I made my Mockpit in August 2002. After taking itapart and putting it back together a number of timesI finaly settled on angling the seat back at the top 2".It only makes sense to angle the side braces to fit asthis is what the seat back is attached to and it is alsoan integral part of the airframe that holds it square.Now, after sitting in it a lot making engine noises Iwish I'd done 3". One thing that hasn't been mentionedis just how close your nose is to the instrument panel.Seven years down the road my eyes could use thatextra inch. :-)Sometimes it really sucks being fourteen in a sixtysix year old body!An awful lot of your mass is in your legs. I don'tknow the relative proportions but I don't think there'sas much of your mass in your head as you think. Unlessyou get called "Fathead" a lot
, which, by the way,since the brain is mostly fat, is a true compliment.I've also raised both the cowling and turtle deck 2".Since I'm 5'8" this means that bringing the shoulderharness out 1/4" under the top of the deck makes areasonable angle that won't compress my spine shouldI whack something nose first.If your worried that you may sit too low, well, that'swhat cushions are for. You can always add more ofthe things but the reverse only goes so far. Right?I'm not so sure sitting on that double pulley wouldbe much fun after the first couple of rotations though :-)You can also move the rudder bar forward too. Thiswould give you a teeny bit more foreward CG.Remember, those legs are heavy!One way to tell your most comfortable back angle isto look at the seat in your car. What angle do you havethat set at? Also move the seat foreward to what youthink is equivalent to your position in the Piet andgo for a Sunday drive. Maybe even put a board up theseatback. won't take long before your body startstelling you things. I'm not sure I'd wear my helmet andgoggles though. :-)Clif, Firewall and engine mount done.No bird soars too highIf he soars on his own wings- - - - - - - - - - - - - ---William BlakeSubject: Pietenpol-List: Seat back angleca>> And did you change the truss sides to suit the new angle? I think that moving the top edge rearward makes the most sense, room-wise, since it would not impact on the available leg room (which is important for me) - However, it would shift the CG of the pilot rearward a bit, which is not a good thing..> Bill C.=0A=0A=0A ________________________________________________________________________________Subject: Pietenpol-List: Will 18" Wheels work?