Hi Mike,
I have been thinking about this for a while too. I feel that there is definitely a market for seats, just for the PT's alone, not counting all of the larger trainers/fighters, etc.
Just last night in fact, I received a phone call from a prominent, multi award winning restorer asking if I could get him a set of seats for a Fairchild PT, (and I get these calls a lot!), but I am fresh out of seats. I too have seen the prices these seats are going for on the internet (ie. ebay), and I think they are starting to get ridiculous. And I know the Stearman guys are having the exact same problems finding seats as the Fairchild guys, so the market is definitely there in my opinion. Maybe you
couldn't produce them for less than what they are going for on ebay right now, but sooner or later, they supply is going to dry up, and then what?
I remember a while back that a guy I have done some business with was setting up to do new build seats for Stearmans but for one reason or another he was looking to sell the molds/jigs/etc, that they had tooled up for this job. I should get in touch with him and see if he sold them (and if so who bought them), or if they are still available. I know that they weren't going cheap, but......
I wonder what kind of liablilty a person would assume by making these for people?
Mike if anybody around this neck of the woods could get these things produced, it would probably be you or the boys over in Wahpeton, ND.
As if you don't have enough to do already!
Steve
