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Foot wells for rear passenger

marv1121

Well Known Member
I am interested in installing foot wells for the rear passenger. Has anyone done this before to their already flying RV-4. Are they the same ones that go in the RV-8 Do you make them yourself or buy them pre made from Van's. Any info would be helpful.
 
They are not the same as an rv-8 but you can use them. Look for pics on the links below my name. I have pics of how i did it. Also, i have explained the process on VAF in posts. You may be able to find it using the search function. Good luck. Easy project and well worth the comfort for the aft pasenger.
 
what I did

The foot wells are super easy, and by far the best thing for passenger comfort in the -4. I made mine from .032" scraps, and had them done in an afternoon. My advise, is make the cutouts in he floor pan, then stick it back in the plane and fold up some cardboard footwells and fit them to make sure they do not interfere with aileron torque tube, moved in full travel both ways. They will be close...depending on the shape you make.
 
Thanks Bill, those are great pictures of your footwell install job. I plan on starting this job soon.
 
De plans, de plans!

I am interested in installing foot wells for the rear passenger. Has anyone done this before to their already flying RV-4. Are they the same ones that go in the RV-8 Do you make them yourself or buy them pre made from Van's. Any info would be helpful.

Marvin,
The foot wells were one of the single best mods I made to my RV4, 20 years hence. The original plans were drawn up by a builder and posted in the now defunct RV8R newsletter from Vans, well-referenced above by Axel. Pay close attention to aileron push-rod clearance.
The original drawings were modified by Cloud Dancer and referenced in links below.
V/R
Smokey

Original Drawings:
Here is a blog spot thread clip from Cloud Dancer several years ago:

We changed the design of the foot-wells as shown in the RVator a little bit. The distance of the front side from F-404 is 0.5“ larger and it has different angles. We worked it out while seating in the backseat to get a good position of our feet (5ft 10inch tall).

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/8451320808_da8eaa8813.jpg
A sketch of our design with measurements in mm. The black line shows the position of the design as published in the RVator. I discussed the aileron pushrod clearance issue of our design with Ken Scott of Vans. It was ok for him. If I remember correctly, he said that you should have at least 5mm clearance (general rule).
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8334/8451320702_40e4bbf3aa.jpg
We thought about using the RV-8 parts. I don't know how they compare intereference wise. We finally went with our own design, because we liked to have a small flat part on the bottom.
 
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If I install rear seat rudder pedals does the passenger raise his feet out of the wells to use the pedals? Not sure how that works as I have never sat in a 4 that had the wells AND pedals.

I sure appreciate your posts and pics Axel. I'm a fellow Aero guy.
 
If I install rear seat rudder pedals does the passenger raise his feet out of the wells to use the pedals? Not sure how that works as I have never sat in a 4 that had the wells AND pedals.

I sure appreciate your posts and pics Axel. I'm a fellow Aero guy.

Aero guys rule!! Joking.

The geometry of the pedals for the aft person is not optimal. I found the configuration i tried (with foot wells) was not usable. I never felt as i had control of the aircraft. My feet were inside the footwells. I am sure someone else may have had a better experience than mine.
 
more foot well

Do a search in VAF for user name "Cement85" do exact search make sure you capitalize the "C" in Cement. this thread has diagrams which I used in my 4
The footwells work fine. As I remember, maybe a little trimming to gain clearance for controls, maybe not. This thread also has links from Steve Sampsons build log "Ikon" IMO the best best and most informative log relating to the RV4.
 
My Rocket used the footwell box as the mount for the rear rudder pedals. The pivot was at the very bottom of the well, and the whole assembly came out as one unit when you removed all the screws. I removed the pedals almost immediately however, as the interface to the main rudder cables just wasn't very clean. Lots of rubbing and weird angles.
 
Footwells

Agree with Axel. Never found rudder buttons in rear seat of RV-8 adequate for good control; after landing (from the back) I would ask the pilot in front to finish the roll-out. I wasn't comfortable doing that. It was his airplane!
 
Foot wells were constructed from scratch and installed just a few days ago. They look good and make the rear seat much more comfortable. I got back there and tried them out, on the ground. Have not had a real passenger use them yet.
Thanks for all the good info, it made the project go very smooth.
 
Using the Cloud Dancer plans Smokyray linked to and the RV-4 Fastback Pics of Axel, I still can't tell if the sidewalls of the foot wells are to be riveted on the outside of the 90* bends in the V shaped flooring or on the inside of the bends? In other words, when one looks into the foot well, can the bends be seen?
 
Nothing new under the sun...

I am interested in installing foot wells for the rear passenger. Has anyone done this before to their already flying RV-4. Are they the same ones that go in the RV-8 Do you make them yourself or buy them pre made from Van's. Any info would be helpful.

Marv/John,
This is an age old question that has been discussed many times over the years on this forum. A quick reference to the search tab above will yield a plethora of usable data on virtually any RV related (and various other) subjects.
Many years ago, Van queried early RV4 builders via a survey as to what we would change in the newly designed but yet unreleased RV8. Passenger foot wells was one of the top requests.
An early RV4 builder (Paul McReynolds) crafted foot wells for his RV4, printed a set of plans and submitted them to the now defunct RV8R newsletter. They can be found in the 24 years of the RV8R book I highly recommend for any non builder of the original RV's. My friend Steve Sampson was savvy enough to post them on his blog during the construction of what I believe is the quintessential RV4, G-IKON. Here is a link to the plans. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_n0oPgd-_rrk/RsKwjmPQj0I/AAAAAAAAAW8/29nDfOhbf8A/s1600-h/HPIM0980.jpg
I built mine in a day of mild rivet work, cutting and fitting. Be careful that they are not too deep as the aileron pushrods will rub the bottom. One of the single best mods to the RV4 I made.
I added my own design rear rudder pedals that were basically stirrups that clamped to the rudder cables that folded out of the way or could be removed.
I considered my RV4 more like an RV3 with big baggage and not a dual control, instruct from the rear seat airplane, nor would I ever put anyone in the front seat who wasn't qualified to solo it. My 2 cents.

Rear foot wells are highly recommended. Just do it...

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=56247
VAF link to one of many threads on subject.

V/R
Smokey
 
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Need some pics?

John,
You had your feet in mine when I took you for a ride last visit you made to NC! You forgot to take a picture didn't you!
 
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