Chairs

[lthendrix]

I think a good chair is as important as any flight sim hardware , Show me your best ... Mine is croaking and squeaking like a dying camel ,,,,,,,

I almost had makes on this one during a demo job but it vanished...  Chairs . matter

[neucoas]

My chair needs a serious upgrade....

 

But the big plus is that i can't stand hours on it! 

[Wakashi]

I purchased one several months from Office Depot, next to my recliner it is probably the best offfice chair I have ever owned, good for many hours of simming.  It is Big & Tall furniture, very well built and comfortable, (some assembly required) made by Serta, you can check it out on line at www.officedepot.com  Serta® Smart Layers™ Hensley Executive Big & Tall Chair, Roasted Chestnut/Satin Nickel Item # 304601.

Good Shopping,

Roger

[Gary_H]

I use my Herman Miller Aeron office chair, although I am finding that I need to replace certain parts after 15 years of use.

[VonClout]

Another simmer here in need of a chair upgrade, it's only a matter of time before the duct tape and string have to come out!

 

Simon

[birdguy]

I got from OfficeMax several years ago.  It has adjustable lumbar support,  adjustable height,  adjustable tilt, adjustable seat back tilt, and adjustable arm rest height.  It woks very well.  Don't know the brand or model number.  It was on sale then for just over a hundred dollars.

 

Noel

[CRSJr]

In 1996 when Lockheed Martin was shutting down its' Austin TX division, I was able to purchase a 5 leg, back tilt style swivel office chair with arms, for the ridiculous sum of $25 dollars. I welded up an offset bracket for the left arm, to use as a throttle mount location, and another bracket attached to the underside of the seat to serve as the joy stick mount. Currently those locations are filled with Seiko X55 components.

 

Admittedly the stick location does require care when one sits in or gets out of the chair, but functionally it works quiet well.

[wolfko]

Mine is an office chair on casters, which are - unfortunately - not lockable. So when stepping hard on the rudder pedals or toe brakes the chair will roll backwards. Quite annoying!

[lthendrix]

2 hours ago, wolfko said:

Mine is an office chair on casters, which are - unfortunately - not lockable. So when stepping hard on the rudder pedals or toe brakes the chair will roll backwards. Quite annoying!

I am in the same boat....   I rode my last one until one of the casters came off.

 

8 hours ago, VonClout said:

Another simmer here in need of a chair upgrade, it's only a matter of time before the duct tape and string have to come out!

 

Simon

I am right there with you....ha

 

Chair will be my next purchase........  

15 hours ago, Gary_H said:

I use my Herman Miller Aeron office chair, although I am finding that I need to replace certain parts after 15 years of use.

Yowza   those are some pricey seats !

[Bruce Hamilton]

2 hours ago, wolfko said:

Mine is an office chair on casters, which are - unfortunately - not lockable. So when stepping hard on the rudder pedals or toe brakes the chair will roll backwards. Quite annoying!

 

Same here, but the floor is carpeted. My rudder pedals will move before my chair.

[ramonb]

Esquerro y Catalá brand , got 2 of them, one for the office,  other for home PC (on carpet).

Very comfortable, ergonomic chairs with full back/lumbar support, can be fitted with head support.

Worth every penny as I spend  too much time sitting on them.

 

[Matthew Kane]

Mine is a Hair Salon chair that I found it at a Salvation Army store for under $100. It is hydraulic so it swivels and raises and lowers and locks into place. It weighs a ton which is perfect for rudder pedals as the chair will never budge once you lock it into position. It is extremely comfortable and the leather and dense foam is far better quality then any office chair I have ever seen.  Also it looks really cool as it is Italian design with black leather and lots of chrome so much better looking then an office chair. 

 

I am a bit of a picker so when I saw it in the Salvation Army Store I knew it was perfect for my needs, price was right and you will never find a chair as heavy as that one. 

Edited April 26, 2016 by ytzpilot

[Rodger Pettichord]

The chair is fine. It's my butt that needs replacing.

