Getting comfortable in the SS/S2

[Jim Richmond]

I am a big guy, and I never let myself get to flying an airplane near the "edge" unless I can first get comfortable in the saddle. To make sure everyone could get comfortable in a Sport Cub or Carbon Cub, we made sure we could adjust things so that the airplane fits the anatomy. I think everyone knows their front seat is adjustable by about three inches when the two pins are pulled out and the seat is positioned to maximise comfort. In addition, the rudder pedals can be adjusted, the brakes can lean forward or aft. The rear seat is also adjustable up and down.

With a super light weight design, we couldn't afford to incorporate the typical parts and pieces that you would find in a normal sliding seat. Instead, we devised a simple system that slides in front and is pinned in the rear for adjusting the front seat. This means that you have to adjust the seat prior to entering the airplane... while you are standing byside it, but once in you should find it comfortable. If not, get out and try a more comfortable setting... you have about 10 choices. I install the furthest pin first so that I can wiggle the seat to find the alignment easily, and then install the nearer pin so I can use both hands if needed to align it with the first one.

The rudder pedal position relative to the firewall is adjusted by going all the way back to the rudder and removing the cotter keyed bolt that holds the cable onto the rudder. There are 5 different holes available that can be used to attach the cable to the rudder. Each is about a 1/4" from the next, and as the cable is lengthened, the pedals move forward to take up the slack. The danger here is getting the pedal too close to the firewall so that when both rudder and brake are fully deflected, you can't get full control travel. Leave at least 1" clearance between the top of the brake pedal and the firewall for some flexing and stretching of the cable under tension. Long legged pilots will want this adjusted down to the 1" level for maximum leg room.

The brakes can be adjusted by disconnecting the fork at the top of the master cylinder (in front of the rear pedals), and lengthening or shortening this link. Both front and rear pedals will be "tilted" foreward or aft by adjusting this link. I like to have my toes ready to hit the brakes without any extra motion, or any need to move my feet at all. So... toes for brakes, and heels for rudder action... without ever thinking about it... is what feels right for me.

The brakes and rudder adjustments are related, and will affect the clearance at the firewall, so be sure to double check for this 1" clerance when you are all done.

The rear seat is adjusted by lengthening or shortening the two straps that connect the seat to the upper longerons. Be sure to look at the way the strap is threaded through the adjuster and get it back together correctly. (I do one at a time so I can refer to the un-adjusted one if needed)

If these adjustments don't get you comfortable, we can make custom length tubes to attach the front and rear pedals as well. We seldom need to do this, but if a tall guy is instructing from the rear, and a hight-challenged pilot wannabe is up front, we can make everyone happy with a few custom adjustments.

The final "tailor made" fitting comes with adjusting the nuetral position of the stick. You must be careful here to not allow the rear stick and back of the front seat to get in each others way, but by adjusting the upper and lower turnbuckles in the elevator cables, you adjust the position of the stick relative to level flight. If you decide to have this done, have someone double check your efforts so that all controls are able to be fully deflected no matter where the front seat is positioned. This is improtant, and is not something that should be done without a mechanic's oversight.

Get comfortable, Enjoy your airplane, Fly safe. Jim

[chipallen]

GREAT read, especially for tall guys. Forum readers might be interested to know that, during the recent U.S. Light Sport Expo in Sebring, FL, we had a 6'-10" tall prospect climb into the front seat, without much effort, and claim to be "very comfortable"! He also said that ours was one of the very few LSA aircraft that he could sit in, period. Being 6'5" myself, I can tell you that having a "big guy" as the owner of Cubcrafters is a HUGE benefit!! <Grin>

[couleeone]

Gary Lickle is 6' 7" and stated the sport/carbon cub was the only cub he fit in comfortably! That tells you a lot. For me, after orginally flying a J3 when I was 60 lbs heavier and couldn't get the stick back very far due to bumping up against my belly and when I demoed 787AK I was so thrilled with the cockpit room that I immediately closed the deal and never looked back! Now its 430 hours later and I am still in love!

Geo

[The Flying C]

Hey Guys, this is my first post and I hope it is not supposed to be under the "Top Cub" thread but my question has to do with the comfort and adjustibility of all of your aircraft so here goes:

I am researching several "bush" style airplanes to land in my 70 acre coastal bermuda field in Goldthwaite, Tx. I have flown in the S2, and took a demo in the CC two weeks ago. I am 6'5" 180 lbs and without any of the fine tuning Jim mentioned below, I felt very comfortable with plenty of room. My concern with both airplanes is the 1320 LSA limit, as I am flying from a grass strip in Austin which is 90 miles away. With fuel to get there and back with reserves there is not much weight for a decent sized passenger and gear. This brings me to the Top Cub. I love the utility, the proven O-360, and the greater cruise speed. My questions are: will I be confortable in what appears to be the smaller cabin of the Top Cub? Is in noticeably tighter than the S2/CC? Are the Heel brakes a big adjustment?

For you CubCrafters guys- do you know if you will have a Top Cub at Osh? I have contacted the Texas dealer who gave me a ride in the CC and he does not have a demo.

Thanks for any insight,

Cody

[randylervold]

Hi Cody. Yes, we will have a Top Cub in the booth this year at AirVenture. Only one way to find out if you fit... climb on in.