We have tried to simplify buying aviation leather and vinyl, especially when it comes to burn certificates.
If the material you want does not already have the documentation your project needs, you may have to send material off for testing. Leather may also need flame-retardant treatment. Now you have shipping costs, treatment costs, testing costs, and more shipping costs. You also have to wait for everything to come back.
If you end up a hide or a few yards short, you may be going through that same cycle again. That is a lot of extra work just to finish a job.
What makes leather aviation grade?
With our Slipstream Aviation Leather, it means the leather is made and treated for aviation use, with burn testing and supporting documentation for its production lot. You have paperwork to review before you build your project around it.
Have the person responsible for approving your aircraft work check that documentation for your project. A material burn certificate does not approve a finished seat or installation.
How our batch testing works
Both Slipstream and Spirit Millennium vinyl have supporting burn certificates available. We work with our suppliers to have every dye lot of every color tested.
For example, if the manufacturer runs 1,500 yards of black Spirit, that run is tested. If they also run 1,000 yards of blue, the blue run is tested separately. When they make another run of black, that is a new dye lot with its own testing. Slipstream is also batch tested by color and dye lot.
That means you do not have to send your own material away for testing just to get the supporting burn certificate. Slipstream ships with its paperwork, and Spirit Millennium certificates are available upon request.
If you need an extra hide or a few more yards, we can check stock and get the additional material moving. You are not starting from scratch arranging outside material testing.
Keep the paperwork with the material and order it covers. If your additional material comes from a different dye lot, keep the certificate for that lot too. The color name may be the same, but the production run is different.
Why not use another vinyl?
There are other vinyls that may pass an aviation burn test. The problem is that many manufacturers do not test them for aviation.
I know this may be hard to believe, but not everyone has a private jet or plane.
Most upholstery material goes into furniture, boats, cars, restaurants, and other places where aviation paperwork is not needed. Testing costs money, and manufacturers choose which markets and requirements to test for.
We work with companies such as Omnavia that purchase other vinyls we carry and have them tested for their projects. That can open up more choices, but we cannot guarantee that a material without supporting test documentation will pass. We also cannot guarantee that future dye lots will perform the same way.
Recently, Omnavia told us an older pattern they had been using no longer passed its aviation burn test after flame-retardant chemicals were removed because of Proposition 65 concerns.
That is the kind of thing that can catch you off guard. You have used a material before, it worked, and you expect to order more and keep going. But a familiar pattern name does not tell you whether the formulation has changed.
What we can help with right now
Like many of you, we are still working through the requirements for different aviation products. We are currently looking for flame-retardant foam and thread suitable for aviation work.
For now, our aviation offering is one leather line and one vinyl line: Slipstream and Spirit Millennium. Those are the materials we can help you purchase with supporting burn-test documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Do Spirit Millennium and Slipstream automatically ship with burn certificates?
Slipstream is a specialty leather made and treated for aviation use. It ships with supporting burn certificates.
Spirit Millennium is a contract vinyl, and its burn certificate is available upon request. Request the aviation paperwork when you place your order. We cannot promise it will be available after the material has shipped.
Why do I need to request the Spirit Millennium burn certificate?
Spirit Millennium is one of our top-selling contract vinyls. Most of our customers use it outside aviation, where that paperwork is not required.
Getting you the certificate is not a problem. Most people buying it simply do not need one.
Can you do burn testing?
No. We do not offer that service, and we do not currently have a testing provider to send your material to.
Can I get samples?
Yes. You can order individual samples of both Spirit Millennium and Slipstream from their product pages. You can also order an entire Slipstream sample deck if you want to see all the leather colors together.
What if I need another hide or a few more yards?
Contact us with your original order information so we can check stock and the material you need.
Keep the paperwork supplied for the additional material, too. It may come from a different production lot. If it will sit next to material you already installed, tell us so we can also discuss the color match.
How long does it take to ship?
Vinyl typically ships within a few business days, as long as we have it in stock. Allow an extra business day when requesting Spirit’s burn-test paperwork.
Slipstream typically takes around three business days to ship. The hides are pulled, inspected, packaged, and shipped, so there is a little preparation involved.
Those are shipping estimates, not delivery times. If you are working toward a deadline, contact us before ordering so we can check availability.