After years of development and testing, Molon Labe’s S1 ‘Space Seat’ has now been certified by the FAA in accordance with TSO C-127b, which marks the completion of the development programme for the seat.
This final step in readying the seat for market was achieved in cooperation with the company’s certification partner, NIAR (National Institute of Aviation Research) and its production partner, Primus. Indeed Primus showed great faith in the certification programme, having already expanded its Colorado operations with a second, 50,000 sq ft facility to produce parts for and assemble the Space Seats.
Although also based in Colorado, Molon Labe’s name is Greek and literally translates to ‘come and get them’. Indeed one airline already has, as the seat is due to debut with an as-yet announced low-cost carrier in Q1 2020. Molon’s manufacturing partners have recently added an additional 50,000 sq ft of manufacturing space to accommodate the initial deliveries.
The S1 Space Seat is being marketed as being the widest, most spacious economy class seat on the market, a claim based on its innovative staggered design which provides increased living space for each passenger in a triple, as their shoulders, elbows and thighs are no longer directly adjacent, instead being offset both vertically and fore/aft.
Further space is created by the two-level armrest, which delineates the armrest for each passenger, aiding comfort and reducing inter-passenger stress. The design is also lightweight, weighing in at around 8kg.
The staggered layout also gives customers an option to make the middle seat 3in wider, which would increase the standard A320 seat width from 18in to 21in.
