|
Re: [LML] 4P Seats (for tall
pilots)
I'm 6'4" LIVP pilot. When building, I added extensions
behind the main spar along the track for the seats to give them a more
aft mounting. This allows the seats to slide back far enough to
give excellent entry room, plus creates a 6" platform on top of
the main spar in front of the pilot seat for the incoming foot.
This mainspar with carpet overlying it is perfect for easy in/out for
both the copilot and pilot without needing to step on the leather
seat. This poor quality build photo shows the copilot
extensions.
When settled into the seat, the seat can be slid forward to a
comfortable distance, never an issue, even for shorter test pilots
(like Pete Z). Note that big guys and long legs can make for
knees high and interference with the lower subpanel (usually
containing switches). I have put extensions on my
throttle/prop/mixture to bring them 2" out from the power panel,
and have my control stick canted a bit back.
Regarding head clearence, I have Bose headsets but when wearing
these in turbulance, my head can take a beating on the ceiling,
including the door frame edge directly overhead. I also use the
much lighter and comfortable in-the-ear Quiet Tech headsets (non-ANR)
by Quiet Technologies (866-784-3883, Phil McCandless) which
significantly reduces the head-ceiling contact problem. No ANR
but plenty good sound quality, and no head compression.
My seats are standard issue, low profile pans, with modest three
layer padding.
Jeff Liegner
LIVP
Christopher said,
I have always wanted to be able to get
in and out of our aircraft without having to step on the pilots seat.
Yes I know if you do some gymnastics you can do it. My question is
this. Does anyone know of a modification that will let the pilots seat
go further back to allow easier access? Also, what about the height
issue? I am tired of hitting my head in turbulence. Electric seats
like in a car? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
re: height, since I struggled with this
myself I can report there are several factors.
The seats sit right on top of both spars
so there's very little to be done in terms of lowering the
seat.
One thing to think about there is that if
there are vertical G's in a crash, the only energy absorption you are
going to get is from deforming whatever is between your butt and the
spars. (I don't know what Lancair is talking
about when they say they have a 20G seat. Does that mean that
after they remove your body from the wreckage the seat may still be
intact?)
Anyway, so
here are some factors.
a) you have to really pay attention to
foam thickness when you put the seat together.
b) Jim Griffen used to build a dropped
seat pan. This allowed you to get some foam underneath the
center of the seat but you are still limited by the buildup on the
sides of the seat to clear the seat rails, bolt on a layup of carbon
etc.
c) Some builders have pre-contoured the
pan itself and then put a very thin layer of foam over
that. I don't see that this would buy you a whole
lot in a IVP unless you eliminated the seat rails
completely.
d) On a IVP the common interferenc point
with your head is the front of the door frame. Therefore,
if you are tall and have long enough legs, getting yourself back a
little further can help. The wedge of foam at the bottom of the
seat back tends to hold you forward. So you think about
economizing there.
as far as
getting the whole seat further back for loading, I suppose it's
possible but I don't know if it's very useful to get the front of the
seat further back than the front of the front spar and it pretty much
already does that.
electric
seat assemblies are generally far thicker (vertically) than you could
ever fit in a IVP.
----- Original Message -----
From: Chris
Alberti
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 6:07 PM
Subject: [LML] 4P Seats
I have always wanted to be able to get in and out of our
aircraft without having to step on the pilots seat. Yes I know if you
do some gymnastics you can do it. My question is this. Does anyone
know of a modification that will let the pilots seat go further back
to allow easier access? Also, what about the height issue? I am tired
of hitting my head in turbulence. Electric seats like in a car? Thanks
in advance for the feedback.
Fly Safe,
Christopher J. Alberti
President/CEO
Starlite Aviation Technologies LLC
1963 S. 39th Drive
Yuma, Arizona 85364
Phone: 928-581-2383
Fax: 928-329-6488
Email: starliteaviation@yahoo.com
Web Site: www.starliteat.com
This message contains confidential information only for the use of the
addressee(s). If you are not the addressee, or the person responsible
for delivering it to the addressee, you are hereby notified that
reading, disseminating, distributing or copying this message is
strictly prohibited. If you have received this message by mistake,
please notify us, by replying to the sender, and delete the original
message immediately thereafter.
|