More than once we have heard from members of this community how weight or age or physical disabilities have curtailed someone's flying, not because of eyesight or reflexes or balance impacting the flying part, but because getting in and out of the cockpit became too difficult.
With that in mind, what are some examples of homebuilt or factory light aircraft with cockpits that are particularly easy to access? There will be no one right answer because different people have different physical challenges and that's OK.
It's not just about doors and canopies...for example, a control stick hinged at the floor between the pilot's legs can be a real problem for someone with limited mobility or flexibility. A control stick hinged between the two people in a side-by-side, or hinged at the ceiling, or a side stick, or a control yoke emerging from the panel, can all help with access.
Please don't clog up the thread with examples of cockpits that are *not* easy to access, let's just stick to positive examples.
I'll kick it off with the Milholland Legal Eagle, Legal Eagle XL, Double Eagle and Cabin Eagle, which all have generous door openings (often without doors) on both sides and, in two-seaters, a single central control stick between the occupants. Of course, the wing struts do get in the way, so their not perfect. Here's Leonard Milholland himself in his Double Eagle.
With that in mind, what are some examples of homebuilt or factory light aircraft with cockpits that are particularly easy to access? There will be no one right answer because different people have different physical challenges and that's OK.
It's not just about doors and canopies...for example, a control stick hinged at the floor between the pilot's legs can be a real problem for someone with limited mobility or flexibility. A control stick hinged between the two people in a side-by-side, or hinged at the ceiling, or a side stick, or a control yoke emerging from the panel, can all help with access.
Please don't clog up the thread with examples of cockpits that are *not* easy to access, let's just stick to positive examples.
I'll kick it off with the Milholland Legal Eagle, Legal Eagle XL, Double Eagle and Cabin Eagle, which all have generous door openings (often without doors) on both sides and, in two-seaters, a single central control stick between the occupants. Of course, the wing struts do get in the way, so their not perfect. Here's Leonard Milholland himself in his Double Eagle.
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