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Do I want Steps? -14 taildragger

Need to make a decision.......help? Do I need / want steps on a -14 taildragger? I know it's my choice, but for those of you who fly the -14 Taildragger what do you prefer?


if its a 14A doesn't matter your opinion - sorry :)


Thanks
Mark
 
I bought and installed them but im not flying yet. I figured they will help passengers and if i dont want them they are easy to remove. However if I built without them then changed my mind they would be a pain to install after the fact.
 
I'm going to be putting them on my -7 tail dragger. And like Rob, I'm going to make them removable. On the -7, I'll have to shorten them to probably about half the length they are now. Personally, don't need them "yet" to get in and out of the airplane, but I think they'll be a VERY nice option to have in place for my older passengers.

Mark
 
It depends on your age and height. I am 75 and short. I need them. You will get older and your passengers may already be there.
I designed the steps for my -6. They go straight out behind the flaps, therefore they have no welds. Very simple. Give me your email and I'll send pics if interested.
 
At very least the steps would be an indicator to onlookers .. maybe avoid somebody stepping on a flap and causing some grief ..
 
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Mark,
I'm also building the -14 TD. I got a chance to sit in the demonstrator in OSH this year.
It had the steps and I noticed what a big step it would be without them especially for passengers.
I think it will be much easier to board with them and probably help save the flaps from damage trying to step over them.
In fact, they should have been included in the TD kit as they are with the -14A.
 
I had the opportunity test-sit in an RV-14 to see how I fit. No sense spending thousands of hours to build a plane that I hate to be in. It was a tail dragger that did not have steps, which made the decision for me: no steps on my RV-14. I figure that any passengers who need a step will be better off having me help them into the plane anyhow, and I can use one of those little folding plastic stools to aid with that process. But I'm 36 years old and 6'2". Check back in 50 years if I still think I don't need a step.
 
I've only just finished the tail feathers on my dragon-tail -14. However, I looked at the taildragger steps at Oshkosh and I'm convinced that my wife, if not I myself, will need the step. It's been a while so I don't remember for sure.
 
I'm building a 9, not a 14, but I did some research on this topic. Here's what I found:
1) Of the folks with tailwheels, most did not have them.
2) The ones that did have them wouldn't have it without.
3) Of the ones that did not have them there were some that wished they did.
4) There where some that went through the pain of installing them post build and thought it was definitely worth it.
5) Bob Axsom made his removeable, and speed testing showed less than 1mph difference with and without.

As a result, I am building with them. HTH,

Tim
 
I have them

Ever since i put my RV-14 on its gear, ive been VERY happy i bought and installed the steps. Im 6?3? and use them every time. Almost anyone who will fly with me (I?m in Phase I as of two weeks ago!) will need them. The step up onto a -14 is much higher and longer than onto any other Van?s tail dragger.
 
A 14 owner really needs to be proactive helping pax in and out. The tendency is to exit the wing facing rearward down the wing, instead of reversing the process of getting in. This maneuver on the steep slope performed by 80% of the population, or 99% of geezers (me) is ill advised. I always guide pax down the wing making sure that they connect with the step while holding on to the roll bar.
I am 6’3”, faster than a speeding bullet, rock climb Half Dome without stopping, run a 2 min mile, and make shrimp scampi from scratch and believe steps will save you from grief you cannot imagine.

R

Although, if you’re young, not having steps will require you to be way more physical helping the ladies onto and off of the wings. ;) Oh, the possibilities.
 
Wait...

Mark,

Wait, I haven't voted yet!

I have a 6 (taildragger) and I did NOT put them on. I ALWAYS park with the flaps down which makes it easier to get up and down. I thought the plane looked better without them, but would probably get used to them.

I cut escape slots in my slider tracks so for my inspection and bulk loading I remove the canopy with no tools, in this case, I think the step might be an obstruction?

Okay, I feel better now.

Jim
 
15? to flaps in down position, to make boarding easier.
14? to bottom of step.
18? reach over to anti-slip on wing, that is 6? higher.

I would equate it to skipping 2 steps , up or down, on a typical stairs without use of a step.

R
 
I made the choice to install the step mounts with no real idea if I would install the steps or not. I'm so glad I did. I'm tall and hardly ever use them but my wife is not so tall and really needs them.
"Happy wife, happy life" overrode the couple of knots I have probably lost.
 
15? to flaps in down position, to make boarding easier.
14? to bottom of step.
18? reach over to anti-slip on wing, that is 6? higher.

