Am i to big for a Taylorcraft

[Estimator]

Are there any 6' 6" 250 lb Taylorcraft owners out there. If so how is the performace of the plane with you in it, winter, summer etc.... I live in North Carolina and and a1946 Tcraft has been advertised on the board at the Rockingham-Hamlet airport and i'm interested in buying it. The Tcraft is a BC12D with a 65 horse engine. Any info would be great. This is a great site, every one seems to be proud to be a Tcraft owner and i would like to be one also if i'm not to big for one.

Thanks
Michael Griggs

[crispy critter]

Too Big For a T-craft

Michael,
I'm 6'4" 235lbs and I have enough room to fly it comfortably.They have a sling style seat that will not adjust forward or back but you can adjust the hight of the sling by letting out the laces that holds the seat sling in place.You can also have the seat cushions made thicker or thinner to help you out.The best way to know if you'll fit is to go look at the T-craft you are interested in buying and try it on,maybe see if the owner will help you adjust the sling a little to see if it helps any.
As for performance,my last t-craft had a C-65,24 gallons of gas,cruise prop and it would handle my father(6'1",240lbs)and myself(6'4" 235lbs.)at the same time with no problem.It was a little slow climbing with us both on a hot summer day(300-400fpm) but it would still cruise at 100-105mph and burn 3.5-4 gph.We are in east Kentucky and fly from a 2400' paved runway that has hills all around so if you can fit in it comfortably then you should have no problem with performance.
Hope this helps.

[Estimator]

Am I too Big

thanks, My son is 13 years old and is already 5'10" and 190 lbs so if you and your father can get in the plane then my son and i should not have any problems. I'm going to go and take a look at the plane this weekend.


Michael

[Steve]

The Taylorcraft is a little tight but a great airplane. I live in Statesville and would be very happy to let you try mine on for size. Matter of fact, I might even be coming your way next week on my way to Wilmington.

[Estimator]

If the road are not to bad my son and i, and maybe my wife are going to ride over to Monroe and look at the 46' for sale there. But let me know when and what time you may come through Rockingham next week and i will try to get out to the airport. I would like to take a look at your plane also.

[hisoos]

Size doesn't matter

My buddy is 6'6" 290lbs, I'm 5'11" 170lbs, and we fly together all the time, though a long cross country would probably not be in our future, we get along pretty good. When he flies it by himself he says he completely comfortable. If we fly together he normally flies right seat do to the parking brake handle stabbing him in the leg, thoug he still does it sometimes.

[Estimator]

What???

I used to weigh 290 and with the hard time i had getting in the Tcraft at 250 i couldn't imagine doing it 40 lbs heavier! Thanks for the info.

Michael

[Forrest Barber]

Great to be back on the boards, been away a week ... YES I am now 245 6-2 and have learned to "get small" over in the right corner with my students, I WAS 180 at one time. All of us need to get back to a lower wt.... THE BC12D will climb with about 200 over gross ; not recommended but she will!! Try it out most new guys think they ahve no room , but just put your arm around your buddy and away you go...

[Brady]

Estimator,

I'm 6'3" 250. I used to take my brother (6'4" 210) flying routinely in a 65hp t-craft. I'd land in my Dad's field of corn or soybean stubble right next to his house, he'd hop in and away we'd go. Just takes a little longer to gain takeoff speed.

When solo, after airborne, I usually spread out in the cockpit and use the left rudder on the left side and the right rudder on the the right side. Makes the little cockpit seem seem pretty big!

Consider the fact that you'll be solo most of the time. Look in the cockpit of a tandem taildragger. Most of them are very narrow. I like being able to spread out, especially on long flights. Just remember to get your feet back on the left side rudder pedals prior to landing.

[dennispip]

Hey Brady...Do you use the right control wheel to bank to the right and the left to bank to the left? How about the throttle?

That is a very innovative way to make better use of the size of the cabin we have. Don't some of the other tandem classics have the rudder controls spread apart?

[Brady]

Still just use the left control wheel

Dennispip,

I'd don't actually sit right in the middle of the aircraft when using both sets of rudders. I still sit close enough to the left side to use the seatbelt there. I just scoot a bit toward the middle and that allows me to straddle the two sets of rudders and stretch out a bit. I still use the left control wheel and throttle as per normal. I'd don't recommend this techinque in the pattern--just during cruise when you have some time to relax a bit.

I don't know that much about the rudder pedal configurations of other tandem taildraggers. I did my floatplane training in a Cub, and seem to remember the rudders are sort of along the side of the front seat pilot, fairly well spread out. The more limiting factor for me in a small tandem airplane is the overall width of the cockpit.

[Estimator]

Seat Canvas

I know crispycritter adjusted his seat canvas to gain some room, but did any of the rest of you do the same. My head rubbed the roof when i got in the one in Monroe.

Michael