Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

[PC-6]

Dear All,

Just wondering if anybody is a tall pilot or has experience with tall passengers in a Taylorcraft (BC-12D). I am 6'5" and looking for an economical good condition plane to teach my son the basics of flying, and just spend some quality time. I do not fit that well in a lot of planes, but surprisingly I do fit nicely in a C-150/152. I fit the rear seat of the J3, but not the front. J-3's are a bit much for my budget right now, but I see there are several nice Taylorcraft on Barnstormers. Anybody have easy access to their plane and could give me some measurements, seat to ceiling and seat back to rudders?

Any comments are appreciated.

Eric

[flylo]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

I'm 6'4" & every Tcraft I bought I just unscrewed the 1x board that holds the seat sling bottom & turned it 1/2 a turn which gave me plenty of head room.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

Same here. I WAS 6' 3" when I got my Taylorcraft and lowering the sling and putting in a thinner bottom seat cushion made all the difference. You might also look for a plane without the headliner or with skylights. It gives you another inch. The big problem for me isn't height from the hips to the head, it is hips to the knees. You have to learn how to get in so you can get your legs under the panel. Once in it is easy and comfortable. Another BIG advantage for the tall guys is you can see over the cowl when you taxi. I rarely need to "S" turn.

Of course a parachute is OUT OF THE QUESTION! Doesn't really matter since you would have to tear the door off to get out anyway. Never got the fairly famous photo (in the Taylorcraft world) of the WW-II pilot carrying a chute up to a Taylorcraft.

Hank

[flylo]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

They were made with removable cushions to use either a seat or backpack chute & you flew with the doors off. They don't slip well at all with the doors off & it messes up the headliner.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

I just can't imagine trying to get my bulk out of that door with a parachute and as large as I already am. I think they would find my body in the door of the wreckage stuck tight. I can't imagine leaving mine in flight anyway unless she was on fire or had lost a major component, in which case I doubt I could get out anyway.
I think I would stick with my baby and do my best to get her down intact.

Hank

[flylo]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

I was talking skydiving as they used to use them for 1 jumper planes by just rolling out the door opening. If I ever had to put one down I take a Tcraft over most anything else & if over woods just get slow & stall just above the treetops. My '40 the one I learned in would fly in ground effect at 20 mph indicated which I thought was going to give the check ride examiner a stroke as he was screaming "we're going to stall", didn't even shudder.

[M Towsley]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

Hank,

I have a picture of my dad with a 'chute ready to get into a pre-war at the field down the street from me. CAP and CPTP at the time. Those folks were a lot smaller than us when they were 18.

[NC36061]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

Dad's first instructor was a CPTP instructor, later a civilian instructor for the Navy in B-26 Martin Marauders. He had some pictures from CPTP days of a '41 Deluxe that a student had stalled too low to recover. It had gone straight in hard, but the student had stowed his 'chute in the baggage sling, and the straps acted as a shoulder harness when he hit. He survived, saved by his 'chute without ever bailing out.

[astjp2]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

Well you could cut that back tube out, then move it back about 3" and weld it back in...just like the one I saw in Anchorage, had adjustable seats too!

[flylo]

Re: Tall pilot in a Taylorcraft?

There's 337 for prewars to cut the rear seat tube to be taken in & out so you can roll out sleeping bags & put your feet in the back. All this should be available & I thought someone was putting on a CD several years ago? We all sent in what we had so where did it all go?