leather or the latest high-tech fabric? How about contrasting colors for the seats, stitching, interior panels, headliner, and carpet? Would you like your monogram or a logo stitched into the seats? A few weeks later a box will arrive with your new interior. Almost all can be done by aircraft owners with just a little patience and guidance by the Airtex staff.

“The DIY strategy has worked for us. We’re able to give clients a custom job, but save them the cost of installation,” Stretch said. He will answer questions during the installation and takes pride in seeing the finished project. “When your plane looks good, we look good.”

“Digital cameras, especially in phones, and the Internet have made it so easy to help out a customer. They can snap a photo of their project and in just a minute I can see what they’re doing and talk them through it. Don’t tell my wife, but if you have a question on the weekend, I’ll take the call if I can.”