JPA D ESIGN
“ WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE
AIRCRAFT SEATING INDUSTRY
TO HELP IT DO THINGS BETTER”
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2020 053
1. IN APRIL 2019 JPA DESIGN
ANNOUNCED A FORMAL PARTNERSHIP
WITH WILLIAMS ADVANCED
ENGINEERING
2. LEAD DESIGNER TIM BRIEN AND
STUART OLDEN DISCUSSING THE
JPA-WILLIAMS MONOCOQUE
to where the seat track on the aircraft
dictates, and this is a quintessential
example of patented JPA technology
enhancing the passenger experience in
tangible ways. Through the ATI project we
are aiming to create a ‘platform product’ a
vendor can sell to different airlines. We’re
not looking to be a manufacturer of seats
ourselves. We just want to work with the
industry to help us all do things better.”
In terms of timelines and tangibles,
Orson says JPA and Williams Advanced
Engineering meet up for regular internal
meetings as well as visiting potential
clients. They hope to have a new version
of their monocoque seat design ‘ITCMready’
within 22 months while, adds Park,
“hopefully finding even more exciting
technologies to bring to the market along
the way as we work together on a more
structured level”.
GOING SUPERSONIC
Another incredibly exciting project JPA
is involved in is the Boom supersonic
aircraft start-up. Its XB-1 demonstrator
will break the sound barrier next year and
its commercial passenger aircraft called
Overture – whose 55-75-seat cabin JPA
is helping envisage – is set for launch in
the mid-2020s. Virgin Atlantic and Japan
Airlines already have 30 aircraft on preorder
and the software expert-dominated
company is hoping to win by being a
supersonic disruptor, a bit like Tesla has
done with its all-electric approach within
the automotive market.
“We met Boom at Aircraft Interiors
Expo a few years ago and got talking
about shared interests,” recalls Orson.
“Eventually we went out to see them
and it became apparent that, for obvious
reasons, they were focusing on the
airframe’s aerodynamic performance but
hadn’t given a lot of thought at this point,
to inside the aircraft, which is where we
have a high level of expertise. So it seemed
natural that we should work together.”
Obviously the supersonic reference
point is the iconic Concorde, but Boom’s
remit is much wider, including tech stops
JPA Design has
offices in London,
Singapore and
Dubai
2
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com