Takeoff and landing from back seat!!!

Hi Folks,

Yesterday after almost 400 hours flying my RV-8 from front seat I decide to try to fly, takeoff, full stop landing and touch and goes from back seat and I must say, that is completely possible and I like it

I have installed just throttle control from the back so I asked the pilot on front to change RPM, also I have Van's rear seat pedals, which I changed a little the geometry and length to make them better and have full authority, my friend who was in front hit the pedals on landing a couple of time to check if I was able to recover aircraft control and that is possible too!!!

So we are ready to make transition training in RV-8

We made this test in this airfield which is not very big SCAN

Cheers,

Fernando

I did my RV-8 transition initially from the back seat. Takeoffs were pretty easy, but the stock rear rudder pedals were too abrupt and stiff to operate for me to be comfortable landing it, and also with the lack of brakes in the rear I also didn't want to land it completely from the back so all I did was get it down to about flare height above the runway and my friend finished the landing from the front. After a few takeoffs and almost landings this way, we switched seats and then landing the -8 from the front was super easy. Personally, I think the -8 is the easiest one of the tailwheel RV models to land. I find it's a lot easier to land than my -6 which either balloons in the flare, or drops too quickly out of the flare leading to a bounce if you don't enter the flare within the perfect margin of airspeed at the start of the flare.

I learned to fly from the rear seat of my -8 with a high time TW CFI up front. After about an hour from the rear seat I moved up front to finish my checkout. It worked out but admittedly things could have easily gone wrong.

This is one of those reflective comments, "Do as I say, not as I do." Not having access to brakes, giving dual from the rear seat could lead to unpleasant results.

About 2 years ago, a high time TW CFI friend of mine (not the same person as above) was giving dual to a high time TW new RV-8 owner. On the third landing, the student swerved, the CFI could not recover the aircraft. The aircraft came to rest in a ditch and was destroyed. I think someone on this forum purchased the salvage.

?just my highly reflective opinion

I did the initial training from the back seat. I got so I could take off and land from there then moved to the front. It took a few circuits to get used to the different view from the front, but it all worked out pretty well.. So far at least. This was my first TW aircraft so it would probably have been less stressful to learn in a side by side model.

silver bullet

Fernando,

I'm finishing up an 8, hope to be flying by Easter. Is there any chance you could post drawings of the rear set rudder pedal length and geometry?
My e-mail address below if you would prefer to send them without posting.


Mike Schultheis aka (silver bullet)
[email protected]

silver bullet said:

Fernando,

I'm finishing up an 8, hope to be flying by Easter. Is there any chance you could post drawings of the rear set rudder pedal length and geometry?
My e-mail address below if you would prefer to send them without posting.


Mike Schultheis aka (silver bullet)
[email protected]

Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

Here is a few pictures from new geometry, first I changed the angle making a new hole on F-8117-L & R (I hope I am giving you right P/N but if not just figure out from pics), second I removed with a Dremel rear pedals tube and welded a new one that is about 2 inches longer, the idea is that you should be able to make complete rudder deflection both side with your feet just touching the wing spar, if the tube is too short your feet will touch the spar before you reach full deflection.

Regards,

Fernando