Max height etc for a pilot

Hey.... again :P this will be my last post in a while honest

Can any one give any specifics on restrictions in terms of height and weight for a pilot e.g. what’s the maximum length that a leg can be and any other height restrictions

I’m 6"1' so pretty lanky, I no that the max height for UAS is 6"2' so hopefully shouldn’t grow any more.

Also I’m not fat but want to bulk up slightly however muscle weighs more than fat so might just get fitter.

Cheers for the last time: P :tsr2:

Mark

Reply 1

StevenCross

theres no maximum height, its all to do with more specific measurements like reach, seat height etc.
Weight boundaries are: 57-94kg
reach: 720 mm min
sitting height:865-990 mm
buttock to knee: 560-660mm
buttock to heel 1000mm-1200mm

hope this helps, also just to let you know this is from my medical report from OASC medical.
Steven.

Reply 2

Ubiquitous

5

Tragically, when I was at OASC one guy failed for being 10mm too tall ... and an other was 5 mm too tall! Really tragic seeing them go home, their dreams shattered.

Reply 3

BeesKnees

16

My dad was a pilot and used to exercise quite abit- especially before simulator training. Lucky for him he wasn't too tall though!

Reply 4

Anonystude

markhayward2602

I’m 6"1' so pretty lanky, I no that the max height for UAS is 6"2' so hopefully shouldn’t grow any more.

No-one's told my UAS that! (6'4") :wink:

Reply 5

BlackHawk

17

What would have been tragic is them ejecting when too tall for their aircraft. :wink:

Reply 6

Anonystude

What gets me, however, is that they reject people by failing the tests by millimetres -- and then, at my last aircrew medical, they managed to fail spectacularly and measured me as 5'11". Really, you'd hope common sense would prevail sometimes... :redface:

Reply 7

markhayward2602

OP

StevenCross

sitting height:865-990 mm

:frown:

My chair is that tall are they recruiting people with long legs and tiny little bodies and head? or is it from seat upwards if so people must be very tall not to get in because I’m about 950mm and i thought i was pretty tall

When looking at the details i guess you have to be right size unless you want your legs separate to the rest of you.

Reply 8

Claypon

Good point Blackhawk.

I'm 6ft 2" and on my medical at OASC this week had my legs measured as 1192mm which is 8mm within. So was pretty happy as I'm an all legs no body kinda guy :smile:

Reply 9

markhayward2602

OP

"I'm an all legs no body kinda guy"

I bet you get all the girls using that line :p:

Reply 10

Wzz

11

BlackHawk

What would have been tragic is them ejecting when too tall for their aircraft. :wink:

Precisely! Same as everyone moaning about "dreams being crushed" because of asthma/hayfever/glasses/etc. If you're the wrong shape, overweight, or a little lengthy then you'll quite possibly die if you have to eject. If the escape system kills you, then the whole idea of flying gets a little silly.

Reply 11

dogtag9

the phrase 'too tall' seems to have been mentioned quite often.does anyone know the pilot nicknamed 'too tall' of the 7 cavalry,us army,who won a medal of honor for bravery in la drang valley,vietnam. Surely height shouldnt be a problem for heli-pilots.

Reply 12

Ubiquitous

5

sweasy

the phrase 'too tall' seems to have been mentioned quite often.does anyone know the pilot nicknamed 'too tall' of the 7 cavalry,us army,who won a medal of honor for bravery in la drang valley,vietnam. Surely height shouldnt be a problem for heli-pilots.

The RAF doesn't select helicopter pilots out of OASC though, so it's a moot point. You either fit the restrictions for all aircraft, or you get disqualified. Harsh, but understandable considering the competitiveness of the branch.

Reply 13

Lady Venom

14

If i remember correctly, you get aircraft specific measurements done further down your career path at Henlow (I may be wrong).

I have known a few people to fail by mm and also try again to cheat the system by muscle clenching, arm stretching....

Anonystude, one of our guys is 6'5". Failed the old UAS med twice with 2 VERY different measurements (!!) and on the third attempt passed within mm by getting up at 0430 and walking around with a bag of bricks on his back. He has just done OASC, so will be interesting to see how it turned out this time! He is too small Harrier though, much to his disappointment.

Reply 14

Sashak87

how would you measure buttock to knee length? I just tried by sitting up against wall, measured from the wall to front of my knee, would that be right way to do it?

You can't - it has to be measured by Safety equippers who are trained to know exactly which points to measure between. Same goes for functional reach. The measurements are precise to the millimetre and you have to be sitting in a very specific position, they poke about for ages making sure your posture is correct and they are measuring between the right points.

Basically, anything you measure at home will only be a rough guide, and as you are presumably only measuring because you are close to the limits and need an accurate measure.... Sorry, you'll have to wait and get a professional to do it.

Reply 16

joe P

If you are unsure whether you fit the regulations, where can you be measured and checked?

Reply 17

jannisjr

5

Unfortunately, there isn't a way. Advice though, measure sitting upright with your feet 90 degrees to your body. Make sure you curl your toes back as far as possible, and are flexible enough to sit bold upright to give yourself the best opportunity. Believe me for us tall people, this will require a stretching routine and some training. When they did the medicals I observed at RAF Valley for my cadets who were going on a Hawk flight, they didn't even have a proper rig to measure them on, so they simply had 2 wooden chairs facing each other and measured them as I described, so its a good estimate.

I'm 6'4 and just scrape through provided I keep up with a stretching routine. It is very specific from person to person. See attached measurements for an idea - these are for the Hawk which is the smallest cockpit in the RAF at present, so I believe this would be the standard to meet. Don't quote me on it, but obviously if you fit these measurements, you should fit other aircraft fine.

Hawk Measurements.jpg485.8KB

Reply 18

Fritz Bollinger

5

Original post by joe P

If you are unsure whether you fit the regulations, where can you be measured and checked?

As with a lot of things, only OASC can give you a reliable answer. I don't know what role Capita have in establishing anthropometric dimensions of candidates.

Max height etc for a pilot

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