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Dad had a stroke. How can I get him in the plane?

JackinMichigan

Well Known Member
My father and I spent 5 years buiding our RV-10, and while I was flying off the mandatory 40 hours he suffered a major stroke. He lost almost complete use of the left side of his body, but thru time and a lot of physical therapy he's been able to regain about 25% of the use of his left leg, but his left arm is still a useless chunk of meat dangling from his left shoulder. He's able to walk with the use of a cane, but his very unstable and cannot climb stairs without strong hand rails.

We both want to get him in the plane, but neither of us can think of a good way. He's not a small man (6'-1" and 240lbs). I ordered a nursing-home style sling used for getting people in and out of bathtubs and tried hooking it to an engine crane, but the crane had not nearly the necessary reach and the aircraft cabin ceiling was too low. He can barely get in his own car, so nothing that needs him to climb into or balance onto anything will work.

We're out of ideas. Does anybody have any workable solutions here? It's absolutely tragic and unfair that he can't get into the plane he spent years building and financing.
 
How about a long ramp from the rear. Remove the front seat and put him in the back seat. It’s much easier to get in and out. Alternatively, mount a hoist to the ceiling of the hangar on a trolly and use the sling you have. My Dad helped with our Rv10 and is now 96. I was able to get him in a couple of months ago. He had not been in the airplane in at least 5years. He was a happy guy after flying that day. It took three of us to get him in and out, but I am going to continue to periodically get him back in.
Keep trying until you find a way!
 
FWIW

Maybe construct a platform on wheels that will bridge the wing. Then sit him on it and slide it into position so he can shuffle across into the aircraft.

If he can't get in from the RHS because of his arm, then maybe load from the left and he can work his way across.

Good Luck
 
Muscle

I had a pilot cousin that I was close to that was in a similar situation. I had a Cessna 210 at the time. It is a high wing which changes things somewhat.
We went to the airport without a plan, but with 5 young muscular cousins/nephews that wanted to help. After a few swear words and work, he was in and we had a wonderful flight. A family project we all remember.
Hope this helps, good luck, it's worth doing.

John Koonce
N78MU
RV10
 
Idea for Dad

Hey I was reading your post and I was thinking that your problem is similar to one that I faced when I was trying to lift a huge water container over a fence but when lowering it down on the other side I needed it to move laterally.

You need to raise your pops up to the height of the seat and move him into the seat. With the least amount of hassle. I think you can do it with two or three ropes, a safety harness and a block and tackle.

I used a basic block and tackle to lift the item, but suspended the pulleys as high as I could so the object could be moved laterally once it was lifted. The higher the pulley, the more lateral movement you'll have to maneuver.

So - it'll take some experimentation, (put a younger friend in the harness!!) because of the wing and the doors, but I'm pretty sure it'll work. You'll need to be able to quickly and securely tie lines to hold them once you've gotten everything the way you want it...but once it's set up, he can be in the plane in five or ten minutes (depending on your hanger set up. (most of them are a post and beam frame, so you'll have places to suspend the rigging.

It's cheap, you don't have to build much, and your dad can use his good arm to help orient himself.

Harness like this:https://www.amazon.com/MelkTemn-Cli...ocphy=9061129&hvtargid=pla-571285579343&psc=1

Block and tackle to reduce the load for lifting dad
:https://www.amazon.com/Hoist-Pulley...ocphy=9061129&hvtargid=pla-591798065914&psc=1


Rope like this to suspend: https://www.amazon.com/Peakworks-Pr...ocphy=9061129&hvtargid=pla-350155525563&psc=1

Rope like this to move dad laterally:https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...ypropylene-Diamond-Braid-Rope-14156/202048173

see attached drawing
 

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A moderate fabrication project.

Hey Jack,

If you are up for a moderate fabrication project, I might have a concept that will do the job. My dad has a similar issue although not quite as much disability. I was able to get him in the plane with a small wide step ladder. Out was another matter. I helped him slide sideways out of the seat onto the wing, drawing his legs out after. Then he scooted with help off the front of the wing with me there to catch him. That got me thinking….

