Co-pilot brakes

I have a RV 9A. I want to install Co-pilot brakes. I see a kit on vans for this upgrade. Has anyone installed these? Is it a tough job? About how long should it take?

Thanks

Tom

Copilot brakes

If it is same kit as RV6A it is not too difficult . If I can do it I?d say anybody can.

Hard part and time consuming part was getting all the air out of lines. You will need a pressure type brake purge system to force the air out of the high spots

I did it from bottom up

Did a long time ago but probably a day long job

Good luck, wish I did it earlier

Once you make the brake pedals, you need to drill them with leaning forwaya little bit. The thing is, they need to be at different angles in relation to the rudder bars as they hang down at different angles.

If you drill them so they are vertical, you will ride the brakes all the time. They need to be set so you have to point your toes to apply the brakes.

I agree that you will need a pressure pump to bleed the lines.

I bought a tall weed sprayer (the short ones put the air pump in the brake fluid.) and modified the tip will some poly tubing and a barb fitting. Worked GREAT!

N941WR said:

Once you make the brake pedals, you need to drill them with leaning forwaya little bit. . .

Click to expand...

Ok, I give up. What in the world does this mean?

RVbySDI said:

Ok, I give up. What in the world does this mean?

Click to expand...

It means when you drill the hole that sets the angle of pedals, you do not want the brake pedals standing vertically. You want them leaning slightly forward.

I'm not flying yet Bill......but what if the pedals are vertical but you have rudder pedal extensions?? Good to go? If not, when you say slightly forward, what is slightly...I would imagine this will vary depending upon a few factors such as seat adjustment, leg length.

Hard to know what to set these to when building as I recall the plans don't give much of a "flying setting" dimensions.

Good to have your actual flying experience feedback though

snoop9erdog said:

I'm not flying yet Bill......but what if the pedals are vertical but you have rudder pedal extensions?? Good to go? If not, when you say slightly forward, what is slightly...I would imagine this will vary depending upon a few factors such as seat adjustment, leg length.

Hard to know what to set these to when building as I recall the plans don't give much of a "flying setting" dimensions.

Good to have your actual flying experience feedback though

Click to expand...

Putting the pedal extensions on accomplishes the same thing.

To set mine, I built a jig to hold the pedals outside the fuselage and made a seat so u could set the proper angle.

I did that after I drilled them, tried them in the plane and realized they were set wrong. So I bought new pedals and made the jig. This was before the pedal extensions we're available. Even then, they would be set at different angles. The jig was definitely the way to go!

leaning forwaya

Click to expand...

is another way of saying "leaning forward". Ok, got it now.

Thanks for all the good information.

Tom