Many cabin-class airplanes have seats that slide well back from the instrument panel. This isn't so taller pilots can fly them comfortably, it's so the pilot can get in and out of the seat easily, without stepping over (or on) the center console, which usually is densely populated with avionics. Those of us who fly smaller airplanes are content if the seat slides far enough aft to allow us to get in without having to use our arms to contort our legs into a modified fetal position just to clear the door edge.
Once in the seat, we usually adjust its fore/aft location according to the rudder pedals. We want to ensure we can displace the pedals to their limits without having a knee tucked under our chin or having to tippy-toe the pedal to get it all the way forward. Conveniently, this adjustment also gives us full, effective use of the brakes. It's all the adjustment needed for most of us who fall into the anthropometric norm, but look at what it doesn't account for.
A short-legged pilot who adjusts the seat for full pedal throw may find the yoke in his (or her) belly before achieving full up elevator. A long-legged pilot may have his seat so far aft that some switches and levers are outside his normal reach. The military considers these issues significant enough to publish a list of aircraft and corresponding allowable anthropometric measurements. If some part of your body falls outside the allowable range, you can't fly that aircraft.
Some issues of reach may seem simply inconvenient. We might conclude that having to lean forward and right to reach the landing gear switch is acceptable because we'll only have to do it twice during the flight. However, that inconvenience can become a flight safety issue when, for example, it's time to lower the landing gear during an actual instrument approach. Reaching forward to lower the gear can interrupt instrument scan and/or cause inadvertent yoke movement (lean forward, push the yoke forward).
Speaking of instruments, does the seat position hide any of them? A seat adjusted well forward may place the glareshield between the pilot's eyes and an important gauge or warning light mounted near the top of the instrument panel. A seat positioned well aft might result in the yoke obscuring instruments or switches near the bottom of the instrument panel.
A diligent pilot might compensate for these visual impediments by tilting his head or leaning to check the hidden object periodically. The compensation may seem minor, but it is a distraction. It forces a longer head-down concentration during which the pilot is unable to see and avoid other aircraft. Sudden head movements can also induce vertigo during instrument flight.
A pilot's seat adjustment also affects his external field of view. As the seat position moves aft the pilot's eyes move back from the forward roof line, decreasing his look-up angle. He may opt to lean forward during turns to see a little more of the sky in the turn direction, but leaning forward with one hand still on the yoke generally doesn't help air work because it's a natural inclination to move the yoke or depress a rudder pedal in the direction you're leaning.
A seat's up-and-down adjustment can have similar look-up angle restrictions if the pilot's eyes are high in the cockpit. This effect is more pronounced in high-wing airplanes because the windows can't wrap up the sides of the cabin as they do on a number of low-wing airplanes. Airplanes with high side windows may present a limited look-down capability for the pilot who sits low in the cockpit.
So what is the best way to adjust your seat? The ability to move the flight controls to their limits without impediment is essential. You may not plan to need full control authority, but taking off without it is not a good idea. If you use a kneeboard, put it on and move the yoke through its full range of motion to make sure the yoke doesn't catch it.
The other decisions are judgment calls. If you accept the fact that you'll have to lean to reach the flap switch, remember to keep vertigo-inducing head movements to a minimum. If you accept a limited look-up angle, take extra care to visually check the area before initiating turns. You might also consider rolling out momentarily during the turn to update your clear-sky picture.
We tend to memorize pictures when flying. We know what the proper takeoff rotation pitch picture should look like, and we know the proper landing flare attitude when we see it. We base this visual recognition on the combined picture of airplane and external world. If you change your seat location, the picture will be different and you will have to re-calibrate your mental picture library. Consistent performance is one of the hallmarks of a good pilot, and using the same seat adjustment is one key to your consistency. Determine your best seat position, and use it every flight.
If the seat in the airplane you fly doesn't adjust in the direction you need to go - such as up and down - supplemental cushions are about your only option, especially if your flying machine is a rental. The cushion can give a pilot that extra inch or so of elevation needed to see over the nose or the forward adjustment he needs to depress the rudder pedals fully. Cushions won't help the too-tall pilot and unless he can legally modify the aircraft, his only option is to find another airplane with more room.
Now that you know where you want your seat every time you fly, you should perform one final, critical check. Make sure it's locked in the new position. Nothing can ruin a good takeoff like a seat that slides to the back of its track as the nosewheel lifts off the runway. Inspecting the seat tracks for oval or elongated holes during the preflight inspection is the first step to ensuring seat security.
Finally, be a good Samaritan. If more than one pilot flies the airplane, slide the seat all the way back before you leave the airplane. Some of us aren't as fetal-capable as others.
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