height restrictions

[matt_123]

hi, hope someone can help. i recently graduated with a masters in geophysics and am very interested in becoming a commercial pilot.

my only concern after reading the BA website is that i may be too tall. they quote a height of between 5'3 and 6'3, having measured myself yesterday i am 6'4. They do say that anyone taller can apply providing they can reach all the controls with no problem.

obviously i dont want to spent all that money training for my commercial license only to be told i am to tall to fly. so this is my major concern my eye sight, hearing and fitness are all perfect.

any advice would be appreciated, thanks

matt

[proctor]

Well, I too am a tall (6'4" when I last checked) fellow with the ambition of becoming a professional pilot, and the searches I've done on the internet over the last few years are reassuring. I don't think a height like yours should be a problem in commercial flying, as there are men who dwarf us who fly for a living.

I did my PPL in a C152 and had no real problems there, and that's pretty small. It's just a case of being willing to get a bit cramped.

Best of luck,


Proctor

[B2N2]

Same problem as being too short.
You could have a tough time finding a training aircraft.
Only way to find out is to go and try several.
Not only your overall length is important, upper body length vs leg length can make a lot of difference in the various training aircraft.
Book a couple of trial lessons in various aircraft.

[proctor]

Book a couple of trial lessons in various aircraft.

Good point. I found that while the C152 was pretty comfy, the seemingly more spacious Robin HR200 gave me a sore back after half an hour or so, with its molded seats.

[matt_123]

thanks so much

so if i were to fund my own training my height would not be an issue working for BA?

[Northern Highflyer]

I am also 6'5 and don't have a problem fitting in a Warrior / Duchess / 737.

The C150 was a bit of a squeeze on my first ever lesson so I changed to the Warrior, and the Robin is not ideal but I can just about manage with it.

I asked the same question many years ago when I saw the BA thing, but quickly realised there are loads of airlines out there that aren't so 'heightist' :}