Hi, I’ve just joined the forum and would be grateful for some help with a long-time family puzzle.
I’ve been having a clear out of my late father’s shed and re-discovered a metal seat which I recall my grandfather had hanging in his barn. My grandfather died in the 1950s so it certainly pre-dates that and he had always claimed that it was a pilots seat.
I had originally dismissed it as something like a tractor seat but looking at it closely it is made from some very lightweight material similar to aluminium and doesn’t seem to be rigid enough to be for agricultural use.
My grandfather was a farmer and had some land very close to the former RAF Upwood in Cambridgeshire and the airfield has links back to the days of the Royal flying Corps so perhaps it could be something that he found in a crashed aircraft on his land ?
I have attached a photo and would be grateful for any ideas as to what it is. Unfortunately there is no writing on it.
Many thanks
Stephen Howes
By: MAC314 - 13th November 2022 at 00:48
By: Sopwith - 2nd November 2022 at 13:51
Yes totally agree, fantastic identification anneorac, a brilliant job and well done Stephen Howes for having such a lovely piece of kit.
By: Aerotony - 1st November 2022 at 09:39
Wow! Great job of identification.
By: anneorac - 1st November 2022 at 08:36
Well there’s something you don’t see every day. A Royal Aircraft Factory FE2 seat!
Best online reference I can find is on the Wingnut’s website http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/productdetail?productid=3044&cat=4 If you look through the instructions you’ll find some illustrations and photos.
Anne
By: Aerotony - 26th October 2022 at 14:01
A light weigh seat like that wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on any kind of agricultural or construction machinery.
By: adrian_gray - 25th October 2022 at 21:12
While I’m no expert, I’ve spent a fair amount of time round vintage tractors, and I’ve never seen a seat like that. I’d expect a tractor seat to be either pressed steel or cast iron.
By: Arabella-Cox - 25th October 2022 at 19:07
At first I thought the item may have been from an early tractor, but three things make me think aircraft; 1. aA with a wooden aircraft, seat the item has separate base and back; 2. The two parts appear to be joined by countersunk rivets; 3. Vintage tractor seats are usual one-piece pressed iron.
By: FarlamAirframes - 25th October 2022 at 17:09
Stephen thank you for posting.
Most of the WW1 seats were wicker or wood
Most of the WW2 seats were either resin or aluminium – Also mainly of the upright bucket seat with folding arms that continued into the 50’s.
This one does not look like either.
Also it is quite circular whilst remaining low backed.
I had a quick check of the aircraft types known to have used RAF Upwood but could not see anything.
If it is aircraft there should be a very smal ( likely circular) inspectors stamp or number on the underside of the seat pan.
I suspect it is likely covered in corrosion so you may have to use light or some fine wire wool to clean it back to bare metal.
Good Luck
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October 24, 2022 at 3:00 pm