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Rv 4 back seat rudder peddles
- Thread starter Jetspud
- Start date
fixnflyguy
Well Known Member
Depends on a couple things
I have a -4 that I built with no rear pedals or throttle, and I'm going to at least add the throttle for my wife who likes to fly, but not land or take off. I have seen a ton of variations on RV-4's I maintain, so depending on your intent to have them just for training, or long term will be the factor of ease and elegance. A simple set of bolt to the floor pedals connected via cable clamps can be installed in a couple hours if you don't have sidewall covers. There are also variations with all the mechanical linkage under the floor, requiring some significant surgery and possible re-organization of existing systems. For the throttle/mixture, depending on your quadrant location, usually a simple rod/clevis can be run through the side stiffeners with grommets to a push-pull knob for the backseater (non-elegant). A full second quadrant in the rear can also be rigged together via short teleflex or rod linkages. I personally, will be doing the small knob style. The RV-4 is very space limited, and I don't want a PAX getting all caught up in the monkey motion.
I have a -4 that I built with no rear pedals or throttle, and I'm going to at least add the throttle for my wife who likes to fly, but not land or take off. I have seen a ton of variations on RV-4's I maintain, so depending on your intent to have them just for training, or long term will be the factor of ease and elegance. A simple set of bolt to the floor pedals connected via cable clamps can be installed in a couple hours if you don't have sidewall covers. There are also variations with all the mechanical linkage under the floor, requiring some significant surgery and possible re-organization of existing systems. For the throttle/mixture, depending on your quadrant location, usually a simple rod/clevis can be run through the side stiffeners with grommets to a push-pull knob for the backseater (non-elegant). A full second quadrant in the rear can also be rigged together via short teleflex or rod linkages. I personally, will be doing the small knob style. The RV-4 is very space limited, and I don't want a PAX getting all caught up in the monkey motion.
smokyray
Well Known Member
Pedaling fast as I can...
Many years ago after reading an excellent article in the now defunct Van's RV8R newsletter, I installed the single best cockpit mod ever in my RV4, rear passenger foot-wells.
Now that back-seaters had a place for their heels, (water bottles, wallet, keys etc) I thought I would experiment with rear rudder pedals. Not that I encourage anyone to have a fully functional rear cockpit in a Four (weight, cost simplicity notwithstanding) however, the thought of small tabs attached to the rudder cables became a reality.
The RV8 rear rudder "Tabs" have been modified into a Four but I personally don't like them. Later, when I bought and rebuilt my Harmon Rocket II, (basically a slightly bigger Four) the rear rudder pedal (and throttle) idea returned.
So...
I stopped by the Home Depot aviation department and bought a pair of small cable clamps and a sheet of .040 aluminum. After drilling a couple of holes and some bending I had some usable small tabs you could dig into the soles of tennis shoes into and move the rudder.
I sat in the Rocket's "pit", placed them comfortably on the cables and tightened the clamps. Yessir, rear rudder control in a pinch, light, simple and cheap.
Like RV's used to be...
Voila, experimentation by definition...
V/R
Smokey
Hey David,
Many years ago after reading an excellent article in the now defunct Van's RV8R newsletter, I installed the single best cockpit mod ever in my RV4, rear passenger foot-wells.
Now that back-seaters had a place for their heels, (water bottles, wallet, keys etc) I thought I would experiment with rear rudder pedals. Not that I encourage anyone to have a fully functional rear cockpit in a Four (weight, cost simplicity notwithstanding) however, the thought of small tabs attached to the rudder cables became a reality.
The RV8 rear rudder "Tabs" have been modified into a Four but I personally don't like them. Later, when I bought and rebuilt my Harmon Rocket II, (basically a slightly bigger Four) the rear rudder pedal (and throttle) idea returned.
So...
I stopped by the Home Depot aviation department and bought a pair of small cable clamps and a sheet of .040 aluminum. After drilling a couple of holes and some bending I had some usable small tabs you could dig into the soles of tennis shoes into and move the rudder.
I sat in the Rocket's "pit", placed them comfortably on the cables and tightened the clamps. Yessir, rear rudder control in a pinch, light, simple and cheap.
Like RV's used to be...
Voila, experimentation by definition...
V/R
Smokey
Last edited:
Stewbronco
Well Known Member
Pictures
Hi Smokeyray ....any pictures of the rear " rudder pedal " set up ??THANKS. Stew
Hi Smokeyray ....any pictures of the rear " rudder pedal " set up ??THANKS. Stew
Last edited:
David,
Flyboyaccesories makes a very simple easy to install rear seat pedals. I installed on my -4 and they work great. They fold down when you are solo and don’t interfere at all with the front seat. Here is the link:
https://www.flyboyaccessories.com/searchresults.asp?Search=Rudder+pedals&Submit=
As for the rear seat throttles, that is simple too. I just bought the standard throttle quadrant and removed the mixture control (makes the quadrant much narrower which gives more knee room for the RCP person. I riveted two angle aluminum pieces to the existing fuselage ribs (top and bottom) to mount the quadrant. Them I took a 1/4” round aluminum piece, put a clevis on both ends and to connect to the FCP throttle and the rear quadrant. So both throttles move in conjunction. If I could figure out how to post a picture on this forum, I would add some pictures of what I did. PM me with your email and I would be happy to send them.
Zem
Flyboyaccesories makes a very simple easy to install rear seat pedals. I installed on my -4 and they work great. They fold down when you are solo and don’t interfere at all with the front seat. Here is the link:
https://www.flyboyaccessories.com/searchresults.asp?Search=Rudder+pedals&Submit=
As for the rear seat throttles, that is simple too. I just bought the standard throttle quadrant and removed the mixture control (makes the quadrant much narrower which gives more knee room for the RCP person. I riveted two angle aluminum pieces to the existing fuselage ribs (top and bottom) to mount the quadrant. Them I took a 1/4” round aluminum piece, put a clevis on both ends and to connect to the FCP throttle and the rear quadrant. So both throttles move in conjunction. If I could figure out how to post a picture on this forum, I would add some pictures of what I did. PM me with your email and I would be happy to send them.
Zem
