Confor foam cushions - firmness?

[Movses Babayan]

Considering redoing the cushion in the glider; can't decide on green/blue or blue/pink.
Flying in Eastern Washington for most of the season (temperature wise).

Any hands-on data points would be appreciated.

-MB

[Dan Daly[_2_]]

On Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7:57:31 PM UTC-4, Movses Babayan wrote:
> Considering redoing the cushion in the glider; can't decide on green/blue or blue/pink.
> Flying in Eastern Washington for most of the season (temperature wise).
>
> Any hands-on data points would be appreciated.
>
> -MB

My data points were not hand-related... I have blue over green. Works well at Colorado Springs or Ottawa Canada temps. Bit firm in the wave but body heat softens them. I find pink too soft (you want to have some depth to compress should you have a sudden deceleration).

Dan

[MNLou]

I used the 2" sandwich of 1" pink over 1" blue (pink on top). I loved it. Really comfortable for long flights.

I cried when I realized I don't have the headroom for that in my current glider.

I am using 1" of blue and it works fine. It can get a bit stiff in the early spring and late fall (until my butt warms it up).

Lou

[Ross[_3_]]

We use the foam in the headrest of the Formula 1 cars and also in the seat to protect the spine.
White up to 15 deg, Pink from 15-30 and blue above 30 deg. Specified by the FIA

[[email protected]]

I bought all 3 types after a back injury a few years ago. and I try to convince anyone who will listen to use this stuff.

I use 1" blue over 1' green in the seat bottom and 1' blue on the back. I gave the pink away (it is pretty useless for back protection).

If you begin to use it and it is cold out - you will think it is too stiff, BUT it is NOT - your body heat will soften it up quickly - just bring it in your home at room temps and you will see.

I would not fly a glider without this stuff - I made is do I bring it with me when I use other gliders :) just google "glider back injury" ....... you will be convinced. We sit in a position that required very little impact to create a huge back problem.

my $.02

WH

[James Thomson[_2_]]

At 12:43 21 March 2017, wrote:
>I bought all 3 types after a back injury a few years ago. and I try
to
>convince anyone who will listen to use this stuff.
>
>I use 1" blue over 1' green in the seat bottom and 1' blue on the
back. I
>gave the pink away (it is pretty useless for back protection).
>
>If you begin to use it and it is cold out - you will think it is too
stiff,
>BUT it is NOT - your body heat will soften it up quickly - just
bring it in
>your home at room temps and you will see.
>
>I would not fly a glider without this stuff - I made is do I bring it
with
>me when I use other gliders :) just google "glider back injury"
....... you
>will be convinced. We sit in a position that required very little
impact to
>create a huge back problem.
>
>my $.02
>
>WH
>


The British Gliding Association advice supports you!

There has been a lot of work done in the UK over the past several
years to explore the use of foam cushions to protect pilots.
Comfort issues come second to the need to protect users from
spinal injury.

The current BGA advice is here:

https://members.gliding.co.uk/library/safety/safety-foam/

Read - and take note.

Jim Thomson

[[email protected]]

I have been flying for many years now with one inch of blue foam under my butt and find it very comfortable. As others have said, when cold, it's rock hard until you have sat on it for a few minutes. Then it warms enough to allow it to conform.

Ground temps while in use prob from low 50's to upper 90's F degrees.

Ray

[[email protected]]

Comfort is good, but safety is primary. I received a back injury from a hard landing; at that time, there was only one inch of Blue Foam under me. Cumulus-Soaring's website promotes proper cushioning by using a mix of colored foam, with specific thicknesses.

Raul Boerner
DM LS6

[bumper[_4_]]

I used extra firm green under the thin cushion that came with the glider. Confor needs its own cover to protect it from abrasion and UV, though that can be a single layer of cloth.

Green Confor is hard as a rock when cold, but warms with body heat to shape with no pressure points while providing the highest level of protection compared to the less dense favors. If you have extra room, then layering with less dense Confor is good, but if all you have is a an inch or two, for maximum protection I'd go with green alone - this won't compromise comfort save for the first few minutes.

I shaped the Confor in my last two gliders to evenly support thighs as well, this also reduces load on the butt and spine.

Confor cuts and shapes using an electric carving knife, and also shapes with a belt sander when cold (use caution, as frozen or very cold Confor is brittle and will snap if bent or bent quickly). Sanding will have you covered in it, but it blows off easily.

Easy to make thicker slabs by bonding sheets together with 3M 77 or 90 spray adhesive . . . much harder to make a thick slab thinner (though a hot wire would probably work nicely - used that on other foam but not Confor).

