Tall people and the RV-6

Ok you RV6 experts?.. I am thinking about buying a used one but I am 6?3? tall and I like my Lightspeed ANR headset. Is this going to be an impossible situation? I have sat in a couple 6s and it was tight. In one I had to tilt my head to close the canopy. My question is for you tall builders out there. What tricks did you use to give you that extra head room? Are you sitting on cardboard for your seat cushion? Is one canopy type better then the other for tall people?

I had a 6'3" or 6'4" guy in my RV-6 on Tuesday and he had plenty of headroom. It all comes down to cushion thickness, which is easy to adjust.

Seat cushion thickness

I agree with Kyle. I was 6'2" in my youth but shorter now and my wife is 5'8"+. When we had the seat cushions made by Becki Orndorff she required our dimensions to custom make the seat and back pads. When they arrived both the seat and back pads were thinner for me than my wife and there was still room for slimming mine down a bit for a taller and heavier pilot.

Bob Axsom

Tall people and the RV6

I am only a little guy at 6 ft 1 in but my son is an inch or two taller and we have no problems fitting in my 6A and tip up canopy.

You are probably aware that the seat back has three positions and should be moved to the rear most position if you are tall.

As previously mentioned you can go with thin seat cushions. Mine were made by GBI and have been comfortable on many long flights.

Also if may be possible to move the rudder pedals closer to the fire wall to give extra leg room. This requires drilling 6 extra holes but is no big deal.

Barry

I'm also 6'3, and I fit just fine in my -6. When I built it, I did raise the height of the canopy about 3/4 inch, which helps some. I did try it out once using a set of Lightspeed 30-3Gs, and it was a very tight fit. They are nice headsets but the headbands are too thick. I use omy trusty old Daivd Clarks with the thin headband.

Seat cushions can be made thinner as others have mentioned. I have the Oregon Aero seats, and they make two different thicknesses for just this reason. Also, there is some variation between body shapes, some have taller torsos, some have longer legs, even though the height is the same. Torso height is what matters.

Bottom line- you'll have to see if you fit in a particular airplanes, or can be made to fit with smaller cushions.

Jeff Point
RV-6
Milwaukee

Thank you all for the great replies. Jeff, is raising the canopy an option that can be applied on a plane already completed or is this something that needs to be done early in the building process?

I'm also above 6' and fly an old RV6. I fit just fine with regular headsets and not too thick Oregon Aero seat bottoms. That being said, I have tried the lightspeeds and they are just to tall for me. They fit, but when its cold and the seat hasn't melted to my rear, the headset band hits the canopy. Same thing when closing the slider, if I don't duck a fair amount it knocks that headset off. Even with all the adjustment out of the seat and if I'm wearing the Lighspeed, I still end up hitting the canopy with the headset all the time.

I've since stopped using the LS and gone to a regular old ANR-David Clark. The bose are even better, but high $$!

One last thing to note when you're looking at purchasing one. Check and see if the builder made a larger than standard panel or put a lower sub/switch panel on it. I see may people do that, but they don't realize that us tall guys (even with the seat all the way back and pedals forward) our knees come darned close to the panel. A little bit is fine, but more than an inch could interfere.

Just my 2 cents as usual!

Cheers,
Stein.

Flyrod said:

is raising the canopy an option that can be applied on a plane already completed or is this something that needs to be done early in the building process?

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This is something which pretty much has to be done while building. I don't see how you could retrofit it on a finished plane. I should have mentioned that mine is a tip-up, I suppose the slider could also be modified by I'm not sure how.

I have a page on my website about this mod, for anyone building a tip-up.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rv6/RV6site/canopy height.htm

Jeff

I'm 6' 4" and was fortunate enough to frequently fly a friends RV-6A. As a result, I'm about to complete my own RV-6. We both use Lightspeed ANR Headsets and I?m also a tight fit. His is a tip-up canopy and mine will be a slider. I do have to duck my head while sliding the canopy open or closed, but sit snugly once it is closed. I know this from flying in a couple of other RV-6A sliders. The single top cushion from Cleveland Aircraft that is approximately 3" (uncompressed) has provided good comfort and enough clearance for me to sit comfortably. If Temper Foam is used in the seat cushion, it will take more than a few minutes to compress and settle the cushion especially in cold temperatures. Your sitting height is definitely the determining factor. The tip-up I flew also has a 3? extension on the bottom of the stock instrument panel from Van?s. Again, another obstacle that was only a minor inconvenience while getting in and out of the plane.

It? going to be snug or a tight fit for us tall guys but the ?RV Grin? is an amazing antidote that minimizes these minor inconveniences!

Jeff Church

I'm 6'3"...and purchased an RV6A already built. I moved the rudder pedals fully fwd, removed a sub panel on the pilots side, that went across the entire length of the instrument panel for more knee room. I also removed the adustment plate from the back of the seat back. I use a standard bottom cushion and for the back cushion, a peice of high density 1/2 in foam with the cover on it. I have found that the more recline you have, the more comfortable it is and it also gives you more head room. Still, with all those changes, I am good for about 2 hours of flight before I need to get out and stretch.

Rags

buy another airplane!!

Abilene said:

I'm 6'3"... I am good for about 2 hours of flight before I need to get out and stretch.

Rags

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Funny thing....I'm 5' 10", have plenty of headroom, and am good for about 2hrs before need to land and stretch <grin>.

Best,

Well, that is the problem.....I never want to get out!!
Rags

smoke said:

buy another airplane!!

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Not practicle...then I would have a 6A and a 6....cant fly them both! <grin>

I just noticed the other day, on my first engine start up, that if I pull my knees up, my right knee bumps right into the throttle knob.

unless i'm full throttle-- then my knee clears. urghhh.

I actually planned on mounting them in the panel for good clearance but people talked me out of it-- ugly factor IIRC. now I'm thinking they're mounted too far to the left.



btw-- I found the knob, perhaps if I'd had it on there I'd have picked up on it, probably not.

sprucemoose said:

This is something which pretty much has to be done while building. I don't see how you could retrofit it on a finished plane. I should have mentioned that mine is a tip-up, I suppose the slider could also be modified by I'm not sure how.

I have a page on my website about this mod, for anyone building a tip-up.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rv6/RV6site/canopy height.htm

Jeff

Click to expand...

This link no longer works, work you mind sending to [email protected]. Thanks. Russ