That wouldn't be a picture of you would it??? [X(]

Just kidding of course.

Ken

I used to fly with a bunch of "glider only" groups back when the only launches were by bungee or winch. Back then, glider flyers and power flyers couldn't really mix without conflict. And the glider fields ran very differently than power fields do. And because of that, the glider field I flew at very often saw lawn chairs and such. And because of that, we did quite a bit of "lawn chair" experimentation. That is to say, we tried out lots of different types of chairs.

The ones that worked out best were two different kinds of "best".

The best glider flying chairs are Adirondack type. Their backs slope and are tall enough that they support your head when looking UP. But they're dead wrong for power field use. And I only mention them to introduce the other "best" chairs. Because they wouldn't be good things to have sitting out on the flight lines at power fields.

There are a couple of lines of folding chairs that would be good for "special use" at power fields. Most folding chairs are made too low or too hard to get out of. The ones that are good aren't hard to get out of. The ones we found to work best were aluminum tube with canvas that stretched firmly. They are decently rigid when opened so are easy to grab and run with. And easy to get out of if you need to grab them and run. And because they're decently rigid, it's easier to get out of them.

Unfortunately, I gave mine to a buddy when I moved away from that glider field or I'd look at the mfg tag and post a picture. But I've been meaning to find a duplicate or two for my "new" club. We've got a couple of older guys who would benefit from their use. Now I got a good reason to start looking again.

Tall stools work very well.
They are easy to stand up from if you need to get out of the way, you can easily turn from side to side, and they give similar sight lines to standing.

some of you guys must have some crazy pilots with all this talk of having to get out of the way LOL

Man, you got that right, Minnflyer!!!

DS.

Others.. thanks for the input. That one-leged stool, colapsing aluminum post with canvas top sounds like the way to go. Easy to transport and easy to set up.

Yeah, Bigtim.. well, you're right, at least for the weekend a few weekends ago. Newly solo'ed pilot, Chris (and he will probably read this.. Hi Chris..ha) had just gotten the talk about dead-sticks and went through several simulated dead sticks. Well, he managed to solo just fine and was off and running. Well, he managed to get I think four dead sticks that day, one of which ended up in the pits. Congrats to him for getting it down, but a few of us did't really run the other way, but briskly walked..ha.. sorry Chris.. if you know what I mean.. all with smiles on our faces knowing what he was going through. Hey, it happens!! I put one in the pitts a while ago.. so I know how it feels to both have it happen and to run away at the same time..ha..

My first weekend after solo, I had I think I remember, four dead sticks, until I figured out how to adjust the fuel mixture on my OS 46!!! ha.. but, landed it I did and learn I did, as Chris did that weekend. We all had a good day, though, and enjoyed our day of flying.

I think Dick's Sporting Center has those colapsing stools.. will check that out.

Thanks for the ideas, guys, and thanks for sharing the experiences and success stories. It's often difficult to overcome a physical issue, and it's always nice to hear that someone has surpassed that and is either still flying or has taken up the sport and enjoying it in spite of the physical issues. I've lost about 15 pounds so far, and already I find that I am more and more tolerant to standing while flying. My goal is another 35 pounds or so, and I'll be able to fit in to my retirement uniform again.. ha.. and fly without lower back pain.


DS.

You were at Rabbit on a rare day. I don't do that very much. Getting too old now!

But I do like to sit back in a lawn chair and shoot touch-and-goes. Especially on a warm afternoon when there are only a few of us remaining at the field. Take a Robinhood 99 or now a Giant Super Sportster and just pass the trasnmitter around while everybody tries to one-up the others on a spectacular approach technique. Try a take-off - Stall turn - and land in the opposite direction -or- howabout a take-off - emmelman and split-S to landing with maybe a forward (or side) slip to landing. Hand the transmitter to the next guy sitting next to you while you grab a chip, some salsa and a coke. We don't allow beer or this wouldn't last very long.

Of course with the Robinhood 99, We could set up the approach and set the transmitter on the ground at our feet and see who grabs it after the plane lands itself. [:-] There is plenty of room at Rabbit Dry Lake.

Hi

I often like to sit down or even lie down to fly in the summer when the grass is in a suitable state.

When slope soaring i like to eat my sandwiches while flying a floaty type slope soarer that only needs a bit of guidance every so often.

Simon

First and Formost SAFETY! Sorry AKFireMedic But if a plane started coming at you your going to be in a world of hurt I use those chairs to fish with they are hard to get out of ( My fat asd;lr isnt no help but those things are hard to get out of.
If I was going to use a Chair it would be something like a Bar stool something with no sides that you can escape out of.
I do however agree that comfort is important so I would say get a Stool. One field I was at had Saw Horses that a Flier could lean on

P.S I hate sounding like I a preaching here but these planes can Kill I remember a while back a person was killed at a show. He was behind a Safety chain link fence with a overhead spure the RC plane hit the fence and the motor came loose and struck him in the head

Did it again.
Flying while sitting down.
Don't try this at home. I am a trained professional.
This is dangerous and could cause injury, death or even high repair costs.

hey thats amazing, can you juggle too. wow you made my day.[sm=biggrin.gif][sm=biggrin.gif]

No, Can't Juggle but my son learned to juggle instead of learning to ride the Unicycle. He still became a great pilot but I can't see a way to combine the two.
BTW, I CAN Ride, Fly and Chew gum at the same time. I use to have a "sponsor" that provided me with a gumball each time I flew a demo at a local air show. That was in response th the announcer that bet that I couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time.

They were just checking to see if you were still awake....
Look at Don, I never seen him standing to fly
I have to move his chair each time I mow

Our club is in Illinois and like yours no restrictions on whether you stand or sit. Some guys always stand, some almost always sit, one guy is 95!, and some do both. I usually stand to take off and land and then sit during the flight. We have no problems with sharing pins or airtime. We found alot of guys do better once they try sitting, older flyers have more balance issues when standing for longer periods. Had one pilot who had an inner ear problem and would fall over if he looked up for too long, he would not try to fly sitting down, so he only flew with another competent pilot by his side, it worked out fine and he recovered from his medical problem. Whole point is to help each other and have fun.

Sit if you want to.

Why dont most people sit when flying?
Why dont people stand while watching tv?

Sometimes, laying on the ground is nice when you fly wery high. I do this often.

If you practice at home flying the flight simulator (sitting), you SHOULD sit at the field while flying so that you are in the same condition. Otherwise, Real Flight should have a disclaimer - "NO SITTING".

Getting old is truly better than the alternative!