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GSchuld

Well Known Member
Dreamland question for the bigger pilots:rolleyes:. Hypothetically speaking, how much wider would an RV-7's cabin width IDEALLY need to be to be able to handle two 6' 3" people weighing 240lbs each with enough breathing room that it would be considered comfortable for mild flight training, trips, etc? My wife is skinny, but my plane loving friends are big.

Pretend that VANs was going to offer an RV-7 in any cabin width that you choose for the same price...

The factory says that the cabin width is 43".

So would a 45" width make a world of difference? 46"?

Thanks for playing...

George
 
Yeah, I'm in this category also. I have not tried this, but this is what you can do for your own situation...

Sit on a bench and have a "friend" place 2-bys (2x4) on either side of your a.. ah, butt. Place them with the amount of space you would like to acquire with adequate wiggle room. Measure this width.

Next, drop a line from your shoulder (both of 'em) down to the bench. This gives the amount of space you occupy. Then, add whatever space you desire between your shoulder and the next shoulder. This will give the final dimension and from all the above, you can add whatever additional width(s) seem appropriate for the final cabin width dimension.
 
That will give you the width you would like but adding those extra inches to a -7 or -9 would be a BIG undertaking.

Remember, everything is pre-punched and adding that extra width would be a big undertaking.

It would require widening the center spar, control column, longer side skins, wider floor pans, wider canopy, and more.

I'm not saying it couldn't be done, it would just take a lot of work.

If you want wide, build a -10. There is tons of room on those things.
 
GSchuld said:
Dreamland question for the bigger pilots:rolleyes:. Hypothetically speaking, how much wider would an RV-7's cabin width IDEALLY need to be to be able to handle two 6' 3" people weighing 240lbs each with enough breathing room that it would be considered comfortable for mild flight training, trips, etc? My wife is skinny, but my plane loving friends are big.

Pretend that VANs was going to offer an RV-7 in any cabin width that you choose for the same price...

The factory says that the cabin width is 43".

So would a 45" width make a world of difference? 46"?

Thanks for playing...

George
Click to expand...

George, I am 6'4" @ 200 lbs with a 6'5" and 265 lbs friend. We both flew from Houston to OSH (twice). Not quite the same as you describe but close. The climb performance is poor (160 HP fixed pitch).

The both of you will fit in the standard cockpit if most of your (extra?) weight is in front and not in back (of the body). So if it is mostly stomach weight then the width of the cockpit is good enough. It is cozy but not too the point that you can't wait to exit the plane.

The stall speed always increases with weight (don't ask how I know this on a first hand basis [no permanent damage but a "learned about flying from this" story]) so be careful with the gross weight plane.
 
Wide body for wide bodies

George,

I had the same concern (6'4" 235#) as you because I want to be able to fly with my son and brothers who are all close to my size. While looking at RV's one day at Chino airport (CA) I was introduced to John Hughes and my concerns came up in conversation. He told me that he had modified his RV6 adding about an inch and a half (1 1/2") of shoulder space and was very happy with the modification. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see it because he had sold the airplane to finance a business start up but he added that if he ever built another side by side RV he wouldn't hesitate to make the same modification.

I later found Ross Schlotthouer's website where he shows how he made the same modification to his RV7 after seeing John's RV6.
http://www.experimentalair.com/n703rv/tips.html#shoulderroom
There is also a link to some pictures of John Hughes' RV6 on Ross' site. I talked to Ross on the phone and he too was happy with the modification.

I called Van's builder assist line and asked what they thought. They didn't have issue with this modification but made it clear that this was not approved by Van's Aircraft.

I hope this helps.
Good luck,
Jake
 
Build a Rocket

Plenty of room front and back. Plenty of power to haul the weight around. Plus, lots of fun.
 
JakeLewis22,

Thanks for the suggestion. So is it correct to think that Ross Schlotthouer's modification gives the full 43" at the shoulders? It appears that the 43" is measured to the inside of the fuselage skins, true? Does anyone have a measurement handy between the inside of the upper rails on the fuselage at the shoulder area.

rpdewalt,

Sorry, no rocket for me, a side by side it muct be. Nice planes though;)

gvgoff99,

As this was a hypothetical question, if you had a choice, would you wish your cockpit has an inch or so wider for a bit more comfort?

N941NR,

I realize that structurally widening an RV is not realistically feasible, that is why the question was hypothetical. I'm interested in finding out how much narrower than ideal an RV6/7 etc is for the larger pilots.

Neoff,

That's a good idea with the bench measurement. Just for good measure, while doing this my friend can make the engine noises and I can make he prop noise ..you know for realism:D I know I'm a smart @ss sometimes, it's just so tempting to listen to the faxes from Satan that I regularly recieve:)

George
 
GSchuld said:
I realize that structurally widening an RV is not realistically feasible, that is why the question was hypothetical. I'm interested in finding out how much narrower than ideal an RV6/7 etc is for the larger pilots.
George
Click to expand...

