SAE Update - September 2022 - 7

TECH FOCUS:
VEHiClE iNTEriOrS
SAE James M. Crawford Executive Standards
Committee Outstanding Achievement Award.
More on Walsh later.
About the SEAT Committee: It has published 29
With thousands of aerospace
standards requiring continuous
review - and sometimes, revision
- SAE International must rely on
a large number of volunteer
engineers to keep its portfolio
relevant and up to date.
One of the more notable of
them is Kevin Walsh, Technical
Fellow, The Boeing Company. He
has served on the SAE Aircraft
SEAT Committee since it was
established in 1997, and since
2019 has been at its helm as
chair. For his leadership of this
committee, Walsh recently was
recognized with the prestigious
UPDATE
documents, with one new document and two
revisions currently under way, according to SAE
International's Judith Ritchie, Director, Government
and Industry Affairs - Aerospace. The group
addresses all facets of aircraft seats - design,
maintenance, and in-service experience - and is
responsible for aircraft seat systems design and
performance standards development.
There are 350 participants in the committee from
OEMs, suppliers, aircraft seat equipment companies,
consulting firms, government, and others across the
aerospace and defense industries. " The committee is
respected for its open communication between
manufacturers, operators, and regulators, working
together to develop standards that enhance safety
and efficiency, " Ritchie told Update.
In addition to aircraft seat design, the committee
addresses seatbelt/restraint systems and
performance standards. Two important documents
that the SEAT committee developed and is now
revising are AS8043C Restraint Systems for Civil
Aircraft and AS8049E Performance Standard for
Seats in Civil Rotorcraft, Transport Aircraft, and
General Aviation Aircraft. These standards are
referenced in FAA and EASA certification
requirements.
In answer to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SEAT
Committee worked with the National Institute for
Aviation Research at Wichita State University to
evaluate the effect of liquid disinfectants on the
physical, mechanical, and flammability properties of
materials used in aircraft seats. It subsequently
September 2022
7

https://www.sae.org/participate/awards/innovation/crawford https://www.sae.org/participate/awards/innovation/crawford https://www.sae.org/standards/content/as8043c/ https://www.sae.org/standards/content/as8043c/ https://www.sae.org/standards/content/as8049e/ https://www.sae.org/standards/content/as8049e/ https://www.sae.org/standards/content/as8049e/ https://www.wichita.edu/industry_and_defense/NIAR/ https://www.wichita.edu/industry_and_defense/NIAR/

SAE Update - September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - September 2022