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Stick Bending

rv8gibbo

Well Known Member
Hi Guys,
I'm looking at getting my stick bent with the 1.5" offset but I'm
a little concerned with making it work with the otto grip.

3 questions

How far aft does the stick go in relation to the seat pan?

Does the stick travel underneath the bulkhead brace forward of the panel?

Judging by the photos and the bottom side of the grip am I going to create problems with the seat cushions later or can they be recessed out to suit?

With the stick mocked up with conduit I can get my thumb on the top hat and clear the bottom side of the panel but not the forward brace.
20180807_181414_zpspucqim1f.jpg
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20180807_181359_zpsgxnhhski.jpg


Cheers
Gibbo
 
Recommend you reconsider.

I recently replaced a bent stick in an RV-8 with the stock straight stick. The builder did the bend because everyone told him it was needed. Now flying with both the bent and straight stick, we agree - the straight stick is better.

If nothing else, defer this decision until after you rig the plane. You might find whatever reason you think you need this goes away.

Carl
 
I?ve had ?bent? sticks in both of my RV-8?s. Mine isn?t actually bent. I cut it and welded in the offset piece to create a 2? offset. I?ve flown with straight stock sticks and I prefer my offset stick. It can be a little taller than stock because it doesn?t reach the gear tower cross brace, which is lower than the bottom of the IP. My stick doesn?t touch the seat pan so there?s no issue there. That fore and aft movement is configurable when you rig the controls.

In my opinion, the stock stick in the he RV-8 is too short. My offset gives me about an extra inch or so. To me, this is more comfortable, and creates no issues with control movement in all phases of normal and acro flight. In my first RV-8 I actually cut the bottom of the IP about 1 1/2? shorter in the middle to allow a taller stick. That one was perfect! When I decided to upgrade my panel to a G3X IFR setup, I needed the real estate and had to shorten the stick to clear the new stock panel shape. This is one of those personal preference things and should be something that you find functional and comfortable. The guy that bought my first RV-8 prefers the offset also, as his first RV-8 had the stock configuration.
 
Recommend you search the archives for "RV-8 stick height" or "stick bend." Lots of historical discussions. And bending is not the only option.
 
Thanks for everyone's feedback I'm going to run a straight stick to start with as the bent one offered isn't going to work with my grip. I will worry about it at a later stage. :)

Cheers
Gibbo
 
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