If it's to be the primary cushion (no cover cushion), it's common to bond a thin layer (1/4" ?) of polyfoam onto the Confor so it fits within the upholstery nicely without wrinkles (the polyfoam rebounds quickly to hold the upholstery snugly) and has a better initial feel.

[Casey[_2_]]

On Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7:57:31 PM UTC-4, Movses Babayan wrote:
> Considering redoing the cushion in the glider; can't decide on green/blue or blue/pink.
> Flying in Eastern Washington for most of the season (temperature wise).
>
> Any hands-on data points would be appreciated.
>
> -MB

I have a deep seat, or I'm not tall!

I use an inch of each with hardest on bottom. I think its great. Not tired of sitting or bum not having any pressure points.

You could go ½" on bottom or maybe any combination leaving the top at an Inch.

[Surge]

I'd like to install Confor foam in my glider but I'm not sure why such small pieces are sold or how they're supposed to be fitted to a glider.

How do other pilots attach the Confor foam to their seat pans so that the cushions retain the shape of the seat pan instead of springing back out?
Are the 16x18" Confor foam cushions supposed to be sat on or put behind the back or both?
Wouldn't a fitted, tapered Confor foam cushion that runs from the back all the way to the thighs makes more sense?
I don't have much headroom so how much does Confor foam compress when sat on?

[Ron Gleason]

On Thursday, 23 March 2017 02:34:19 UTC-6, Surge wrote:
> I'd like to install Confor foam in my glider but I'm not sure why such small pieces are sold or how they're supposed to be fitted to a glider.
>
> How do other pilots attach the Confor foam to their seat pans so that the cushions retain the shape of the seat pan instead of springing back out?
> Are the 16x18" Confor foam cushions supposed to be sat on or put behind the back or both?
> Wouldn't a fitted, tapered Confor foam cushion that runs from the back all the way to the thighs makes more sense?
> I don't have much headroom so how much does Confor foam compress when sat on?

The pieces sold by Cumulus Soaring are 18" wide and 40" long. I just place it on the seat pan covering the bottom and up the back. It stays in place just fine.

Either buy the cover from Paul or have someone make one for you as it will protect the foam and prevent it from tearing

[Jonathan St. Cloud]

Wings and wheels seals a confor foam seat cushion, I am sure others do too. I got my confor pad from Schleicher.

On Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 1:34:19 AM UTC-7, Surge wrote:
> I'd like to install Confor foam in my glider but I'm not sure why such small pieces are sold or how they're supposed to be fitted to a glider.
>
> How do other pilots attach the Confor foam to their seat pans so that the cushions retain the shape of the seat pan instead of springing back out?
> Are the 16x18" Confor foam cushions supposed to be sat on or put behind the back or both?
> Wouldn't a fitted, tapered Confor foam cushion that runs from the back all the way to the thighs makes more sense?
> I don't have much headroom so how much does Confor foam compress when sat on?

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 01:34:17 -0700, Surge wrote:

> I'd like to install Confor foam in my glider but I'm not sure why such
> small pieces are sold or how they're supposed to be fitted to a glider.
>
I have a Confor pad in my Libelle. Its 23" x 16" and 2" thick, basically
rectangular but with a cut-out in the front to fit round the stick
assembly. Its sewn into some sort of woven office chair type upholstery
cloth covering. This is held in place in the cockpit with Velcro strips.
The Velcro felt strips are glued to the seat pan and the hooked tape is
sewn onto the underside of the pad. This works very well. The pad tends
to flatten out when its at home for the winter, but soon remembers the
appropriate shape when stuck down on the seat pan again.

I don't know what colour Confor it is because it was already cloth
covered and fitted to the glider when I bought it.



--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

[danlj]

On Monday, March 20, 2017 at 6:57:31 PM UTC-5, Movses Babayan wrote:
> Considering redoing the cushion in the glider; can't decide on green/blue or blue/pink.
> Flying in Eastern Washington for most of the season (temperature wise).
>
> Any hands-on data points would be appreciated.
>
> -MB

I've used blue over green for more than 20 years, with a zipper-equipped cover. Dale Thompson introduced me to this when I was having bad back pain flying XC -- the foam feels hard at first, then simply melts away. No ache, no pain.

I've used Jim and Janice Fix -- http://seatfoam.com/products.htm -- for custom sizes -- for my patients with wheelchairs, deformities, and those having to linger for hours in a dialysis unit.

For us longer-body types, I suspect that a single thickness of blue or green foam between the parachute and our body may be all that's possible. When I fly in an empty sky, I use the 2-thickness pad and leave the chute at home.

Dan Johnson