Back Seat Controls For RV-8

I ordered a back seat throttle quadrant from Van's. When it showed up (CT81R) it was only the throttle. I called them and asked for the 3-lever rendition and they said there is no such thing. Hmmm... different story than when I ordered the 3-lever quadrant.

Anyway, they suggested I get on the forum and ask how the experts put full throttle, mixture and prop control in the back seat?

Has anyone done this? Can I order the front seat quadrant and modify?

Thanks,

Bob

I have not seen this done before. There is very little room through the bulkhead to connect the controls. It would take quite a bit of work. There is not a drop in full control for the 8 rear that Im aware of.
A full control would impede on the width in that area of the left knee for the pax.

Careful with cut-outs back there too

I've seen a few attempts to do this. Generally they have been a bit too casual about hacking big cutouts in the bulkheads and ribs to mount the quadrant and run the pushrods.

I think it could be done, but be very careful about not making any significant cutouts that interrupt the stiffening flanges on the bulkheads or ribs. If you do, make a second piece, like an angle strap that spans across the cutout with at least two or three screws on each end.

I think I could get a two-lever quadrant in there, but three would be very tight.

Why go to all the trouble when for 99% of the time someone in back flies throttle only is all they need?

Yes, I know , to do a full descent from altitude from a go-around it would all be nice, but if the throttle is to let someone in the back get some stick time you're fine with throttle only.

I installed a throttle in the back to give my wife a fighting chance should something happen to me in the front seat of our -8 and as a non-pilot I don't think she needs to be thinking about mixture and prop, just power and airspeed and finding a place to land.

Throttle only

The throttle is the only lever needed in the back seat. The front will always be occupied, so that person can operate the mixture and prop.

Over the last fifteen years I have let dozens of rear seat passengers fly the aircraft. If that person was a pilot, they got to use the throttle. In all cases the other two levers were all mine.

If your desire is to train in your 8, I don't recommend it. IMHO, RV's are great for transition training, but NOT primary training.

As has been already pointed out, there is not enough room for three pushrods to operate between the front and back, and not enough side legroom for three handles.

Rear Throttle

I installed the Van's kit with throttle lever only. I have had ex-F16 pilots fly from the rear...it was all they needed...

In a previous -8, I got tired of rear-seaters bumping the Vans rear throttle lever with their left knee. I just hate it when the engine changes note unexpectedly in cruise...

Thus this simple throttle rod. It's a machined knob, a length of aluminum tubing threaded at both ends, and an old turnbuckle cable eye. The knob is in a recess where it never gets bumped. It pivots on the outside of the pilot's throttle, so there's no interference with the standard cable hookups.

And I can attest that Dan's little throttle knob works just fine for a little two ship close formation. I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time flying from the back seat and I'm only installing a throttle. The "other" pilot better have the other controls set correctly, or else!

We did pretty much the same thing in my -8 as Dan did. I used the rod and some of the hardware from the Vans' rear seat throttle kit. It works fine.