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footwells question

merlin3

Well Known Member
just installed electric flaps in my rv4 and am getting ready to install the rear passenger footwells. I know this has been covered many times as I have searched and read every thread. I found this picture somwhere and can't remember where it came from. Is this an rv4? if so how did they make the footwells so big. did they remove the floor brace and if so is that safe to do?

 
Primary stiffener removed..

That is not the normal footwell size, and yes, there is a primary fuselage stiffener removed. The secondary stiffeners in the floorpan are displaced when adding footwells. I would actually say those would make entry/exit more difficult, as the flat area is gone that you can step on. The standard footwell is simply a V shape, some have a small flat on the bottom. The key to watch for, as the FWD slope has to clear the aileron pushtube at full deflection. Without being critical of the photo you posted, I would say there is some loss of floor strength in that design. I'm not able to post pics at the moment, but if you PM me, I may be able to send you some via Email.
 
How deep is the well?

Justin,
In my RV4 I used the drawings from a builder in the former Van's newsletter from days gone by The RV8R.. They aren't as deep as those shown above. My limitation on depth was the aileron push-rods. The drawings keep them at a safe depth for clearance.
Steve Sampson built a gorgeous RV4 several years ago in the UK, G-IKON.

His blog-spot has yet another gem of wisdom on this subject including said drawings....
http://gikonfuse.blogspot.com/2006/06/

V/R
Smokey


Steve Sampson's G-IKON
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone. I actually got pms from a couple people with pics which helps. I really like the footwells in the pic i posted as i feel like it would be more comfortable for a passenger but not sure if its safe to remove that stiffener.
 
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