Short in stature.. interested in PPL..

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FiremanMike

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FiremanMike
Long story short, earning a private pilots license and even potentially owning my own aircraft has been a bucket list item for a long time.

As I look through pictures of various airplanes, they seem to have really high dashboards relative to the seat height.

At 5'5", will I have any issues seeing over the dash?
 
You shouldn't have much trouble with height, I've had students under 5' before. Depends on the aircraft, some have higher seats, or adjustable seats. Cushions, pillows, or phone books have been used before.
 
midwestpa24 said:
You shouldn't have much trouble with height, I've had students under 5' before. Depends on the aircraft, some have higher seats, or adjustable seats. Cushions, pillows, or phone books have been used before.
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I'm not sure my pride will allow me to use a phone book, LOL
 
5'7'' here. Learning on a C150 and sometimes on a C172. I haven't had any visibility issues so far other than raising my head a little when starting the prop. It shouldn't be an issue that a booster child seat (not joking) wouldn't fix. As long as you can reach the rudder pedals you should be OK. Do a discovery flight at your local flight school. That can give you an idea of outside cockpit visibility
 
5'5" here.

Yes, you may have trouble seeing over the panel (we don't call it the "dash") - some planes more than others. Panel height seems to increase as the likelihood of the model being flown VFR (visual flight rules, looking outside) decreases.
You may also have trouble reaching the rudder pedals and brakes.

I have yet to find either of these insurmountable.
Cushions beneath and/or behind. And, in my own plane, rudder pedal extensions (as further cushionage had me eating the panel and overrunning the stick).
 
FiremanMike said:
Long story short, earning a private pilots license and even potentially owning my own aircraft has been a bucket list item for a long time.

As I look through pictures of various airplanes, they seem to have really high dashboards relative to the seat height.

At 5'5", will I have any issues seeing over the dash?
Click to expand...
I'm 5'4" and have issues, but they are easily surmountable. I did my training without cushions, but years later, I started using one, and boy did it make things easier. You have to look out the side while judging a flare, it's harder than if you're looking straight ahead. I'll still fly if I forget my cushion, but I enjoy it a whole lot more with it.
 
FiremanMike said:
I'm not sure my pride will allow me to use a phone book, LOL
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I had a coworker that had to do that years ago in his car. Unfortunately, nobody could remember his named as we all called him Pac Bell. Young men can be cruel. :)
 
Are there airplanes that are more "short guy" friendly, conversely are there planes that I should avoid?

Thanks everyone for the input!
 
FiremanMike said:
Are there airplanes that are more "short guy" friendly, conversely are there planes that I should avoid?

Thanks everyone for the input!
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Planes with articulating seats are the best bet, a 182 I can crank the seat all the way up and don't need a cushion, most everything else I find a cushion really helps (it makes the seat more comfortable too)
 
It's been awhile, but I don't recall any of the common old trainers to be any more problematic than the others. (Cessna 150, 152, 172; Piper Cherokees; Grumman AA1, AA5; Citabria)
Can't speak to the more modern Cirrus and Diamond models.

I think I needed my cushion in all of them - either behind or beneath. May have gotten away without in the 150/152 (I don't remember). And can handle the AA1 in a pinch.
 
I’m hoping to have a discovery flight in the next few weeks with a friend of a friend, beyond that I’ve not identified a ground school or specific CFI/plane combo, so this is all excellent advice as I look to the future.

Fortunately I live in an area with a lot of options, so I should be able to find one that works!
 
Have you gone out to the airport yet and sat in a few models to ascertain your visibility? If not, why? I’d think that would be the best way to answer your question.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Have you gone out to the airport yet and sat in a few models to ascertain your visibility? If not, why? I’d think that would be the best way to answer your question.
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Lack of time, I'm in my final semester of nursing school (which will be my retirement gig) and just starting to make plans for what I'm going to do with my lack of free time.

I figured I could ask here as there's plenty of short folks with experience in the big names of personal aircraft who could help steer me, rather than being that guy who shows up at the airport to kick the tires :)
 
You'll want to look for the C172 with height adjustment. It is a small crank at the front of the seat bottom. C150 probably fits from the get-go.
 
I could see out much better in a 172 with articulating seats than I did the 150 without them.
 
The straight tail 172s have a lower panel.


