Stratford-on-Avon Gliding Club: Photo Gallery

Seat Hoist

The Seat Hoist is designed to assist disabled pilots into and out of the aircraft. The pilot starts in a sitting position, in a wheelchair or on a chair, and is lifted into the cockpit.

The hoist was designed to work with the K21 or the K13s, but only the K21 has the Hand-rudder Adaptation necessary to allow pilots without the ability to use the rudder pedals to fly solo.


The original drawing of the proposed hoist, from 1998, when it was the subject of a feasibility study.
A drawing of the Seat Hoist, as it addresses the glider.
The hoist was designed and built by Neil Campbell, who was a design engineer by profession until his retirement, and is a member of the West Midlands panel of REMAP, an organisation of volunteer engineers and therapists which helps solve problems for disabled people.

The design is original. If you're a gliding club who are interested in building a similar device, Neil is happy to help, but the design is his, and it would be discourteous, not to mention illegal, to copy it without his permission.

The construction is box aluminium tubing. The legs are asymmetric: the right leg is shorter, and butts up to the fuselage; the left leg is longer, to provide stability, and is low enough to slide under the nose of the aircraft.

The hoist lifted 160kg during testing, and is certified to lift 120kg. The hydraulic ram is operated by a long lever which needs less than a 10kg pull to operate it.

The operator's viewpoint, showing the asymmetric legs.
The hoist folds up without the need for dismantling, and is easily stowed on the wall of the hangar. Its total weight is about 40kg, and since it has dolly wheels at one end, it can easily be moved by one person.

Geoff Butler, obligatory guinea-pig as Chairman, in the sling; Roy Wood, safety officer, manipulating him (steady!); Neil Campbell, inventor, operating the hoist.

Once the pilot has been lifted, their feet are positioned over the cockpit, and the hoist is moved so that the whole sling is over the cockpit seat. As the sling is lowered, two or three pairs of hands may be needed to help, depending on the degree of disability. However, since the hoist takes all the weight and is easily controlled, this is straightforward and safe.

The sky in the background turned into a hailstorm two minutes later.