What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

RV-8 Stick Height

D

David-aviator

Well Known Member
The stock RV-8 front seat stick has to be shortened to clear the instrument panel when the stick is full forward.

I had shortened mine so it just cleared the panel, however my DAR pointed out I could not press the PTT button when full forward, the clearance was so close.

So, I took another inch off it. Now it seems too short, like it is just level with my knees if an appropriate cushion is used to better see forward.

The stick height from the bearing attachment is 13", could some of you measure your front seat stick height for comparison?

Thanks, and if it is around 13", how are you getting along with it?

I am considering ordering another stick or attaching an extension to it to make it feel better AND rigging the elevator rod end bearings so the stick slopes back a bit and does not interfere with the IP. The plan calls for the stick to be vertical for roll and pitch when the elevators and ailerons are in neutral and that mandates the stick be shortened because it goes so far forward as to hit the IP. But there may be enough thread at the rod ends to move it back a bit so it does not hit the IP.

Have any of you done this to keep the stick from ending up under the IP when full forward?
 
David:

You might be over-thinking this. If you can put the stick under the instrument panel while flying you will be superman. I went through the same dilemma when building and finished with the stick just clearing under the panel hoping that would be enough.

Then I flew the airplane (years later ;)).

I can't get the stick anywhere near the bottom of the panel while flying. The aerodynamic forces are just too great. So my 2 cents is to keep the stick as long as possible so that flying position will be more comfortable/natural and your leverage will be greater.

Chris

Note: On the ground it may be nice to be able to move the stick under the panel for maintenance, etc. So just clearing it seems to have worked for me.
 
HI David,

1) Yes, the stick is going to feel pretty short for it to clear the panel
2) Bending the stick helps (at east for my geometry), but doesn't eliminate the need for the short stick.
3) You get quite used to it, and it has never been a problem fr me. Frankly, I frequently hold the stick at the bottom of the grip.

Paul
 
David-aviator said:
I had shortened mine so it just cleared the panel, however my DAR pointed out I could not press the PTT button when full forward, the clearance was so close.
Click to expand...

OK stupid question. Why would one have a need to be able to push on the PTT while the stick is full forward?

On my rocket I cut/rewelded the front of the control weldment and brought the stick back 2-1/2" so it is exactly where I want it and no more interference with the panel. No reason why this couldn't be done with the RV-8.
 
Last edited:
Front stick

Is there anyone currently bending -8 sticks? When sitting in a 8 the stick seems too far forward with a straight stick.
 
Make a mitered z-bend (cut and weld) in the stick immediately below the grip. It's the only geometry that allows for a comfortably long stick with proper throws. I used a ~4" aft displacement with ~3-5° fwd angle relative to the lower portion of the stick.
 
Last edited:
David-aviator said:
T

I am considering ordering another stick or attaching an extension to it to make it feel better AND rigging the elevator rod end bearings so the stick slopes back a bit and does not interfere with the IP. The plan calls for the stick to be vertical for roll and pitch when the elevators and ailerons are in neutral and that mandates the stick be shortened because it goes so far forward as to hit the IP. But there may be enough thread at the rod ends to move it back a bit so it does not hit the IP.

Have any of you done this to keep the stick from ending up under the IP when full forward?
Click to expand...

If you rig the bearings so that the stick points a bit aft at neutral controls, you will have an interference problem at full aft stick. Getting full aft stick is much more important than full forward stick (unless you plan to fly upside down). If you rig it the way you suggest, the stick will hit the seat cushion, and perhaps even the front lip of the seat ramp.

For what it is worth, I cut my stick to the length that clears the bottom of the panel with enough clearance that if my thumb were on the top of the stick, it would not get wedged between the stick and the bottom of the panel. So it clears by about a 1/2" or a bit less. I don't have any switches on the top of the stick, the PTT is a trigger-finger switch.

I was going to bend my stick, or do the miter welding, but I decided to try the straight one first and I am glad I did. For my height and arm length, the stick is perfect as it is.

My only complaint is that with normal seat-back cushion and no parachute, my arm reach is not long enough to get enough forward stick travel to unload the airplane fully on the inverted 45 for a cuban 8.
With my aerobatic seat-back and parachute, I sit enough farther forward that it is not a problem. Contrary to a previous post, I find no excessive stick force that prevents pushing the stick that far forward, but it is a long arm extension.
 
My 2 cents

David,

I had the same concerns when finishing up my 8A. I have a 10 inch Dynon and was able to take a little bit off the bottom of the instrument panel and also bent my stick so it would rest in a natural spot for me when flying. I fly helicopters for a living and have that helo pilot slouch when I fly (I think that started in Huey?s). I used a piece of conduit to figure out exactly how I wanted the stick and then took it to a master welder and had him copy the conduit. He said he would never do it again as it was a very difficult thing to get the stick to bend just right and look good. I am vertically challenged, and have not developed my gut yet so it is perfect for me. However someone tall and maybe with a bit of a belly would not be able to get the stick all the way aft. As a side note I also moved the throttle back about 6 inches so it rests nicely in my left hand. Best of luck and hope you are in the air soon,
 
Stu McCurdy said:
The bent stick provides a much better position for body, arm when flying, and it allows for full movement of the stick inflight.
Click to expand...

