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Leg room

M

M Wreford

Member
Hi all,
Has anyone looked into moving the crossmember behind the seat back upper more aft to give more leg room, I'm 6'3' and the other sixes if flown were a little short in the cabin, I'll be putting the rudder pedals as far forward as I can but if I can get a bit more room in the backrest I'll be able to have some decent thickness cushions , any thoughts or photos?
 
I am 6'4" with 36" inseam.

For legroom I have moved the pedals from their original location on the floor to the suspended pedals adopted by Vans after I built my RV6. With that change, I have plenty of legroom while enroute - I slide my feet under the pedals.

When I moved the engine controls from their original center vertical position to a sub-panel I found that I had to mount them toward the passenger side for knee clearance when throttle pulled back. Be careful about adding sub panels.

I with a recent panel update I have these controls back centered and at the bottom of the main part of the panel. For me, that is the right place.

I also did the "Almost a 14" mod. I like it a lot - the plane feels more roomy and headroom seems better. But it does not provide for easily moving the base of the seat back. At least in my plane, the seat belt mounts make that "not easy". What I like best about the mod is the ability to remove the crossmember when doing maintenance work in the cockpit. A major advantage for a large person.
 
RV6 mod for more room

When building my RV-6 (flying since 2002), I moved the cross member behind the seat back aft 2.25 inches. The vertical members of the bulkhead, along the sides of the fuselage, were modified into a Z shape and reinforced with aluminum plates at the bends. It worked very well since there were no predrilled parts. I also had to modify the flap housing and the canopy pin receptacle. It is a very comfortable cabin for me and another large person; and I am 6'5". It is all doable. However, I would just use ASA's system if I were doing it now.

Ken Harrill
RV-6
EAA Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor
 
I moved the crossmember 3 inches aft by angling the bulkhead just above the rear spar attach. That made the armrests too short so I made new ones on a form block. I also moved the flap motor to the right side wall and put in a removable center support. That gives me a clear area under the crossmember when I have to go panel diving. I'm not flying yet but I've sat in it and it suits me just fine. I'm 6'3" and a 10+ on the Bubba scale.
 
For the leg room, you can move the rudder pedals forward (assuming they are the overhead type) if they are not all the way forward already. I am 6'4" and with the pedals placed welll forward, leg room wasn't much of an issue. I put in the almost RV-14 mod to buy myself some arm room and a more comfortable seating position.
 
Had a look at the almost a 14 mod, looks like a goer, my kit has the overhead pedals so I'll put them all the way forwards as well. The six I used to fly up home was always a bit shy on head room, my headset would rub on the canopy at times( not good for the canopy or my head in bumps) . A mate whose built a few said I might be able to sit the canopy a bit higher than the normal position( although the 14 mod does address this as well) any thoughts or tips on raising it up a bit
Cheers Matty
 
I would look at adding the dish/drop to the seat pan before modding the canopy. The canopy is a PITA as is without adding additional mods. With the Almost RV-14 mod, I don't have any head clearance issues anymore. In fact, I may need to increase the thickness of my seat cushion.
 
M Wreford said:
A mate whose built a few said I might be able to sit the canopy a bit higher than the normal position( although the 14 mod does address this as well) any thoughts or tips on raising it up a bit
Click to expand...

If you haven't started the canopy yet, raising it a bit is pretty easy. I was careful to position mine fore/aft such that the highest point of the canopy was where my head would be. I also lifted it by about 3/4" inch by cutting the canopy frame (this is a slider) a little taller. The windscreen was shimmed to match.

I'm 6'5", and I can wear a helmet with enough room such that I don't bump the canopy even when checking six during a groveling session.
 
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