I would equate it to skipping 2 steps , up or down, on a typical stairs without use of a step.

R

Thanks for the info. Larry
 
Mark,

Wait, I haven't voted yet!

I have a 6 (taildragger) and I did NOT put them on. I ALWAYS park with the flaps down which makes it easier to get up and down. I thought the plane looked better without them, but would probably get used to them.

I cut escape slots in my slider tracks so for my inspection and bulk loading I remove the canopy with no tools, in this case, I think the step might be an obstruction?

Okay, I feel better now.

Jim
The RV-14 is a bit bigger than the RV-7. The height difference to climb onto the wing is quite noticeable.
 
Part Number?

I've been looking in "The List" and the Vans online store and can't find the RV-14 step kit. I was able to find the RV-6,7 & 9 step kit, but I assume these are different parts.

Anyone know the part number for the -14 steps?
 
Sorry, no. I ordered mine verbally with the kit. Possible if you have an older 14 kit that the step attachment bracket was not included.
R
 
Here are the parts that I see in the instructions:

Fuselage page 26-17:
F-14145 Step Attach Angles (1 piece that you separate into L and R)
F-00016-L Step Attach Weldment
F-00016-R Step Attach Weldment

Fuselage page 26-20:
K1000-08 nutplates (4 ea.)

Finishing page 42-05:
F-00018-L Step (tail dragger part #, probably shorter than the F-00017-L Tri-Gear version)
F-00018-R Step
NAS1304-31 bolt (4 ea.)
MS21042-4 nut (4 ea.)
NAS1149F0463P washer (8 ea.)
F-01447A Step Cover (2 ea.; this is a guess on my part but I think you do need this tri-gear part because of the additional nutplates installed on page 26-20)

If you get prices for these parts or find others that are required, can you please send them to me? I am about to rivet the baggage floors on and now would be my last real opportunity to change my mind about steps, which this thread has me tempted to do despite all my previous over-thinking. Thanks!
 
Well, real simple, find some steps and use only the third step and floor.
Step up 10 times and see if this works.
Now with a little momentum, bound down the steps skipping the last two, 10 times.
If you do not find yourself at the hospital, YOU should be fine. Just don?t get old.
Now, start working out because you?ll need to help move your pax when they go down and become a sack of beans keeping you from your $100 hamburger.

Oh, do not try the steps with bare feet. That day I became a sack of beans.
Ouch! Hitting the ground was half the pain that my foot felt. Dumb
Cheers,
R
 
I received my fuselage kit in September and it included the hardware needed to add steps even though I'm doing a TW build. The cover plates are also included if you don't want steps.
 
Would anybody want to guesstimate how many hours it would take to install two steps on an already completed 9? I am already old and those steps sure would be handy.
 
Would anybody want to guesstimate how many hours it would take to install two steps on an already completed 9? I am already old and those steps sure would be handy.

There is a step specifically designed for the tail dragger RV-14 (it is shorter that the one for the 14A).

There is no step for the RV-9. you would have to use the RV-9A step which would be a bit on the long side for that application.
 
There is a step specifically designed for the tail dragger RV-14 (it is shorter that the one for the 14A).

There is no step for the RV-9. you would have to use the RV-9A step which would be a bit on the long side for that application.

Yes, they need to be modified. I'm installing them on my -7 build and I'm planning on shortening them several inches.

Mark
 
I spent some time contemplating adding steps, or provisions for them, to my RV-14. I got prices for the parts listed in my prior post. And then as I was working on the plane, I noticed that I already have some of them. The F-00016-L and -R and F-14145 pieces came with my RV-14 taildragger fuselage kit. (Note that the F-00016 parts are powder coated.) So you just need to substitute the F-01447A step covers in your finishing kit and buy the RV-14 TD STEP KIT from Van's, which includes the two steps and the hardware (bag 3093) to install them.

Adding the steps later would not be trivial or a solo job, but it looks to be very doable. I would go about doing that by drilling out the rivets for the step hole covers, re-riveting the step attach ribs to the skin, preparing the F-00016 assemblies, riveting them into place using CherryMax rivets on the sides and AN470AD3 rivets on the bottom skin, and then bolting in the steps and putting the new step covers in.

Thanks to Van's for the design work that makes my decision not to put steps into my plane something that I can change my mind about in the future. If I later decide that I want or need steps, I just get to dust off my rivet gun and get a friend to help.
 
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