Originally Posted by
mtbikerinpa
The sad thing is in training, the primary trainer plane in ww2 could adjust pedals and seat height for a height difference of almost a foot. The fancier fighter planes were not so versatile as they had a lot more going on. The adjustability in the aviation world is still pretty hit or miss. A lot of the planes I work on still subscribe to the add-a-pillow method for short people. Comical sometimes for a $200k+ machine.
What's funny is a 5'9 man can be a different bike from a 5'9 woman, but sometimes inverse from the expectation. I often like large(19-20") frames where several men I know in the same height prefer 17".
Not that I have ever worked with airplanes, but I am old enough to remember when phone books were the default seat adjusters in most contexts!
I'm about 5'9" myself , and I am often surprised by how much leg and arm length can vary between people of the same height. This "no one is average" thing is a really hard concept for people to grasp, but you just posted the perfect example.