A36 Pilot Headroom

Sounds like you need a Mooney, the perfect plane for a tall person. The
Mooney was formed for tall people.

I know you like Mooneys, but this is ridiculous.

The Mooney accomodates tall people because the sitting position is
reclined, like a sports car. If you could sit upright in your Mooney
(which you can't - the seat won't allow it) you would hit the top of
the cabin as well.

The A-36 actually has much more headroom than a Mooney (any Mooney -
even the much roomier Ovation) but by default the seat is upright. If
you're tall, you may have to recline the seat slightly - though not so
far as the least reclined position in the Mooney. It will reduce the
visibility some - but at its worst it won't be near as bad as the best
visibility you can get in a Mooney.

Michael (don't own either, but have flown and instructed in both)

I've flown both and must disagree. In an A36 you sit up, like in a
truck. In the A36 my knees tend to hit the instrument panel. In the
Mooney you sit down low, with your feet sticking straight out in front
of you. You almost have to be 6 feet tall to reach the peddels. My
partner is just under 6 feet and has to run the seat all the way
forward and still has a VERY hard time seeing over the glare shield. My
wife (sitting in the right pax seat) cannot see ANYTHING in front of
the plane, even though she's sitting on a 1" Oregon Aero foam pad.
She's 5"4'. Even with the seat straight up, you almost have to be 6
feet (or use a cushion) to see properly over the glare shield. I still
have serveral inches left above my head in the Mooney, more than in the
A36.

-Robert

On 21 Jun 2005 15:40:34 -0700, "Michael"
wrote:

The Mooney accomodates tall people because the sitting position is
reclined, like a sports car. If you could sit upright in your Mooney
(which you can't - the seat won't allow it) you would hit the top of
the cabin as well.

The A-36 actually has much more headroom than a Mooney (any Mooney -
even the much roomier Ovation) but by default the seat is upright. If
you're tall, you may have to recline the seat slightly - though not so
far as the least reclined position in the Mooney.

I reclined the seat in the A36 and my head still hit the ceiling, so
unfortunately, this is not an option.

I reclined the seat in the A36 and my head still hit the ceiling, so
unfortunately, this is not an option.

Something is wrong here. I have a student who is 6'2, flies with the
seat back fully upright, and still has headroom in his A-36. Are you
sure the seat height adjustment is cranked down all the way?

Michael

"Michael" wrote in message
oups.com...
I reclined the seat in the A36 and my head still hit the ceiling, so
unfortunately, this is not an option.

Something is wrong here. I have a student who is 6'2, flies with the
seat back fully upright, and still has headroom in his A-36. Are you
sure the seat height adjustment is cranked down all the way?

I think it's that your student is long in the legs and shorter in the torso,
just the opposite of this guy.

("Matt Barrow" wrote)
I think it's that your student is long in the legs and shorter in the
torso, just the opposite of this guy.


At 6'2" I don't tower over the crowed. However, put me in a church pew and
I'm a head taller than most everyone in the congregation.

Kind of like a bipedal hippo.


Montblack

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 07:58:43 -0700, "Matt Barrow"
wrote:


"Michael" wrote in message
roups.com...
I reclined the seat in the A36 and my head still hit the ceiling, so
unfortunately, this is not an option.

Something is wrong here. I have a student who is 6'2, flies with the
seat back fully upright, and still has headroom in his A-36. Are you
sure the seat height adjustment is cranked down all the way?

I don't think there is a seat height adjustment in the A36. Another
poster noted that the seat sits directly on top of the spar, and I
concur based upon what I saw. I think the only option is to redo the
seats in a thinner layer of high density/comfort foam to provide
equivalent comfort with less padding. Still, it is hard to see how
this could provide more than 1" of additional clearance, and since my
head hits now without a headset, it would probably still be hitting
with the headset.

I think it's that your student is long in the legs and shorter in the torso,
just the opposite of this guy.

Exactly, I spent some time on dejanews last night searching on A36
headroom. I found that many pilots who are long in the torso have
complained about headroom. Sitting on the floor, I am about 39" from
floor to top of the head, which I guess makes me more like 6'5" / 6'6"
in terms of the headroom equation.

Nathan Young wrote:
Exactly, I spent some time on dejanews last night searching on A36
headroom. I found that many pilots who are long in the torso have
complained about headroom. Sitting on the floor, I am about 39" from
floor to top of the head, which I guess makes me more like 6'5" / 6'6"
in terms of the headroom equation.

Your comment made me curious, so I just sat on the floor and measure my
butt-to-head length... 38 inches. I am 6'2". That extra inch gives me
the headset space.

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Nathan Young wrote:
Exactly, I spent some time on dejanews last night searching on A36
headroom. I found that many pilots who are long in the torso have
complained about headroom. Sitting on the floor, I am about 39" from
floor to top of the head, which I guess makes me more like 6'5" / 6'6"
in terms of the headroom equation.

Your comment made me curious, so I just sat on the floor and measure my
butt-to-head length... 38 inches. I am 6'2". That extra inch gives me
the headset space.

I'm 6'1" and long in the legs...I have so much headroom, I can't see over
the dash.