The interior of the airplane was restored to a slightly more modern and functional condition as were other aspects of the airplane.
The original rear "sling" seat was removed and replaced with a 3 place bench seat including 3 sets of seat belts. Aluminum side panels were fabricated to replace the "hanging" type of side panel construction originally used. The original military pilot and copilot seats were designed
to accommodate a parachute. These seats were used and upholstered accordingly to take up the "chute" space.
The headliner and upper related pieces are fabricated from Ultraleather (Color: Mortar) polyurethane material. We added two Reading Light / Air panels from a Beech Duke (another convenience not provided for in the original) and an overhead light to illuminate the step into the airplane. The side panels are South American leather (Color: Gray) and Ultraleather (Color: Brick) polyurethane material.
The seats are all South American leather. The carpet is 100% wool Delia Dark Gray. Carpet is serged where appropriate. The Control Wheels are wrapped in leather and hand stitched. The Walnut window trim (rescued from a 150 year old armoire) has been hand finished and is modified to accommodate the thicker side panels. All seat belts are new hardware and new webbing.
Notice the lack of upholstery screw heads...almost 100% of this interior is installed on Velcro and can be completely removed in less than an hour.
Soundproofing material was installed behind the interior panels where ever it could be installed (Ceiling, Side Panels, Baggage Area, etc.). The cabin is surprisingly quiet and allows conversation in a relatively normal voice.
You will also find an abundance of cool air vents (pilot and copilot floor, rear cabin, window sills, etc.) that didn't exist in the original. These are all powered by two "squirrel cage" fans to force cool air into the cabin.
All of the window hardware (window cranks, window mechanisms, door handles, trim crank) was originally acquired from the Hudson Motor Company by Beech and were used in the Hudson Terraplane. The hardware in N1532M is original Hudson Terraplane hardware acquired from the National Hudson Club.
The interior work was performed by Aircrafters on Lunken Airport over about a 5 year period of time. All materials meet FAR 25.853.