[Hobnobs]

20 hours ago, wolfko said:

Mine is an office chair on casters, which are - unfortunately - not lockable. So when stepping hard on the rudder pedals or toe brakes the chair will roll backwards. Quite annoying!

 

I had to fashion my own frame for that. Works well, pushing against the rudder pedals actually locks the chair into position.

 

I'm on version 2 with further adjustable refinements to come. All you need is some spare wood and a jigsaw.

[Rimshot]

3 hours ago, Hobnobs said:

 

I had to fashion my own frame for that. Works well, pushing against the rudder pedals actually locks the chair into position.

 

I'm on version 2 with further adjustable refinements to come. All you need is some spare wood and a jigsaw.

 

I would appreciate some extra details Dean. I'm quite sick of ending up in the kitchen every time I apply rudder 

[Hobnobs]

Ok, here goes:

 

This works best if your desk is against a wall but in theory the locking motion should work providing you put some rubber feet under the wood to create some friction.

 

As you can see I created a frame to lock both rudder pedals and chair into a fixed position. You have to measure your own distance. I did create a plan for this and I'll upload it in a separate post. I just don't have it to hand. If there is enough interest I can create a thread in Tips and Tricks which shows the process from start to finish and then you guys can help me refine it. The cost is less than $10/£5 and one hour of time.

 

Pushing the rudder pedals creates an equal and opposite reaction against the chair (Newton's third law) and tada! No more skating across the floor into the kitchen.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Hobnobs

[lthendrix]

Thats A great Idea  Hobnobs

[wolfko]

Yes, definitely a great idea Hobnobs!

[Hobnobs]

Very simple to make. Takes about an hour. I wrote this as a "dummies" guide. It is not my intention to partonise anyone with these skills already, I'm just to trying to help if you don't have any experience working with wood.

 

DISCLAIMER: Use at your own risk. I won't be responsible for any damage, fires or wild animals running through your simpit as a result of this guide. I strongly suggest you seek approval from your partner (wife or husband) before proceeding to save any marital problems. You have been warned.

 

Materials and tools required:

1. A jigsaw. You can use a handsaw as an alternative but be ready to sweat a bit!
2. A drill. A battery one that doubles as a screw gun works best.
3. Tape measure, pencil and either cross-head bit for drill or hand cross-head screwdriver.
4. A 2mm wood drill bit to drill pilot holes for screws.
5. Assorted wood screws of varying lengths.
6. 3 to 4 metres of 140mm x 15mm timber. I used some wood left over from a children's climbing frame.
7. 1 metre of 45mm x 10mm timber.

Method:

 

I have labelled the parts of the frame. Use in reference to photo below.

1. Place chair in position where it needs to be a comfortable sitting position and rotate casters until two of them are straight. Measure distance from wall to rear side of casters. This measurement will be the length of your frame. Mine is 1260mm.
2. Measure your rudder pedals across the width. This will be the width of your frame. The Saitek Cessna rudder pedals I have are 400mm.
3. Cut two lengths of the 140mm x 15mm timber to the length of frame you have - A and B
4. Cut a piece of 45mm x 10mm timber according to the width of the frame. This will be the brace (C) for the rear of the frame that goes against the wall. This is just to help make the frame rigid.
5. Cut another piece of 45mm x 10mm timber again the width of the frame. This will be the caster brace for the chair (D).
6. Use the jigsaw to cut out the wells for your feet in A and B so they can rest directly on the floor if you aren't on the rudder pedals. Mine are 330mm length by 110mm width. This enough for someone with size 10 feet wearing shoes. Cut your wells according to what you need to rest your feet on the floor comfortably.
7. Drill pilot holes in A and B at the back end for 4 screws to fix C to A and B.
8. Drill pilot holes in A and B at the chair end for 4 screws to fix D to A and B. Note that D will stand up on its edge and not lie flat. This is to ensure that the chair cannot run over D when back pressure is applied as a result of you pushing the rudder pedals.
9. Note that pilot holes are required not to split the wood when you screw into it!
10. When everything is screwed together lie the frame down against the wall and lock the casters behind D. Now place your rudder pedals on top of the frame and position so that you will be comfortable with the distance between the pedals and the chair.
11. Screw the rudder pedals to the frame taking care that the length of screw you use doesn't go all the way through the base (I won't be responsible if you damage your floor or your rudder pedals!). I used 4 screws in the back of the rudder pedals only. This is sufficient to stop any movement.
12. The Cessna pedals conveniently have holes for this purpose. If you are using other rudder pedals you will need to adapt as required.
13. Time to test. Sit in the chair and work your rudder pedals. There should be minimal movement in either if you have secured everything correctly.
14. Go flying!

