AVID SIZE

[WANNAFLY 0]

Hello Everyone,

 

This is my first post on the site. I have watched a lot of your videos here and like what I see from the Avid.

 

Here's my problem. I have a local Avid IV for sale. Went and looked at it today and really liked the plane. The problem is I am 6.1..... I could squeeze in but my head is up against the ceiling.

 

Are there any mods for taller guys like me to somehow gain some kind of ceiling height???

 

Thanks in advance!!!!

[EDMO 1078]

One nice thing about experimentals is that you can modify them to fit you - There are a couple of tall guys on here that have raised their roofs - and some have changed the seats to make more headroom.  I hope you will hear from them.

I am only 5-7, used to be 5-8.  I was not comfortable in the seats and had a hard time getting out of them, so I modified mine to make the seats higher, and more comfortable, and I also raised my roof 6 inches - This gave me better visibility over the instrument panel.

Looking back, it would probably have been easier to lower my floorboard and instrument panel, but I still wanted the boat seats like Suberavid uses, and he is tall, so he raised his roof.

EDMO

Edited 30 Jan 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[Av8r3400 1179]

The Avid mark IV has a lot more room than the earlier models. It may be difficult to get a lot more without major surgery like Ed suggests.

A better fit may be a Kitfox IV or newer. These are a much more refined plane, (sorry guys, but its true.) with a lot more leg and head room in them, without the need for modification.

[dynomike 91]

im 6'2" and fit fine .I moved the sling seat all the way back when I laced it .ofcourse wont work if its a pan seat.

[EDMO 1078]

It really don't take too much surgery to raise the roof a couple of inches - just cutting the overhead center tubes and bending/welding them back in at the height you need - you can then blend the skylight in to the original wing profile, or make some vertical ribs on each side of it, like Suberavid did, or either Horsepower or Birddog486 - hope I got that right on the names  Some have posted photos, and might again if you ask them.

     Forgot to add - the sling seat sits lowest, the fiberglass seat higher but uncomfortable for me with or without pads, or the folding seats probably sit highest of the stock seats - My boat seats are a lot higher.

EDMO 

Edited 30 Jan 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[BryceKat 125]

Search Avid Biggin on YouTube to see what I did- I'm 6'3" w a size 14 shoe. I love my little Avid! Bryce

[EDMO 1078]

STRANGE BUT TRUE:  I was 68 inches tall when this measurement was made -

                                                                 sitting, from butt to top of head = 35 inches.

    My 80 inch tall, step-son-in-law measured - sitting, butt to top of head = 36 inches.

99% of the difference must be in the legs!

(not a scientific study)   And, before someone else says it - I do not have a fat ass, or a big head!

EDMO

Edited 30 Jan 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[lostman 198]

Out of curiosity, how many owners on here are over 6' tall? I'm 6'2" and have wondered how I'd fit in the Avid as well. That is one of the biggest reasons we decided to go with the Pursang model.

 

Like Ed posted about I'm all leg, not much for height in my torso.

[WANNAFLY 0]

thanks for all of the replies,

 

I did try the Avid Biggin on You Tube but it will not play and comes up as error. I am assuming that is the one that you are referring to.

 

This plane has the cloth folding seats. They do look like they are right on the floor.

 

CAn anyone show pics of the mods they did to squeeze into this plane, I really like it. When I sit in it my head is pushed forward and down because it does hit the ceiling . There is no way I can fly like that.

 

Looking for all options before he sells the plane to someone else!

 

THanks 

[1avidflyer 1983]

Here are a couple of pics of what the Avid factory offered to get some more headroom.  This is on my last MK IV.  I doubt that this option is available through Brett, but I used to have a site saved in my favorites that made custom sized skylights out of plexyglass or even lexan.  I know one size they made would have worked on the Avids and gave about 3" of head room.  Their skylight would have been just one larger bubble, the Avid option was two smaller bubbles.  Jim Chuk

[EDMO 1078]

I found some posts in "Technical Tasks" section here on "Raising the Skylight" - There are photos of Suberavid's plane in these - and others.

Anyone know if the Magnum has more headroom?

How about replacing folding seats with fg or sling seats?

EDMO

And - I got one of the names wrong on raising the skylight - It was High Country, not Horsepower - Sorry.

EDMO

There is no reason why you couldn't make a homemade bubble skylight out of Lexan or acrylic.

EDMO

Edited 31 Jan 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[ChrisBolkan 130]

Magnum has plenty of headroom. I took a 6'8" friend up in mine and he fit. A bit tight, but he fit.

[SuberAvid 617]

Raising the skylight does not require cutting and rewelding any tubing.  Just need to split the butt ribs lengthwise and add in a section, then glue and fiberglass them back together.  Add an extenstion to the aluminum sheet cross support at the front and rear of the skylight and fab a new center support rib to fit.  Your head fits up between the airframe tubing so no need to change that.  Also, with the stock Avid, the sling seat gives you the most head room.

[Av8r3400 1179]

Being a tall guy, Randy, do you find yourself looking side to side and seeing nothing but the butt ribs?  In other words do you need to slouch quite a bit to see out the side for traffic?

[SuberAvid 617]

A little if you want to look right out along the bottom of the wing but not as much as I thouht I would have to.  Generally I am looking slightly down through the side windows anyway and It is easy to pick up a wing a little if needed to see higher or look out the skylight in a bank.

[Av8r3400 1179]

I have a couple friends with an Allegro 2000s.  A very nice plane with a very roomy cabin.  The wings, however, are very low on the cabin, making the pilot slouch all the time to see laterally.

 

The people in the photo below must be 5'2".  I'm only 5'8" and I have to slouch...

 

 

 

One of the guys sold his off in favor of an RV12 because of this reason.  He's about 6'.  My other buddy has no problem because he is only 5'5".  

[EDMO 1078]

I have said this before, but will repeat it for those who haven't read it:

Some of us - me - don't care for our head to be inbetween the tubes - The guy who landed my KF1 in a tree just bent the hell out of those tubes and got 165 stitches in his head - and he was not even between them.  If he had been taller he might not have survived.  My head clears the tubes by 2 inches - just enough to put the foam pipe insulation around them for padding.

EDMO

Edited 3 Feb 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[dynomike 91]

the sling seat must sit really low cause my head is nowhere near the tubes.

[SuberAvid 617]

With any stock Avid your head is "between the tubes" since your head is between the wings.  Raising the skylight 2 to 3" does not really change that much but gives the added clearance for your headset.  You would have to raise the tubes at least 6" to really get them above your head.  Since Ed is building his own airframe, he can make those major design changes during construction.

[C5Engineer 1170]

the sling seat must sit really low cause my head is nowhere near the tubes.

 

I was going to say the same thing. I am no place near the top of my plane. Granted I'm only 5'9 but with my sling seat I'm a 6" + from my skylight.

[Bandit 286]

You have to slouch in a Taylorcraft to.

[EDMO 1078]

I was just suggesting that you could cut the center tubes that your head could hit and raise them - not the outside tubes where the wings attach.  

A further note:  If he had been wearing a 4-point seatbelt, he might not have hit the tubes - That car-type 3-point belt don't  offer much restraint in a crash.

If I can find a photo of the bent tubes, I will try to post it.

EDMO

Edited 6 Feb 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[BryceKat 125]

My YouTube channel is Bryce Custer, check the video there