6ft+ in a Cessna 150?

[liam548]

Hi all.

I have been registered on here a while as I was hoping to have started my PPL by now. However since my trial flight on 30th Jan I have had to sell my car to help fund my ppl. Anyway I should soon be ready to start lessons. (Although I have a police advance driving course coming up so common sense says wait until after this as studing Roadcraft and Air pilots manuals at the same time might be a bit much).

I have obtained my starter pack from pooleys and started reading, all very interesting.

Question though, I did my trial flight in a PA 28 so obviously plenty of room. I think I am going to be using Sherburn so they have 150s, PA 28s and some new AT3s. Ive sat in a 150 and thought it was cramped. Is it ok for people over 6ft?

Liam

[kevmusic]

I'm 6'2" and it's no problem for me. :ok:

[MarcJF]

Ditto 6'3" here and height no problem. Now weight, that's another matter :O

[Flying Hippo]

Over 6ft and no problems, very little elbow room in a 150 mind. But then I don't know a spam can that does have much.

Police Advance Driving Course and Roadcraft in the same sentence:confused: Never!
Put on the blue twirlys and go like the clappers. OK, police training over now the PPL....

[bobdee]

Weight is the problem. I seem to remember with 2 people at 13st each you are over the top!

[SkyCamMK]

Mass and balance can be a problem for small Cessnas. Mine is 726 kg max T/off and Ldg with empty mass of 518.5 kg plus 2 pilots at say 80 kg each = 678.5 (full fuel at 98 lts max with 0.7 sg) gives you a limit of 47.5 kg or about 2 hours plus some reserve. decreased by adding to mass with headsets, bags spare oil, hi vis tabards! etc and you are over the limit. However as the pendulum effect of cabin below the wing is fairly stable most people do not realise the situation and fill up regardless. Try to fly with skinny light instructors (not me I am afraid). I flew with an examiner the other day at a little over 65 kg!! IDEAL for fuel anyway. To stay absolutely legal refuel after each flight and stay local!! Unless you are solo?

[Megaton]

I'll see your 6'3" and raise you to my 6'4"! Definitely bit of a squeeze and flying it in Texas in summer (+100°F) was quite exciting from a shortish strip with trees at either end :-)

[gingernut]

6 foot 4, and a bit heavy. C150 was ok when the 172 wasn't available, but I had a light instructor.

Weight & balance restricted things once qualified.

[moona]

Also 6'3" no probs, a lot more comfortable solo though! ;-)

[Put1992]

Im 6ft 2 and have no problem.

Just move the seat back to full, and you'll be fine.

[scooter boy]

Attaining an altitude of 6ft in the C150 should be no problem if you run it fast enough downhill on the takeoff roll into a decent breeze, you will have to pedal aggressively to reach 10ft and will have to give the laggy band a couple of extra twists and stick to a light breakfast to reach 20ft.

Does this help?

SB ;)

[bigbloke]

Its been a while but at 6ft 5 I managed okay back in the early 90s. Mind you, back then I was an 18 stone weakling and even so, only 1 instructor in the club was light enough to make the weight legal and have fuel.

[tmmdx]

I'm 6,4 and no probs at all - plenty of elbowing from your instructor however ;)

[liam548]

"
Over 6ft and no problems, very little elbow room in a 150 mind. But then I don't know a spam can that does have much.

Police Advance Driving Course and Roadcraft in the same sentence:confused: Never!
Put on the blue twirlys and go like the clappers. OK, police training over now the PPL....
"


Roadcraft was written for police advanced driving ;)


thanks for replies, 6foot must be ok then.. Just felt very different to the PA28, visibility and view which it is going to as they are different aircraft but still..

[baron_rouge]

If you are training at Sherburn you should be aware that they had two C150's of which one has been sold and the other is up for sale. It may not be prudent, therefore, to go down the C150 route if you are just commencing your training. That leaves you choosing between AT3 or PA28. They have both PA28 Warrior and Cadet available for training. AT3 is quite some way cheaper but at present there are only two available so you may have to book slots well in advance because of limited availability.

[stocker]

Im 6.4 and a wee bit. I learned in a 152 and found that a bit cramped but doable. One tip was to fold my chart to A4 size for the shorter routes and use spring clips(bulldog clips) to attach it to the back of my knee board. This kept everything tidy as folding out the chart enroute meant lots of shoulder pressing and on more than one occasion the instructors door was forced open even though it had been secured pre-flight.

Post ppl I now use an A5 kneeboard.

Biggest tip would be to find a wee instructor

[liam548]

why isnt there a quote button on this forum?

anyway yes I realise they only have 2 AT3s so was going to check on how often they are available.
Anyone flown an AT3 what are they like, would you suggest they are good to train on bearing in mind once I have my PPL I will probably end up flying cessnas?

Liam

[FREDAcheck]

6ft in the C150 should be no problem if you run it fast enough downhill
Or you can rely in the curvature of the earth to gain height.

[SkyToddler]

why isnt there a quote button on this forum?

Oooh looky what i found - http://www.pprune.org/forums/images/editor/quote.gif

:)

[Northern Highflyer]

At 6ft 5 I did my first hour in one of the C150's at Sherburn, and now my logbook shows a total of 1 hour in a C150. I found it just too cramped and switched to the PA28. As has already been stated though, they are on the way out at Sherburn so it shouldn't be an issue. Not sure what the At3 is like for room as I haven't had the chance to fly it yet, but the PA28 suits me just fine.

[baron_rouge]

Not sure what the At3 is like for room

The seats and rudder pedals are not adjustable. There is a cushion that can be placed behind anyone with short legs who may not be able to reach the pedals. Not a problem for you methinks! :) Other than that the cockpit is very roomy. I think there is a weight limit of 14st for any individual occupant so that may be a problem for some.

[liam548]

thanks for the replies people..
:)

[Northern Highflyer]

I think there is a weight limit of 14st for any individual occupant so that may be a problem for some.

...........:ooh::{

[liam548]

im under 14 stone but surely its under 28stone combined?

[baron_rouge]

im under 14 stone but surely its under 28stone combined?

Not wishing to give out duff info I have checked what I had been told and there is no such restriction. The useful load of AT-3 is 511lb so if you make an allowance for fuel weight you can derive the maximum weight for occupants. There is not a restriction per se on an individuals weight provided it falls within the overall weight restriction. Sorry if I originally misinformed. It's what I had been told. Perhaps the lesson to be learned (for me) is not to accept anything without first checking. :=

[corkster]

being 6ft 1 and 17st i will alas be far to big:sad:

[17thhour]

Anyway I should soon be ready to start lessons. (Although I have a police advance driving course coming up so common sense says wait until after this as studing Roadcraft and Air pilots manuals at the same time might be a bit much).

you'll be fine! i was in 5th year when i learnt with 5 highers and learning to drive! lol

relating to height though im 6ft and theres plenty of room to spare!

[J.A.F.O.]

The useful load of AT-3 is 511lb

Sounds pretty useful.

As far as the original question goes - I'm over 6ft and no lightweight and I've flown the 150 plenty - find a short instructor so they have their seat forward, that way shoulders and elbows can overlap.