Big guy in a Citabria

C

Cat-alac

New member
To introduce my self here I am from Alberta Canada 41yrs old looking to start recreational flying. My father inlaw owns a 1978 7GCBC with about 1300 total hours, he flies about 15 to 20 hours per year from a grass strip. I have allways enjoyed flying with him so thought this winter I would complete my licence and go 50/50 with him on the plane. I will be completing my licence in a 172 but after that the Citabria will be it. Real question I have is having never sat in the front am I going to fit ok??? I'm 6'1" 235lbs, (220 is my normal weight if I try a bit). Is this a good plane for point a to point a flying, I know this is a small plane maybe I should look for a good used 172
 
Dude, I am 275 on a good day. No problem. Don't want to just jump in the rear seat though! Aft CG will kill you. Had a 7ECA flying for a while, it did OK just needed more power. Run the Weight and Balance, follow that and you will have no problem. David J.
 
Thanks, I know when I ride in the back at 235lbs and pop's in the front at 160lbs he says the balance is a bit tricky.
 
I know you are asking about W&B, but I am 6'3 200lbs and one reason I love the Citabria is that I fit in it up front. One reason I hate flying in Cessnas in that either the wheel is hitting my knees, or I just feel scrunched at the shoulders. The Citabria is nice and wide and theres no wheel to hit my knees. :D
 
I'm 6'3" - Can't comment on W&B because I don't know enough yet, but physically, I fit the front OK. The rudder pedals could be another 3" forward, but the bend in the knees is not too bad. The head and shoulder room is terrific. Your extra height will help with visibility. At 6' 1" you will have ZERO problems in the front seat.
 
I am 6'4" 230lbs and find that I fit very confortably in the front seat of ALL of the American Champion series of airplanes. The newer models have the adjustable front seats not sure what year they went to the adjustable seat but I fit just fine in a 1973 model with a fixed front seat.
 
Another consideration is rudder pedal position. The rudder cable attach fittings give you four positions to adjust pedal position. I'm 5"6", and I'm OK with the pedals in the second shortest legth. I fly a friend's plane sometimes and have to stretch a bit to reach. He's 6 feet or better and has his adjusted full length.
 
I'm 6'4" and 240 to 250 pounds. I fit just fine in the front seat of a 1979 7gcbc. As others have said, sitting in the back can make for some tricky W&B, but up front, solo, you are good to go

Lots of shoulder/head room, I usually fly a 1977 c172 and find that I have far more room to fly in the citabria than in any 172 I've been in.
 
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