Heavy pilot - what glider to opt for?

Good evening,

I need some assistance!

I am an early solo pilot looking to buy my first glider, but don't really know what to go for! I want it for local soaring, but eventually to go cross country in it.

The slight issue is that I am 6`4 tall and 17.5 stone - arguably too heavy, but the question is what to go for.

I'll obviously need a roomy cockpit!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

This comes up fairly often in this forum. Check the archives under "Large Pilot" or "Heavy Pilot". There ought to be lots of threads.

I fly a Kestrel 19. Large cockpit and good weight loading.
I'm 6'3", weigh 240 lbs and then wear a parachute. No problem!

On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 1:16:56 PM UTC-7, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
I fly a Kestrel 19. Large cockpit and good weight loading.

I'm 6'3", weigh 240 lbs and then wear a parachute. No problem!

I'm only 6'0" and under 15 stone, but I fit in a Jantar cockpit with lots of room to spare. Poles are not known for being a svelte people! The Genesis is probably the largest glider cockpit I have ever seen and you would certainly fit in it.

Mike

Problem is, I'm 2.5 stone heavier!

On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 3:02:57 PM UTC-7, wrote:
Problem is, I'm 2.5 stone heavier!

We could apply the Monty Python Black Knight solution! That would solve both the weight and height problems!

Mike

I'm 6'4" and 235. How comfortable are you in the Kestral and how much room do you have to move around in around your hips and shoulders. My hips and shoulders are wide.

Thanks, Jon 949.770.0700

Why are recreational glider cockpits so small? If someone built a glider with a 25% larger cockpit, would it hurt the L/D that much?

Are all high performance gliders built for racing and by consequence make the sport unattractive for larger people?

How many people retire from gliding because they no longer fit in their gliders? How many never try the sport because they find the cockpit claustrophobic and uncomfortable? How many teenagers solo only to grow too big to fit in a glider?

If Eastern Europeans grow larger over time, will glider cockpits get bigger?

If the sport offered an extra large cockpit, would it increase participation levels?

Has anyone modified a two place glider to accommodate an extra large pilot?

6'5" 230lb. ASW20. Seat back removed. Feels great after 6 hours in the air. Astronaut foam and a hand pump inflatable lumbar cushion velcroed to my chute.

....Has anyone considered putting down that Twinkie?


"son_of_flubber" wrote in message
...
Why are recreational glider cockpits so small? If someone built a glider
with a 25% larger cockpit, would it hurt the L/D that much?

Are all high performance gliders built for racing and by consequence make
the sport unattractive for larger people?

How many people retire from gliding because they no longer fit in their
gliders? How many never try the sport because they find the cockpit
claustrophobic and uncomfortable? How many teenagers solo only to grow
too big to fit in a glider?

If Eastern Europeans grow larger over time, will glider cockpits get
bigger?

If the sport offered an extra large cockpit, would it increase
participation levels?

Has anyone modified a two place glider to accommodate an extra large
pilot?