Castle Industries, Inc. of California to Supply Operator Seats for Boeing’s Multimission Maritime Aircraft

Ontario, California – 1 November 2002 – Castle Industries recently supplied six Operator Seats to Boeing for the mockup of the workstations for the U.S. Navy Multimission Maritime Aircraft Program. Boeing is proposing a 737-700 aircraft as the replacement for the U.S. Navy aging fleet of P-3C and EP-3E aircraft. The seats are designed and built to be compact, lightweight and comfortable for airborne technicians who must sometimes remain seated for extended periods of time. The seat swivels 360 degrees with eight index positions, and is designed for track mounting. The seats are designed to meet 16g loads and have been tested for occupancy during flight, takeoff and landing conditions, in any one of the eight index positions. The seat frame is thin-wall tubing supporting aluminum alloy sheet metal headrest and backrest panels and a bottom cushion pan. The sheet metal structure has a data storage pouch on the back of the seat. Standard features include a lap belt and shoulder harness and a crotch strap can be provided if required. The backrest cushion has a built-in lumbar and kidney support contour. The complete seat weighs slightly more than 40 pounds. Castle Industries is part of the M.C. Gill Corporation Group of Companies and is located in Ontario, California. Castle produces machined and sheet metal components, observer and operator seats, custom electronic consoles and racks, and mechanical aircraft assemblies. In-house capabilities include design engineering, upholstery fabrication, certified aircraft welding, metal machining and forming, painting and assembly.