I think my seats in the RV-8 are going to be khaki in color. Hopefully, it will contrast nicely with the olive drab satin finish of the interior of the fuselage. I have been trying to determine what to do with the inside of the fuselage skins. I think they need to be upholstered both for insulation and noise dampening. The question is, what should the panels look like and what color.
Once of the alternatives I am considering is stitching a khaki leather (or imitation leather) with a diamond pattern using olive drab thread. The leather would have some thin backing material attached so we would get a "quilted" look. This would simulate a type of insulating material seen in the WWII warbirds. I actually just saw this material in the cockpit of a C-47 recently though it was green in color. I would also specify the same color olive drab top stitching on the seats.
I have included a sketch of a possible panel below. Connie also picked up a sample piece of khaki upholstery leather and some quilt batting to make a test piece to actually place in the fuselage to see how it all might look. If it looks good, I will then specify the colors and design concept to one of the upholstery shops (probably Flightline Interiors). I am hoping the khaki seats, arm rests, and side panels look good against the olive drab interior of the fuselage.Also hoping it creates a 1940's look and overall impression.
