Mooney M20F narrow across the shoulders

On 9/6/2005 3:58 PM, Jon Kraus wrote:

Mark,

The longest I have flow our "J" is 2.5 hours. By then I was ready to
come down anyway.

Albert Mooney of the Mooney fame was 6'3 or 6'4 and he designed the
plane for the tall person to be comfortable. I have a friend that is
about 280# adn thought he might not fit... Are you verifying that? :-)

Well, don't put me on the stand... ;-)

Actually, before I drop the whole idea, I wanted to go sit in the
plane again. Adjust the seat and just go through the motions. I'll
let you know how that comes out.

My wife says I'm very broad across the shoulders - worse now that I've
gained weight. I do know the rudder pedals seemed pretty far away ;-)


Jon Kraus
'79 Mooney 201
443H @ TYQ

Mark Hansen wrote:

On 9/6/2005 14:39, Jon Kraus wrote:

Mark,

I thought when I first sat in our Mooney ('79 "J" model) that it
seemed tight also (compared to a 172 anyway). I have since grown used
to the sports-car like feel of it. I am 5'10 190# and I fit fine. My
wife is 5'11 145# and she fits fine too. I believe that if you
measured the width it would be about the same as comparable planes (4
seaters).


Well, I'm 5' 9" and 280lb, so I'm a little wider ;-)


I agree though, that you seem to wear the Mooney. But the 155 kts on
10 GPH sure is nice!! :-)


That's really what would hurt when moving to a larger plane (not to
mention the purchase price ;-) )

It was hard to get in and out of, but I could get used to that. It
was the having to lean to one side that really bothered me. I'm not
sure that would be all that comfortable for more than just a short
period of time.

Thanks Jon.


Jon Kraus
'79 Mooney 201
4443H @ TYQ



Mark Hansen wrote:

I looked at a 1969 Mooney M20F over the weekend, and was surprised
to see how narrow it is in the cockpit. While sitting in the pilot's
seat, I was pushed to the right by the left side of the cabin, and
was not able to sit directly behind the control yoke.

Perhaps I'm just too big for this airplane? I thought the C172 was
a little cramped, but whew, this was really tight.

Is there a make/model airplane that provides a little more room
across the cockpit area that might be more comfortable for me?

I guess that having more space in the cockpit will mean more weight
and slower airspeeds given the same HP engine (generally, anyway...)

Thanks,







--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Student
Sacramento, CA