Leather Repair Company hits new heights with Concorde restoration

Pictures show Richard and Carolynne Hutchins working on the Concorde project at the Runway Visitor Park.

THE Leather Repair Company has started work on restoring the seats on G-BOAC Concorde, which attracts thousands of visitors every year to the Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport.

Richard and Carolynne Hutchins are also polishing their skills to meet the needs of other aviation clients as the first business in Europe to be trained and accredited to the international standard of the Aviation Detailing Association.

The Concorde coup came about after the couple found themselves with time to kill while waiting for a delayed flight from Manchester to the United States. They went to the Runway Visitor Park and decided to offer their services.

Richard said: “We didn’t know the Runway Visitor Park was there, never mind Concorde, but we did the tour and we were fascinated by the stories about the plane and her passengers.”

Queen Elizabeth II flew on G-BOAC Concorde many times as did countless celebrities including George Michael, whose “Patience” album featured a white leather sofa which last year took centre stage in Richard’s and Carolynne’s Hull workshop while they restored its gleaming original look.

While admiring Concorde they met John Hepple from the Runway Visitor Park and heard how the iconic jet is considered the star of the collection and is housed in her own hangar, which doubles as an event space accommodating up to 750 guests with full catering services.

John said: “Once the choice of business leaders, celebrities, and the public for trips of a lifetime, Concorde’s legendary flight experience continues to captivate visitors over 20 years after her retirement.

“Interest in Concorde remains high, with tour experiences available throughout the year. In her airline service, Concorde operated approximately five flights per week, each carrying up to 100 passengers. Our tours attract as many as 400 visitors each weekend, with events drawing more than 200 attendees. We utilise only 40 seats in the front cabin, leading to increased wear over time, despite the durability of the Terence Conran design.”

Richard and Carolynne took two seats for testing at their premises in Argyle Industrial Estate in Hull and, after successful trials, are now restoring the rest in batches.

Richard said: “It will be a very sympathetic restoration – we need to make sure the seats still look old but are well cared for. We were immediately struck by how light they are. The backs are carbon fibre and it’s no effort at all to lift them.

“Sitting in the cockpit we found ourselves cocooned in a very small space surrounded by an immense amount of buttons and dials. Just seeing the plane reminded me of my time growing up in the south when we would hear Concorde flying high above.

“We found a few things stuffed down the side of the seats. US and UK coins, card from some Varda Chocolatier miniature bon bons from Elizabeth, New Jersey, and some toothpicks, fortunately still wrapped so not damaging the seats or the visitors!”

The couple, who live in Withernsea where they launched their business in their garden shed in 2007, are also targeting the light aircraft market after Richard’s recent visit to the Lonestar Flight Museum in Houston, Texas, where he completed his Aviation Detailing Association training and delivered tuition in automotive work.

Richard said: “My background is in car valeting and people were so impressed with our work on their cars that they would ask us to do other jobs for them. That led to our work in leather and over the years we have helped to restore the exteriors of helicopters, planes and boats.

“Now we are getting more serious about that. There’s a lot more to it than the automotive sector because you have a lot of other issues to consider. With planes and helicopters you need to be meticulous in making sure any dust and water from the cleaning process doesn’t end up where it shouldn’t or the consequences could be catastrophic!

“It’s important that people know what they are doing and the Aviation Detailing Association accreditation makes us stand out.”