Oregon Aero is an Oregon-based company that designs and manufactures seat cushions and complete seat assemblies for OEM, certified, experimental, military and homebuilt aircraft.
You come from a long line of inventors. What prompted you to start experimenting with and designing products for the aviation industry in 1990?
I have always been interested in aviation. When I was four, my mother folded an ordinary piece of paper and said, "Come here, Mikey, I'll show you something." She tossed it down the basement stairs, it sailed across the basement, and I never looked back. I modeled every kind of airplane growing up and got my pilot's and mechanic's licences, however, it was hard to feed and raise three kids on a mechanic's salary.
After flying my wife in a small plane, she complained about the painful headset, which led me to design a cushion to prevent pain based on my work to prevent bed sores in premature babies. This accidental innovation led to our first product, and eventually, we started making and selling headsets at fly-ins. Initially, I made about 12, then we quickly outgrew our house, rented space, and expanded further as we kept asking people what hurt and addressing those pain points.
What does your customer base look like in 2024 compared to when you first started?
Our customer base has been consistent, with about 60-65% being military because their personnel need to perform tasks behind just sitting. Airlines don't typically care about passenger comfort, focusing more on seat weight and pitch to maximize capacity. Commercially, there's less interest because the airlines prioritize lightweight and compact seats and don't care much about the pilots' seats either. Our products are mostly used by oil companies and other non-airline operators.
What technological advancements are informing the modernization and development of products in 2024?
We don't sell snake oil. Our products do exactly what we claim: they keep people comfortable and safe for extended periods. Oregon Aero’s expertise in non-Newtonian physics helped us develop materials that didn't bounce back, reducing impact injuries. For instance, in survivable airplane crashes, our crash-worthy seats and helmet linings help protect occupants. Despite starting from simple cushions, our product line expanded based on customer feedback and the need for safer, more comfortable aviation equipment.
You have also seen a rise in demand from your general aviation customers. What is driving the growth of this market?
General aviation is fascinating because it's an intellectually stimulating and healthy activity, offering a satisfying escape from daily work. People find it addictive because it provides a sense of freedom and focus that other activities can't. Learning to fly and operating an aircraft safely is highly satisfying, diverging completely from their regular jobs.
This philosophical aspect makes aviation appealing, as it provides a break from the usual stresses of making a living. As a result, people invest in aviation not just for practical purposes but for the sheer joy and challenge it offers. Our role is to ensure that this experience isn't marred by discomfort, so we focus on making seats and cushions that enhance the pleasure and safety of flying.
Why has the comfort aspect of product development traditionally taken a back seat given the advancements in technology?
I spent 13 years in a laboratory conducting crash simulations and discovered that we often fail because we don't fully understand the problem.
Comfort and safety are synonymous; achieving one often ensures the other.
For instance, the stinging sensation you feel from sitting too long is your skin tissue dying, a precursor to bed sores and deep vein thrombosis, which can be fatal. Poor seat design also impedes cerebral spinal fluid flow, affecting cognitive performance.
I offer to develop better cushions for airlines at no charge, but many are still resistant. The key is knowing the right solutions, which we offer, but there's often a disconnect between understanding the issue and implementing the fix.
