Your tiny economy airline seat may soon stop shrinking

Dallas

EVERY so often, officials at Rockwell Collins Inc pitch a one-day job offer to residents near its Winston-Salem, North Carolina design centre: earn US$100 for sitting in an aeroplane seat for eight hours.

Show up for the gig, and there's nary a drinks cart or flight attendant in sight. The rows of seats are arrayed in a testing area at the company's design and engineering complex. Even without engine hum or overhead bins, "it's kind of like they're on the plane," says Alex Pozzi, vice president of research and development at the company's campus here.

Over the years, seat researchers at B/E Aerospace, which Rockwell acquired in April for US$8 billion, have gleaned a few insigh…