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Building the Schuler 1:3 ASH 26
Rick Briggs
New Seat Tray and Removable Seat
I wanted to be able to fit a full 1:3 size "Alex" pilot into the seat. So I proceed to make a seat pan and seat that would be a little more to scale and accomplish my goal. I have to assume that for this article you have some fiberglass and mold making experience, If not, got for it any way.

Using the stock seat pan I cut out the area where ones legs and buns would normally be. Then using modeling clay and balsa wood, I roughed out the shapes of the seat. The black and red cardboard is the recess for the shock absorber.

What I am after is a seat that fits directly to the bottom of the fuselage as in a full size ship. After getting the desired shape, I then mask of the areas to protect them from the glass lay up.

Next I sprayed "Partal" mold release on the area of the seat so the fiberglass seat will lift out when cured. Using West Systems epoxy and 6 oz. glass cloth, I built up 4 layers on the seat area.

After the part cured, I then detail the seat with bondo and primer so I could then make a mold to produce the final seat part.

 
Here are the rough parts being detailed in preparation for making the molds. The white part is the original seat pan from the kit. The second seat pan was modified at the sides so the seat fits correctly as in the full size ship.

 
Now you can see the molds and the new seat pan and seat. Also in the photo is the head rest that bonds to the top of the seat.

Below the parts are assembled to show you how the seat fits. To mount the seat I just made a slot in the back of the seat pan, it's just above the slot for the shock absorber, and on the back of the seat you bond a piece of aluminum that is 1" wide and is bent in a Z shape so you slide the seat in from the bottom and it hooks into the slot, then a single screw holds the front of the seat in place. This way you can mount the pilot to the seat and with one screw, remove both seat and pilot for access to your R/C gear.

The head rest is hollow on the face so I could fit a hard foam piece that is covered in cloth, and inserted into the face so I leaves a clean edge when done.