I kid, I kid :)
 
My wife is 5’3” & has a ppl with time in a number of planes with no seat adjustment. A cushion usually works (I carry a round cushion for lumbar support, myself). Modern training planes often have a range of both fore & aft as well as height adjustment. LSAs, on the other hand, frequently have fixed seats.
 
You're not that short. You'll be able to make it work in anything you're likely to train in.

Much more important is finding a good instructor and plane(s) with the availability you need to meet your goals.

You can save the plane-fitting for when you're ready to buy.
 
JoeSelch said:
I don't recall any of the common old trainers to be any more problematic than the others. (Cessna 150, 152, 172; Piper Cherokees; Grumman AA1, AA5; Citabria)
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Compared to a C172, the AA5's feel like they fly a lot more nose down. That could be helpful for someone height-challenged.
JoeSelch said:
Can't speak to the more modern Cirrus and Diamond models.
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In DA40's, you sit more reclined rather than upright. Also, the seats don't adjust (the pedals move fore-aft) so seeing over the panel can be an issue. Fortunately, you can kind of see around it if you tilt your head.

Cirrus seats are crush-structures. Not sure how amenable they are to having dead trees between them and your butt.
 
I’m 5’3” and use cushions under and behind. I can do without in a Warrior with a height-adjustable seat but otherwise I just use the cushions. No big deal; as you’re seeing, many of us use them.
 
I think Jimmy Doolittle was about 5'6", and he flew pretty good. Snoopy is a beagle, which I think are less than 24" tall, and he flies pretty good, too.
 
Hi Fireman Mike.

I suspect you will have a lot less trouble than someone who is 6'5"!

I know a few folks who are about your height and fly Cessna 150's without issues. If you find an airplane to learn in that has the "crank up" seats, that will probable work great. You probably will not like some airplanes, but you can figure that out as you go. Most important thing is to have fun!
 
FiremanMike said:
Are there airplanes that are more "short guy" friendly?
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:D

Take no offense Mike, I am on the shorter side as well.
 
As you tell, the "Short Pilot Club" has many members! :) I'm 5' 3", and I've flown in two of the more common trainers out there - a 172 (it had the adjustable seat height) and a Piper Archer (which did not). In the 172, I cranked the seat almost all the way up, and put a folded up blanket behind my back so I sat far enough forward to reach the rudder, and that meant I could see over the panel easily as well. In the Archer, I had the seat as far forward as possible, and had a 3" cushion I sat on.
 
You should feel lucky. At 5'5", you are going to physically fit in almost every plane ever made. Fine-tuning your seat and rudder pedals and cushions and such are minor considerations. I'm only 6'2" and there are some planes I just can't even get into, that look really fun to fly.
 
We had a Designated Pilot Examiner at FDK who couldn't have broken 5' in heels. She had a long and storied career as a pilot. Had a cushion that had more hours than many, many pilots. Annabelle flew west a while ago I believe, but she occupies a special place in the hearts of quite a few of us.
 
At 5'7" and a 29 inc inseam the Mooney I fly is one of the very few aircraft I can comfortably see over the nose.
 
Just to be this guy: unrestricted visibility for pilots of all height segments flying a helicopter :p
 
FiremanMike said:
Long story short, earning a private pilots license and even potentially owning my own aircraft has been a bucket list item for a long time.

As I look through pictures of various airplanes, they seem to have really high dashboards relative to the seat height.

At 5'5", will I have any issues seeing over the dash?
Click to expand...

I don't believe you'll have any height related issues that can't be overcome with a couple of well place cusions and Seat rails that work properly.

Incidentally, my buddy across the street from me in San Diego barely met the minimum height requirement to fly Navy jets. His chubby, cherubic countenance was such that his fellow aviators, after seeing him wriggling into his flight gear, gave him the nickname of "Boo Boo Bear", after Yogi The Bear's sidekick.
 
Like a boat flotation cushion?

ETA: I’m 5’5” and a bit larger around the middle.

I don’t remember having issues in the Pa28s, but in the 172Rs I’ve been flying since returning to the cockpit I can’t get full rudder travel in the normal course. I have a longer upper body and short legs.

I’ll have to try a boat cushion/throwable PFD behind my back, maybe. Might make taxiing easier too with less brakes.
 
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Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
Like a boat flotation cushion?
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Possibly.

Sporty’s and Aircraft Spruce both have cushions in their catalogs. Or buy a chair cushion like those used on patio chairs. Or search online for auto booster cushions. There are many options.

Just find what works best for you personally.
 
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