Interior/cockpit advice
 

I am nearing the end of the canopy and need to make some decisions about the cockpit. I am planning to keep interior simple with nice learher seats and arm rest pads. In general terms, what would you do again and what would you change if you had it to do over again? Things like seat choices, switch and control locations, fresh air vents, interior lighting, etc.

I'm not a small guy and my elbows never get close to the "arm rests". I opted to not install any padding there and, instead, I made those spaces into "side pockets".

I have to Agee wif Humpy.

I only put armrests in the front to finish the "look". If I was to do it again I would make pockets for storage and only put armrest in the back.

Flew 2 hours yesterday with arms resting on the canopy rail for about 1.7 of those. The auto flew while I did prop and speed/rpm testing. Cant ever imagine actually using the armrest. They look nice however... but they aren't exactly light.

I enclosed my fuel-pump... didn't need to. You dont see that area unless your ducking your head in below the rail while the plane is on the ground.

Back seat, the armrest seem more useful.

My GIB uses the arm rests all the time but I have NEVER used those I installed up front. Unless you are a wide person the elbow position isn't natural up front and too narrow to really comfortably let them rest.. YMMV

Who makes the best seats for a 8? I am thinking leather.

If you plan to fly with passengers in cool weather, consider heated seats! It gets mighty cold back there.

AGREE! Tom 'Redtail' Prokop just added a rear heated seat for his wife in their RV-8A :D Rosie

+1 for rear heated seats
 

Oregon Aero makes a great product!

Randy
8A

Leather
 

I bought the Rv-8 seat cushions from Van's. I also bought two cow hides locally and had the seat cushion covers made by a local upholsterer. I used the extra leather to cover the glare shield, arm rests, flap control housing next to back seat, and side pockets. I used spray on headliner glue to stick the leather on the epoxie painted sheet aluminum. It seems to be holding up well, is light and looks good. My mission is day/ night VFR, so I have an MGL Odyssey EFIS, MGL V-10 radio, Garmin 327 and the EXP DC Load Center to wire it all together. It came in at 1066 lbs. with paint and w/b pretty well centered.