 

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by Hobnobs

[Penzoil3]

Very nice Dean. If I didn't have carpet I'd be sawing away ! Clear concise directions and dimensions, well done!  My late husband was a cabinet maker, among other trades ( Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering ) so I have a keen appreciation for good plans. After 35 years as a carpenters wench, I'm a jackleg carpenter myself  by now. Good job.

 Sue

[Rimshot]

Thanks Dean!

[awreaper]

Here is the chair that I use with my homemade instrument panel set up.  it is just a $90.00 office chair from Office Depot.  I cut the arms off and made a simple box base for it.  I installed a couple of guide rails to keep it centered.  I can move it forward or backward and when I set down in the chair the weight keeps it from moving fore and aft.  Simple set up but it works fine.  Yes that is a couple of adult beverages sitting in the other chair.  I was preparing for a relaxing flight on Pilot Edge. 

[Double J]

I built one, 2003 Ford Focus car seat and a wooden base. cost about 20 bucks Even reclines for the long flights 

[I'm Rick James]

_{That's a BIG 10-4, Double J.}

_{I am currently seated on a 2001 Honda Accord front passenger seat. I built a similar wood box to mount it on and retained the for' n back slider and recline functions. It is very comfortable for long flights and if not careful I some times nod off, LOL. The automobile manufacturers discovered long ago that driver comfort is tantamount to safety and have done exhaustive research on human ergonomics. If you search the auto wreckers you can find some very good, lightly used car seats at reasonable prices. Your buttocks and back will thank you.}

[Double J]

14 hours ago, I'm Rick James said:

_{That's a BIG 10-4, Double J.}

_{I am currently seated on a 2001 Honda Accord front passenger seat. I built a similar wood box to mount it on and retained the for' n back slider and recline functions. It is very comfortable for long flights and if not careful I some times nod off, LOL. The automobile manufacturers discovered long ago that driver comfort is tantamount to safety and have done exhaustive research on human ergonomics. If you search the auto wreckers you can find some very good, lightly used car seats at reasonable prices. Your buttocks and back will thank you.}

The joystick pod mounted on the side also doubles as a beverage table. 

[shortspecialbus]

For a chair, I use this guy:  

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Vertagear-Racing-S-Line-SL2000-Ergonomic/dp/B012PTL1SI?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

Mine's an awesome pink color that they don't seem to sell anymore

 

For rudder pedals or the like, if you don't want them to slip on a hardwood floor, buy one of these, cut it into 4 pieces, and put one piece under each corner.  Works really well and saves some building!  I also do this under my PFC Yoke to keep it from sliding around on the desk, and it works amazing!

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Heininger-1065-CommuteMate-DashGrip/dp/B003A8D6YG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

-stefan

 

[bvdboomen]

My chair is over 40 years old and squeaks like an 80 year old Piper Cub.

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by bvdboomen

[elizabeth0001]

A good chair provides proper lumbar and pelvic support which results in your back muscles being less stressed. ... With lumbar and pelvic support comes better posture, better breathing, and less fatigue, so do yourself a favour and give your work chair a good hard look and see how it measures up.