Aviation From My Rocking Chair: Comfort and Fit

Hello, Chapter 430, Rick here again. I need to start with a disclaimer; I originally wrote this article 21 years ago and things have changed a little. As most of you know, I’m not an especially small person, and for those whom I haven’t met, I’m 6’ 2” tall and about 215 lbs. Not only that, I have rather short legs and a long trunk. Not only THAT, I have had 3 back operations in 6 years. My flexibility stinks. So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I am hereby nominating myself as a rather large lab rat for a series of articles (I hope) to be called; “Yeah, but does the Jarhead fit?” (With apologies to all Marines, as I proudly am one.)

I often find myself frustrated by the lack of information available on the physical size of cockpits or cabins for ease of entry and exit, the location and comfort of controls, and many other ergonomic questions. So, here is my deal for you. I promise to squeeze, push, pull, climb, duck, and risk all sorts of bodily injury in the quest to try on any aircraft whose owners are kind enough to let me in. There will be no performance evaluations involved. This will be strictly as the title suggests. I’m told my size puts me above the 90 percentile group, which means if I fit, most everyone will.

I’d like to kick this off with a few gliders and then a couple power planes.

Schweizer 2-33: Two place/ high wing/training glider. The front seat is not too bad. Had to use a real thin cushion on the plywood seat. Not very good on the back. Rudder pedals adjusted full forward. Two locations for elevator trim. One on the left cockpit sidewall nice and easy to use. Other mounted on left floorboard impossible to use with harness and belts on. Spoilers very nice @ Lt. Hand. ( approx. throttle position for power plane.) Control stick fore/aft very good. Lt./Rt. Marginal when full throw needed due to interference with thighs. Back seat, suffice to say I can get in only when no one is in the front seat! Left leg in, pull self over front seat back, pull right leg in with right hand while holding for dear life onto diagonal support with left hand. Slide both feet forward (not far) to rudder pedals. At least, there are no instruments to worry about. Schweizer 1-26: Single place/ shoulder wing/ sport glider. Good cockpit room. Again need thin cushions on plywood seat. Not real comfortable. Rudder pedals adjusted full forward. Seat back in next to last aft notch. Good clearance for control stick, except for extreme Lt./Rt. Aileron when thighs again touch. Spoiler fits well in Lt. Hand. Must set altimeter and radio before belts are fastened as panel is far forward. Schreder HP-16: Homebuilt/ all metal/ high-performance sailplane. It looks like a large cockpit, and I really wanted to fit, but didn’t find it comfortable. Rudder pedals not adjustable and were too short, putting my knees into the back of the instrument panel. Reclined pilot position put head and neck at an uncomfortable angle. Control Lt./Rt. Quite good, Forward stick nice, but, Aft stick contacted, ahem…the “Family Jewels” before the mechanical stops! Flap crank position good. Panel controls hard to reach. Quite claustrophobic in the cockpit with the canopy down.

Standard Austria: High performance/ wooden sailplane. Don’t try this! A beautiful Vee tailed aircraft, but, my knees got locked behind the instrument panel, the canopy wouldn’t come within 6” of closing over my head. My shoulders felt like they were rubbing the paint off of the cockpit sides. The panel was nice and close thorough. It took 2 big men to get me out!

Glasflugel Libelle 201b: High performance/ fiberglass/ mid-wing sailplane. At first glance, I was sure this was another Austria. I dutifully put on a parachute and watched the owners expression as I got into his “Baby”. I couldn’t believe it. Feet found the rudder pedals way up front, but very comfortable, even though your feet must turn sideways due to narrow tunnels. Control stick fairly high with excellent travel in all directions. Gear lever on right and spoiler handle on left very easy to reach. All panel controls, instruments, and tow release easy to reach. Shoulders rubbed cockpit sides until seat back was moved aft to last notch. This dropped shoulders enough to clear cockpit rim. Plenty of room under canopy. I really want one of these. Whitman W-10 Tailwind (modified with all-metal, wet wing): High wing/ high performance / 2- place sportplane. Thanks to Earl Trimble, I had quite few chances to try on the beautiful aircraft. With good sized doors and no fuel tank under the instrument panel, I fit very well with one exception; the large spar carry-through tube ended up directly and closely behind my head. Control stick fore/aft movement very good but slightly restricted left/right due to thigh contact. Rudder pedal comfort and travel very good. Throttle, Mixture, and Carb. Heat a bit of a stretch with belts on, but definitely doable. Flap lever and trims well positioned. The seats are great.

Stearman N2-S: 2-place/ open biplane. (As if you didn’t know!) Thanks to Mike Hanson for allowing me to fly this beauty for a couple hours. A rather long step over the front cockpit coaming and down to the seat. Grab the assist handles in the top wing cutout and slide into the seat. Once inside, adjust the rudder pedals for comfort, and you’ll find the cockpit layout and size nearly ideal. Control stick is tall with plenty of clearance. Throttle, Mixture, and Carb. Heat fall right under your left hand where they should. The seat is very comfortable, just don’t drop anything because the floorboard is not large, and it will take some real contortions to retrieve lost articles. Be careful when exiting the cockpit. The wing walk is somewhat narrow, and that radial engine uses oil on the outside to keep corrosion down!

I can no longer do this, but, I had a lot of fun at the time.

Well Troopers, this has been a little bit of a sentimental journey for me. Thanks for coming along. Rick Vaux TC 4130