Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

One of the highlights of last week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, was French start-up company Expliseat’s unveiling of a new economy-class seat that significantly cuts weight and engineering complexity. The new seat, called Titanium, tips the scales at 8.8 pounds per passenger, which the Paris-based firm claims is around half the weight of traditional airliner seats. This may translate into an estimated 3- to 5-percent fuel saving, or $300,000 to $500,000 per aircraft per year.


Titanium is offered as a three-seat row assembly. The structure uses titanium and composite materials for a lighter and more straightforward design. According to Expliseat, the parts count has been reduced to 30, down from 500 for a conventional seat. The certification process started 18 months ago and is set to be completed this year.


Expliseat has no factory itself and relies on unidentified Toulouse-based firms that will put the seats together from parts that come mainly from French suppliers. The company aims to equip an initial 100 to 200 aircraft per year, with its main target market being narrowbodies like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.


To combine simplicity and comfort, the fixed backrest has been “pre-reclined” by 18 degrees. It is just two inches thick, but Expliseat says that the seat’s special shock-absorbent textiles will guard against passengers feeling the movement of passengers behind them against the seat. With a standard low-cost-carrier seat pitch of 29 inches, the new seats would allow for just under three-and-a-half inches of knee space.


Meanwhile, Airbus unveiled a new extra-wide seat for the A320 inspired by what it called “trends in demographics” (translation: passengers are getting bigger). The airframer also displayed its new “Space-Flex” configuration for the rear of the A320 cabin, which has been designed to make access easier for people with reduced mobility.


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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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