HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. IM ABOUT TO TAKE DELIVER OF AN 8 AND IT DOESNT HAVE BACK SEAT THROTTLE AND BACK SEAT. BEING THAT ITS A COMPLETE AIRCRAFT, WILL IT BE A DIFFICULT TASK TO INSTALL? THANKS GUYS
Vans throttle kit is easy to install and a nice addition to the back seat. I have built two Rv8's, one with and one without rear seat rudder pedals. The kit from vans does not provide much value in my opinion.
No, not a big deal to install. Small mushroom size head pedal and on the light side. On the nose gear airplane they may be ok, on the tail dragger it did not work well, too light for the force required with the spring system on the tail wheel.
I just finished installing rear throttle in my 8a. the most difficult part is cutting three oval openings for the rod to pass through. I had my trim cable in the way so I had to oversize one of the ovals. Depending on what is routed on that side you may have more obstructions. Makes a huge mess in the cockpit, and the rear handle from Vans is not very attractive. You can find a member here on the forum that makes a very nice replacement.
I didn't care for the VANS back seat rudder kit either. So I didn't put it in.
I've been trying to figure out a light and effective set that can be folded to the side. I was thinking about a cable from the side of each pedal back to join the rudder cable, aft a foot or more, but rather small angle. Then the back pedal could pull only, or be slack when folded. The idea has sputtered out while I am doing final assembly at the airport. (think Big Push)
Thanks for all the info. Yah I think ill pass on the pedals but probably do the throttle. Jusy curious as to why the vans rear throttle isnt the greatest. Anybody know who makes the better one.
The stock Van's throttle for the rear seat flexes quite a bit. I found that you have to hold the arm right where it exits the quadrant to move it. If you press too hard on the knob, it'll flex quite a bit. We have the ECI fuel injection, and the throttle's "throw" is very short with this setup. This probably exacerbates the flex problem.
The rear rudder "mushroom" pedals are marginal for control. I was able to do takeoffs from the rear seat, and move the rudder in flight just barely adequately... but to attempt a landing from the rear seat might end up in disaster. They don't offer nearly enough "finesse" for that. My humble opinions anyway.
I am very satisfied with the rear rudder peddles in the RV8A. I can?t speak for the tail dragger but I believe they would be just as satisfying. There is a difference on how they attached but not that much . The kit for the -A costs a few dollars more.. The time to install them is when you are building because there is limited space to work and when old and stiff it is hard getting in and out of the cockpit in the prone position .
Van?s directions call for rivets and nut plates but the idler bracket attaches to the longeron with four rivets, but unless you have a special rivet gun or squeezer it is impossible. In this place I used four # 8 screws with lock nuts. To install the idler brackets you have to remove the mid cabin cover F8113A left and right.
When you do this job start on the Right side first. The cover support in my aircraft had to be adjusted up about three eights of and inch so the idler bracket would have full range of movement. Once you have that all adjusted then you can move on to the left side.
Now you can see why we did the right first. The left side has a gas line in the way and has to be moved. It doesn?t have to moved much but it may get in the way of the idler arm bracket movement. I had to run a new gas line from the valve to the electric pump.
Once you have the idler arms installed and just be sure they have clear movement and the gas line is out of the way. Put the covers back on hook up the cables and that is about it.
One more thing I did different and that is when van attaches the pushrod to the rod ends he uses 1/8 rivet. I used role pins only because I think they look better.
On plus to the rear peddles is there is a way to attach spring and have a adjustable rudder trim.
The stock Van's throttle for the rear seat flexes quite a bit....
...The rear rudder "mushroom" pedals are marginal for control. I was able to do takeoffs from the rear seat, and move the rudder in flight just barely adequately... but to attempt a landing from the rear seat might end up in disaster. They don't offer nearly enough "finesse" for that. My humble opinions anyway.
I installed my rear throttle without a bend, and shortened it up a bit. No issues.
The -8 can be landed with the mushroom pedals with practice, but it's best to have someone competent in the front to save you the first few times. I was doing fine until my foot got caught on the fuselage bulkhead. It's like anything else though, eventually you learn to adapt and overcome.
