Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

[Gliderboy]

Hello All,

I asked this question a few years back, but had to put flying on hold. Anyhow, I am now flying and about 75% done with my PPL. I am hoping to immediatley get my tailwheel as soon as I am done in hopes of buying a vintage taildragger. I woudl like to find a BC12 or L2 to see if I fit. I am 6'3" and 230 lbs. Anyone have one I can sit in to see? I am told the BC12 will be tight and due to my height my line of sight will be above the door frame, but have heard form others my size that they do fit. Some with seat mods. Anyhow, if anyone has one I can try on sort to speak that would be great. I am in the Glendale CA area and train out of KVNY.

Marc
661-312-3596

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

I was 6' 3" and 225# and I got in and out fine. I have since lost some and am down to 6'2" and 200# (couple of injuries reduced the height but decreased the flexibility). I fit in fine at both sizes. You don't need a seat "mod", you just need to loosen the sling. It is nice to be able to see over the nose for us tall guys. The view out the side is over rated, half of it is the bottom of the wing anyway and the good view is mostly down. Even if you are short enough to look under the side window without scrunching down, you still need to lift a wing in the direction of the turn anyway. A skylight is a nice feature if you get a plane with one. It gives you another inch or so of headroom and really improves visibility in a turn. The Taylorcraft was actually advertised with bragging about the great visibility. For it's era it was actually pretty good.

If you find a plane to sit in, don't be discouraged when it is almost impossible the first time. Once you learn the process it is flat out easy to get in and out. The first time you WILL do it wrong and will think you have experience being born again....literally. After you learn the technique, it's easy. Don't be upset at the owner if he laughs. It's hard not to when someone tries the first time. It really is easy with the right technique.

Find a plane and check it out. The owner will show you how to get in and out, and if he is tall the seat will already be loosened. If not, he isn't likely to want to drop it (it's a bit of a pain, but when you have one of your own it is a one time thing for less than an hour).

Go for it. You won't be sorry.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

Marc,

Here is a video I made last year on one of the ways to get into a BC-12. Here is the link to Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQD_yPybok

[cvavon]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

Mark as Hank and Marty have said the tcraft is larger then people think from the looks of it this photo is from a fly in this past weekend and as you can see we aren't small people Oh the bush wheels add a new dimension to mounting the plane

[senior]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

Well at 6' & 200lbs I find it a PITA to get in & out of!
I have a custom seat that's only 2" of foam from the crossbar behind the seat & while my leg length is good for the rudders I can't imagine a taller person's knees not being crammed in under the dash!
I do have a skylight which gives me just the right amount of headroom but again without it I could screw my headphone to the roof & just slide into them
Personally I'd say try one, if you can fit... the T def is the best flying of the small planes, if not try a Chief, I found it way roomier in the cabin with easier entrance & exit.

All IMHO of course

[Ryan]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

I am 6'3 250lbs and have no trouble sitting in our tcraft. Yes your line of sight will be in the wing root. Ours has a skylight and thus no headliner. I would strongly recommend the skylight or atleast removing the headliner. Gives me great head room. Better than our pacer really. Also if you can locate a set of the rudder pedal links the rudder pedals can be adjusted for taller people.

[M Towsley]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

Marc,

I should have covered this before as everyone is discussing the BC-12, however, my former L-2 was definitely roomier all the way around. There is more elbow room, there is no headliner plus it has a stick. There is a different way of getting into an L-2 but more of what you would expect. There is a foot step built-in to the right landing gear leg and you just grab the back of the seat and one of the window frame tubes to haul yourself in. The big problem is the L-2 is much more scarce than the side-by-side BC-12's.

[Gliderboy]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

Thanks for the great replies everyone. Hopefully someone on here is in my general area and I will be bale to see one soon. Bill Berle is a member of my EAA chapter, but sadly he no longer has a taylorcraft for me to try.

Marc

[maximumvmo]

Re: Bc12 or L2 in los angeles area?

Hello, L2m owner here. Sorry I'm not nearby, but I can attest that the L-2m fits me fine at 6'1 and 200lbs. In addition to the space, the front seat is adjustable forward and back via a hand crank.

If you can't find an L2, see if you can find a Piper J5 (similar cabin size and setup). This will give a good comparison.