You couldn’t take this with in the plane, but it would be good at the home hanger. Build a small JLG type chair lift on casters. Using a small HF bottle jack, lift the arm with the chair on it to entry height. Roll it forward over the wing with dad in the chair, then help him slide in. Reverse for exit. I’m sure it would do nicely, just need to get into the details of the design. Give me a call if you are interested.
 
Would an engine hoist work?

Put him in a fabric seat like a playground swing. Lift him up and lower him in. Leave the fabric seat under him to lift him out. Just a thought.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your Dad, sometimes life isn't fair but I hope he can still enjoy being a passenger.

My thought on this: Rig a pulley system in the center of the hangar. Take the plane out of the hangar, hoist your dad up in the sling you mentioned, replace the plane under him and lower him down. A remote control garage door opener/pulley system would help.

I wish you luck, sounds like you and your dad are close.
 
I had a close friend (passed on now) with a similar situation, which left him unable to climb in and out of my 6A slider. We flew together almost every Saturday morning for more than a decade. Either his plane, or mine.
I installed a light gauge wire rope on my small electric engine hoist, giving it more reach. I anchored the winch to the hangar floor, and run the cable thru a sheave attached to the hangar rafters. I used a medical sling, similar to what you've described, and fabricated a rigid crossbar.
I placed the sling in a swivel chair, my friend sat down in the sling. I attached the winch cable to the sling, hoisted him high enough to clear the side rail, wheeled the airplane into position, and let him down into the cockpit.

Unhook the winch cable, go fly. Reverse the process when we were done flying.
Sounds more complicated than it is.

The smile on his face was absolutely worth the little bit of extra effort it took to make this work.
 
Sorry guys, the RV10 has gull wing doors. You need to come in above the wing and under the doors to get in. A winch from above won't work
 
Transfer Belt

Have you considered using a Transfer Belt? It is put around the waist and it has handgrips for assisting movement for semi-ambulatory patients in hospitals and nursing homes. At less than $30, it would be a less expensive option that cranes and pulleys and could be used to assist with bathing or bathroom visits.
.
I'm about 3 inches shorter than the U.S. average male and (back in the 1980's) much thinner, but in my years as a Trauma Tech, I could easily help post-CVA patients of 200+ pounds to ambulate.

My 2¢. (YMMV)
 
Not sure if this is a good idea or not, but here it is: Get a tarp, drape it over the wing root close to the fuselage as possible. Lay your Dad on the tarp and drag it up to the door, Then pivot his legs in and lift and help him into the seat. Not sure that would work but its a thought.
 
Jack, you have my sympathy. My dad suffered a massive stroke at 66 y/o, and lost his right side and virtually all speech. In the years before he passed away, we got him in any number of vehicles, but no planes. For your situation, if it's a one time thing the easiest is to find as many people as it takes and man-handle him in and out of position. A lift belt or harness certainly helps.

If you're looking for a longer term solution, I'd recommend something along the lines of a zip line harness. Combine that with a manual lift/pivot beam and you could literally drop him into the seat still wearing the zip line harness, strap him in and fly, then lift him right back out again.

The manual lift/pivot beam I'm picturing is really just a teeter-totter on wheels. Make a suitable frame with sufficient wheel base, and use a beam long enough that you can balance him from the opposite end while you wheel the contraption the few feet from "hook in" to "drop in". If you want to build in some safety, counter weight it for his weight in advance and put travel stops on it to prevent lifting too high inadvertently. If you've got any engineering background, you can figure out how strong a beam you need.

You just need a snap hook / carabiner to connect the zip line harness to the lift beam, and the lift beam should be roughly center chest height. He'd probably grab the beam with his good arm to maintain orientation during the move, and likely could disconnect himself once you set him in the seat.

Best luck to you and your dad.
 
Fix a pallet for him to sit on and use a forklift to reach over the wing. That would probably be the most stable and safest way.
 
How about using a c shaped devise to get around the open door. Top Part of the c above the door and Dad hanging from bottom of the c. This would allow lifting from ceiling. Could be build fair easily out of square tubing. Just my 2 cents.
 
I think the winch and sling concept could work if you fabricate a quick release for the gull wing door hinge.
 
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