Will I fit?

[JimB58]

Hello Fellow Vintage Mooney lovers...

I finally got my PPL, am tired of renting a/c, and would love to get a good ‘67 M20F w/ Johnson bar. But, never having sat in one or flown one yet, I have a simple question... will I fit and be comfortable when flying it. I’m 6’2”, and 205#. My knees are way to close to the dash in the C & E model; hence the desire for the longer F model. What say you, the experts? 

Thanks, in advance...

[Greg Ellis]

Interesting.  I am 6'2" and 240# and I fit very comfortably in my 63 C model.  I am a good ways away from the instrument panel. 

[Hank]

The F should allow you to slide the seat furthwr away from the panel. But all Mooney pilots sit close to the panel unless you have extremely long legs. That's just how Mooneys are made . . . You'll get used to it.

[JimB58]

It must be that I have longer legs and a shorter torso...

[JimB58]

I’m hoping the F will allow me to slide the seat farther back...

[Hank]

Just now, krkt58 said:

It must be that I have longer legs and a shorter torso...

There's a member here who is 6'9", but I don't recall what year his F is . . . . @Yetti  So no, you aren't too big, but remember, a Mooney isn't a Suburban and won't have that mind of space. 

[ArtVandelay]

33” inseam, in last position I have to pronate my feet to use the brakes in a J.

[Hank]

50 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

33” inseam, in last position I have to pronate my feet to use the brakes in a J.

My size, too. I fly my C in the middle of three holes. It boils down to personal preference. 

Mynwife, 5'3", keeps the right seat in the last hole, and can't even bump the pedals when she kicks.

[kortopates]

@krkt58 as mentioned, the extra room in the F only affects the leg room in the rear seat. 

Your pilot seat position is limited by your ability to fully manipulate the brakes. i.e. if you have the seat too far back you will loose your ability to use them.  

when you say "My knees are way to close to the dash in the C & E model" its not clear which hole in the seat rails your seat is in. If your seat is far forward in the first couple holes then you can have 3" brake pedal extensions added which allow you move your seat further back and still have access to the brake without being right against the panel. 

[carusoam]

Congrats!

You fit.

Better in a Mooney than any other four seat GA plane...

Go Mooney!

Best regards,

-a-

[Seymour]

Welcome!

3 hours ago, krkt58 said:

My knees are way to close to the dash in the C & E model

6' 1" and 205# (with a Holiday belly and Winter clothes, of course) and I fit nicely in my E and love it.

However, I was also "bumping my knees on the dash"  when sizing the aircraft and wonder if any of these might be the issue:   (all now solved)

1.  Climbing in requires a bit of work and if the seat is still in the forward "flying" position, I can scrape my knees on the way in.  Simple solution was to slide it back for entry.

2.  Reaching the fuel selector required me to bend and move my legs and they interfered.

3.  I didn't have my complex rating so the current owner was flying and I was in the right seat.  He had me adjust the seat so that I could reach the pedals (to the stops).  During the flight I didn't want to interfere with his manipulation of the controls so I bent my legs so they weren't touching the pedals.   ...and there wasn't space to bend without hitting the dash.

4.  To make matters worse, the headphone jacks on the right side were here:

 

5.   Sight picture - It took me a bit to get used to the Mooney sight picture on landing.   I pulled my seat way too far forward in order to get the same view as I had in the trainer 152/172's and cramped myself up to the windscreen (bending my legs).   Mooney specific training (MAPA Pilot Proficiency Program for me), proper trim on landing and experience helped there.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Seymour
Added a fifth possible reason

[carusoam]

So many better places for head phone jacks...

So many planes have hidden them in goofier places...

-a-

[Seymour]

3 minutes ago, carusoam said:

So many better places for head phone jacks...

So many planes have hidden them in goofier places...

Absolutely agree!!

Sounds like a subject for an interesting thread (but doing a search before I start a new one).