Stu, are you able to retain the stick at its full length when bent? I am in the process of purchasing a -8 and the stick ergonomics also bother me when compared to my -4. At least the panel in the -8 is further away...I think.
 
springer said:
Stu, are you able to retain the stick at its full length when bent? I am in the process of purchasing a -8 and the stick ergonomics also bother me when compared to my -4. At least the panel in the -8 is further away...I think.
Click to expand...

Yes, I used full stick length with the Infinity grip on the top. The S shape allowed me to be able to pull the stick full back (against the seat belt) and push it full forward (as it touches bottom of panel). I did not BEND it, rather drew a cardboard silhouette and made three cuts about 3/4 through on onside radius of two places it needed to bend. Then after it followed the silhouette I welded the cuts to follow the profile.

The RV-8 panel is definitely further away than the RV-4 panel. It ends up at 19", just right for the lower range in my Tri-focals!
 
My RV-8 has a strait stick that is 12" from bearing to top of stick and then the grip adds 3/4" on top of that.

I do not feel it is too short but it is definitely too far forward. I'd need the grip offset 2.5" aft to fit in the natural position for my hand for most flying.

Someday I will investigate solutions but it would require cut & weld to get the desired offset aft.
 
Not sure of the length..

But I cut mine to clear the bottom of the panel and the cross member between gear towers. I didn't worry much about leaving room for a finger on top. If I have that much forward stick into it, I probably won't be adjusting the trim or changing flap positions.
 
Stick

I cut mine off 2" above the pivot , made a reducer out of 4130 to allow the use of a 7/8" stick . Nice working on the plane with no stick in the way . Also the rear stick is 7/8" same as motorcycle , Atv , and bicycle bar and grip sizes.

Tom
 
Stick bending

There was someone you could send your stick to and he would bend it and return it to you in about a week. I cannot find the old thread regarding this, does anyone recall who was doing this?
 
rocketbob said:
OK stupid question. Why would one have a need to be able to push on the PTT while the stick is full forward?
Click to expand...

I can think of only two reasons to ever have a need to put the stick FULL forward - inverted stalls/spins, and maybe taxiing with a strong wind on your tail. 99% of RV pilots will never come close to putting the stick full forward in flight. Applying full forward on a taildragger takeoff roll or wheel landing rollout is completely unnecessary. So I guess we're left with the ability to make a taxi call while taxiing in a strong tailwind.
 
PTT can go on the throttle

David-aviator said:
... I could not press the PTT button when full forward, the clearance was so close.
Click to expand...
Simply a suggestion: the PTT could be installed on the throttle. If you look closely you can make out the black PTT switch on the black throttle in this view:

PTT.jpg


And if anyone's taking a poll, you can count me among those who:
  1. Have had my stick bent and love the ergonomics.
  2. Have not found an issue with my fingers/hand on top of a full forward stick under the instrument panel.
--
Joe
RV-8A flying
 
Joe said:
And if anyone's taking a poll, you can count me among those who:
  1. Have had my stick bent and love the ergonomics.
  2. Have not found an issue with my fingers/hand on top of a full forward stick under the instrument panel.
--
Joe
RV-8A flying
Click to expand...
or, option 3 - Cut and offset the stick aft. This is the best of the three configurations, speaking from actual experience having tried them all. Full stick height, clears the seat and clears the panel.
 
Last edited:
Rear cockpit stick

I cut the front cockpit stick so as to just clear the instrument panel with an Infinity stick grip. Front cockpit stick grip does feel a little low and too far forward but I am getting used to it. Current problem is the rear cockpit stick contacts the back of the Classic Aero seat. Looks like bending a curve in the stick to place the Infinity grip further aft would fix the problem. Shortening the stick would leave a very short stick in the rear cockpit. Any ideas how to get a good bend in the stick?
 
dcasey1 said:
I cut the front cockpit stick so as to just clear the instrument panel with an Infinity stick grip. Front cockpit stick grip does feel a little low and too far forward but I am getting used to it. Current problem is the rear cockpit stick contacts the back of the Classic Aero seat. Looks like bending a curve in the stick to place the Infinity grip further aft would fix the problem. Shortening the stick would leave a very short stick in the rear cockpit. Any ideas how to get a good bend in the stick?
Click to expand...
I miter cut and offset my rear stick as well.
 
Low Pass said:
or, option 3 - Cut and offset the stick aft. This is the best of the three configurations, speaking from actual experience having tried them all. Full stick height, clears the seat and clears the panel.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I think that "Best" is a matter of taste. I have flown -8's with long sticks, and personally don't like them - I generally fly even my shortened (and bent) stick with the BOTTOM of the stick grip.

The nice thing is that the stick is relatively cheap to replace (compared to the price of an -8), so if a person does something and doesn't like it, the change to try something else isn't that bad.

BTW, I am a believer that whatever stick you have, you need to have full elevator travel per plans.
 
As you can see by the responses everyone has diifferent preferences. I found that you can rig a mockup stick out of PVC and aluminium tubing. The PVC bolts in place at the weldment and the tubing is mounted inside the PVC and is easily bendable . Then sit and test what feels best to you. If you need to modify the stick you have a template for the geometry you want.

We ended up with a shallow s bend and cutting some off the top.
 
Last edited:
This may have been mentioned, but make sure you have your seats in place before you consider bending your sticks. I left mine straight, and am glad I did as they just touch my seats (Flightline Interiors, Infinity Grips) in the full aft position. If I had bent them they would not work!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top