And now carpet !

Published by Thierry Larmier at 18 March 2021

Refection of wood frames

Ten two-seater passenger seats!

The last major restoration project on the F-BGNJ was the refurbishment of a series of 10 double passenger seats in 2018-2019. The cargo configuration had lasted only too long! Decades, frankly, during which the main part of the fuselage remained hopelessly empty. In order to preserve them, the passenger seats, 2 or 3 seats, at least what was left of them, took the dust stored in our workshop while waiting to be able to find their places.

But would we find the same fabric for the carpet and a skilled craftsman?

For the fabric: mission impossible ! Yet we did not want to betray what the interior of the F-BGNJ was by dressing the chairs with a mock. Anyway the historical monuments would not have let us do it, and that’s a good thing! The fabric is not found? Never mind, let’s make it! The work of the company S.O.V of St Herblain was remarkable: finding a factory that could weave the same weft, find the right color and finally redo the armchairs. The association worked on metal frames, the seat, mechanisms, painting.

The result was amazing! Many of you were able to enjoy them during the European Heritage Days in 2019.

The central cabin has thus recovered part of its seats. Now they lack a beautiful case, because this cabin is still under construction. Before the windows were changed in 2016, the fuselage was not watertight and the carpet lining the blankets and the floor suffered greatly, as well as the wood frames.

Next objective: carpet!

We have debated for a long time about the color of the carpet, or rather, the color of the 2 carpets. Dark brown on the sides and light brown on the ground. Fortunately, we were able to find some hidden bits that served as a witness of a past time.

Before you can install this carpet, which is sometimes glued to plywood, sometimes stapled to posts, you must prepare, repair or completely redo the supports. There is a lot to do and our work is hampered by the obligation to evacuate our workshop before the end of June. We still do not have a sustainable solution and this is a big problem and a very important stress for us.

We hope to have finished the carpet so we can participate in the 2021 EHD in September ... but it’s not won!

To be continued ...