[carusoam]

4 hours ago, krkt58 said:

Hello Fellow Vintage Mooney lovers...

I finally got my PPL, am tired of renting a/c, and would love to get a good ‘67 M20F w/ Johnson bar. But, never having sat in one or flown one yet, I have a simple question... will I fit and be comfortable when flying it. I’m 6’2”, and 205#. My knees are way to close to the dash in the C & E model; hence the desire for the longer F model. What say you, the experts? 

Thanks, in advance...

Want to sit one and find out for sure?

Who sits behind you?

If it’s your financial administrator... better get the Long Body.

-a-

[Immelman]

I am 6'3" 34" length pants and fit well in my E.

I would take a look at the seat rails in the airplanes you are looking at.... apparently Mooney produced some with more seat travel than others.

With that said the extra room of an F would be nice.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Immelman

[hammdo]

My human basket ball still lets me fit - @ 250 but I do sit as far up as I can. Peddle extensions can help if you want to sit back farther...

-Don

[MBDiagMan]

Krtky, fill in your profile to include your location.  One of us will be close enough for you to come and sit in, or maybe even fly, in one, but we can’t offer unless we know where you are located.

[67 m20F chump]

I’m just over 6’4”/250#.  I fit in a 67’ M20F just fine.  

[Yetti]

The seating in the front is similar to all the models.   The extra length gets behind the pilot.  I am 6' 9"  You will fit fine'

[RobertGary1]

The extra 10” in the F Mooney is in the back seat. I’m 6’4” and fine. Your knees should be under the panel. You might have sat in one with some odd aftermarket seat. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by RobertGary1

[aviatoreb]

6'4'' 220 here.  Fit fine.  After owning for about 5 years and happy with it...I did have one extra pin hole added to the seat rails so now my seat goes just a tad bit further back, and I am happy with that.

[Jerry 5TJ]

On 12/28/2020 at 2:27 PM, krkt58 said:

yet, I have a simple question... will I fit and be comfortable when flying it.

I divide the issue into two —

one: entry/exit ease.  The Mooney is about like most small low wing planes in this area.  Piper, Cirrus, etc will be similar, except the vintage Mooney has just one door.  
 

two: comfort in the seat for several hours.  Once in, can you get and stay comfortable?  You’re not going anywhere until you land. New seat foam and fabric can help.  

[Brian E.]

7 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

 We have now collectively owned the C for 39 years.  

 

So awesome--congrats.  Keep 'em flying!

[aviatoreb]

34 minutes ago, Jerry 5TJ said:

I divide the issue into two —

one: entry/exit ease.  The Mooney is about like most small low wing planes in this area.  Piper, Cirrus, etc will be similar, except the vintage Mooney has just one door.  
 

two: comfort in the seat for several hours.  Once in, can you get and stay comfortable?  You’re not going anywhere until you land. New seat foam and fabric can help.  

True - all that.

-egress - I learned there is a really good way - which for me is to enter backwards.  One knee on the copilot seat,, left leg on the floor on the copilot side, hands on the door frame (not the door), lowering my butt down to a sort of kneeling before the king position with the knee on the copilot seat, and then from there lowering but down to the pilot seat.  Its smooth, easy and stable.

-I had my seats redone a few years ago, and with firm memory foam, lumbar support, sculpting, and also I specifically had the Lower cushion lengthened a bit several inches since with long legs on a short seat you sort of feel perched on the seat.  Now I feel the seat more fully supports my long thighs.

-I had Bruce Jaegers interior plastic added which does offer a bit more arm and shoulder room.

-and as I said, I added an extra pin hole on my seat rails.

All small things but they really do add up.

[JimB58]

On 12/28/2020 at 12:05 PM, Hank said:

There's a member here who is 6'9", but I don't recall what year his F is . . . . @Yetti  So no, you aren't too big, but remember, a Mooney isn't a Suburban and won't have that mind of space. 

Acknowledged. Thanks.