Sure it is. I have a friend who is building a -6 with a turbo 540, stretched and widened. I think his cockpit is 46" across. Its very well done, and quite a bit of engineering went into it. When it flies its going to be a big hit at the airshows, I'm certain of that.
 
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No Pierre I sure don't, perhaps its better to see this one in person when its done. It will knock your socks off.
 
GSchuld said:
It appears that the 43" is measured to the inside of the fuselage skins, true? Does anyone have a measurement handy between the inside of the upper rails on the fuselage at the shoulder area.
Click to expand...

40 3/4" at seat cushion. 39" at the main spar.
 
N941WR said:
That will give you the width you would like but adding those extra inches to a -7 or -9 would be a BIG undertaking.

Remember, everything is pre-punched and adding that extra width would be a big undertaking.

It would require widening the center spar, control column, longer side skins, wider floor pans, wider canopy, and more.
(snip)
Click to expand...

I don't think you would have to modify the spar at all, just move the sides of the fuselage out, trim down the inside of the wing skins.
 
nucleus said:
I don't think you would have to modify the spar at all, just move the sides of the fuselage out, trim down the inside of the wing skins.
Click to expand...
That would work but then you wind up with very little space between the tank and the fuselage to connect everything.

IMHO, it would be better to widen the spars and stick the stubs outside the fuselage, like they do with the -10. Heck, if you are going to go to this kind of trouble, why not make some improvements while you are at it?
 
RocketBob,

Very interesting. That widened and stretched RV-6 sounds like a serious project. And with a 540 engine, those are some ignificant modifications. I'd like to see a few pics of that myself. So whould that make it some sort of "fat rocket"?

Mel,

40 3/4" at the seat cushion. Would that be the same as the "shoulder area" width dimension up next to the canopy? Does anyone know offhand the maximum width of the fuselage measured to the exterior of the plane?

George
 
GSchuld said:
Mel,
40 3/4" at the seat cushion. Would that be the same as the "shoulder area" width dimension up next to the canopy? Does anyone know offhand the maximum width of the fuselage measured to the exterior of the plane?
George
Click to expand...
Yes, that is measured just in front of the back cushions between the upper side rails.
Exterior dimension is 43".
 
Mel,

Thanks. That just seems so narrow to me. Standing up with my arms down and tucked in tight my shoulders are 23" wide. I am having a hard time seeing two large shouldered guys fitting well in a plane with a inside cabin width of 40 3/4". Even with the mentioned "shoulder room modification" that relieves another 1 1/2", that gives 42 1/4". 23+23 is 46", hmmm. How about staggered seating like the Nemesis NXT sport class race plane:D. The pilot sits about 6" farther forward than the passanger so both can be closer to the centerline with more shoulder room so overall width can be kept to a minumum. Or perhaps I can cut my arms off and ...:)

George
 
Go try one on

George,

The best thing you can do is meet a 7 or 9 owner at an airport in your area and try one on for size. They really aren't much different than most small aircraft (Cessna, Piper, etc)
 
GSchuld said:
gvgoff99,

As this was a hypothetical question, if you had a choice, would you wish your cockpit has an inch or so wider for a bit more comfort?

George
Click to expand...

George, I have frequently wished for room to get up and stretch:) but I have never felt the need for more shoulder room. I fly about 100+ hrs/year and the longest flights cross country from Houston have been 3 to the North Carolina coast, One to the West Palm, FL area, two to OSH and one to Phoenix. To make any of them more comfortable for me would require a significantly larger plane. A couple of inches in the shoulder area would induce drag, slow the plane and prolong the trip (and the build process). It is an RV which is fast but not a lot of wiggle room. I found that the build process was slow enough that I did not wish to complicate it too much.
 
George wellcome to RV world!

I have a project at relatively high degree of completion in Northern NJ. You may come any evening to check how wide is it.
 
Vladdyspassky,

Thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it sometime. I'm in Toms River, (exit 80 on the GS parkway) Am I allowed to make silly airplane noises if I sit in it:D?

George
 
George,
Here's what you do...
Build the 7 (or 7A) to the plans. When you fly with one of your large friends, they take their left arm and put it on your seat back. When they want to fly, you put your right arm on their seat back.

A bit chummy, yes, and you'd want them to be a close friend, or at least shower regularly, but it will work, so long as nobody takes any in-flight pictures of you two in the cockpit... :eek:
 
Michael White said:
George,
Here's what you do...
When you fly with one of your large friends, they take their left arm and put it on your seat back. When they want to fly, you put your right arm on their seat back.
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention this method. When I was taking primary training way back around the middle of the last century, my instructor weighed 266 lbs. This is how we had to fly in a C-150.
 
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