RVG8tor

RVG8tor

Well Known Member
I am thinking ahead, way ahead on some things. I plan on the Deluxe throttle on my -8A, the throttle handle has a hollow. I was wondering if anyone has put a PTT switch there and how you did it. Pictures would be great. One of the obstacles is the wiring design to handle the repeated movements of the throttle. It would be great for formation, two radio, two way PTT. FWD would be ATC, BACK on switch would be in-flight comm.

The throttle was where the PTT was on all of the fighters and trainers I have flown and wanted the same for this airplane. Thanks for any inputs.

Cheers
 
That's where it should be!! Greg Nelson's F-1 Rocket has the PTT on the throttle, but that's the only example I can think of.
 
I installed the PTT on the throttle of my Moni Motorglider. It was originally on the stick, but the Moni was so pitch sensitive that every time I keyed the mic, the airplane would pitch up slightly.
 
Simple but Effective

Hopefully the link will display a picture of my PTT switch. It is a leftover switch from some previous project, some coiled telephone handset wire and about 2 hours labor hooking it all up. Been working fine for about 4 years and yes, it works much better (for me) than a stick mounted PTT. If I had your e-mail I could send a couple more larger imagesl

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1757/img0174jd0.jpg
 
pictures

groucho said:
That's where it should be!! Greg Nelson's F-1 Rocket has the PTT on the throttle, but that's the only example I can think of.
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Groucho,

If you have any I would like to see some pictures of your throttle
PTT sw.

break break.....

Jerry,

The picture is great, I like the coiled line idea. Excellent!

thanks
 
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Mike

Contact DJM the maker of your throttle. I am very sorry I don't recall his name right now. This very topic was brought up here or on the RV-8 list about a year ago and he posted his picts. When asked for a part number he sent one to me free of charge. Gotta appreciate "RV Business People".
 
I had an S-12 with PPT on the throttle. Personally, I did not care for it because you always have your hand on the stick (unless the AP is on) and the throttle is usually "set".

JMHO
 
Im an idiot. Why would having the PTT on the throttle be more desirable than having it on the stick?

erich
 
erich weaver said:
Im an idiot. Why would having the PTT on the throttle be more desirable than having it on the stick?
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Erich:

Hey, there are no idiots here.

The throttle-mounted PTT has to do with a person's previous experiences, and the "hard-wiring" that results in pilots' brains.

I think you'll find that most of the people who install PTT buttons on their throttles do so because we flew for years in military fighters and trainers, where your left hand was on the throttle, and the left thumb always operated the PTT, speedbrake and other functions. It just gets into your bloodstream, and it seems easier to design the homebuilt airplane to match the neural wiring than the other way around.

I flew a jet with a big-a** cannon in the nose, and my brain is permanently hard-wired to use my right index finger to shoot stuff, so a push-to-talk trigger on the stick is unthinkable to me, and probably a lot of ex-military guys.

The other big reason is that in close formation, having a PTT on the throttle would prevent the pilot from inadvertently "pulsing" the stick slightly when transmitting. (Probably a small factor, but still true.)

So that's the overly-simplified answer as to why some people do weird things with their PTT buttons.

Whatever works for you is great!
 
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Aint no such thing..

erich weaver said:
Im an idiot. Why would having the PTT on the throttle be more desirable than having it on the stick?

erich
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You're not an idiot, its a valid question. A lot of it goes back to training. Mel actually answered the question in his post, a PTT on the stick will give you a change in aircraft attitude unless you're careful enough not to move the stick. On the throttle, it would take a little more effort to cause a change. The guys who prefer the PTT on the throttle are probably ex-military types or have been exposed to military aircraft.
 
BuckWynd said:
I flew a jet with a big-a** cannon in the nose, and my brain is permanently hard-wired to use my right index finger to shoot stuff, so a push-to-talk trigger on the stick is unthinkable to me, and probably a lot of ex-military guys.
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You hit the nail on the cranium. PTT on the trigger is exactly the wrong place...that's the switch to actuate to kill someone/something. When you pull the trigger, the airplane's supposed to shake & you should smell gun powder. (Unless you're Navy...then a missile might go flying off.) The trigger is exactly where the PTT is on my RV-6 though. Arrrgh!

Honestly, it's all personal preference. I don't find that pushing my PTT (on the stick) is any issue for controlling the airplane. It just gives me the willies to pull that trigger unless I want something to blow up. PTTs on throttles definitely has a more military feel & is way less common in general aviation airplanes...thus making you cooler. :D

Most current military fighters have a PTT that's actuated by the left thumb. Usually it operates at least 2 radios (2+ way rocker switch...one way = radio 1, the other way = radio 2). Some airplanes have the PTT on the left index finger. No fighters have a PTT on the trigger.

Not that we have to emulate fighters, but I like to think of our RVs as fairly fighter like. At least compared to a spam can. :cool:
 
PTT on Throttle

the Pitts I used to "borrow" had PPT on throttle... Your left hand is pretty stable, and the right hand gets busy (or lets go on occassion!)...
 
Interesting thoughts. I'm not ex-military so don't have the "hard wired" synapses (yet). But I have flown a friends Glasair that had the PTT in the trigger; and it just felt wrong to me. I have no rational or scientific explanation. I am used to the PTT on the top of the stick; I currently fly a Super Decathlon. I'd like to hear more on this; I'm reaching the tail-end of implementing all of the cockpit ergonomics and if there's a better idea out there I would like to hear it. We have a local RV formation group (Blackjacks) and I have seen a lot of them putting the flap switch in the throttle.

Which brings up a follow-on question; what functions / switches do belong in the stick ?? I have the Infinity stick grip with all its switches (bells & whistles). I have no plans to use all of the switches and intend to blank out the trigger. The only 2 functions I can think of that would work for me are 1) PTT and 2) autopilot disengage. Note: I am installing manual flaps - personal preference here hard-wired from sailplanes. So first question is what other functions have people found udeful in the stick/throttle ?? Second question is what switch placements in the stick/throttle ??
 
larryj said:
Which brings up a follow-on question; what functions / switches do belong in the stick ??
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Here's what I put on mine:

http://www.thedukes.org/rv/share/901jh_stick_grip_switchology.ppt

I do not have a throttle worthy of holding butons, so I had to put everything on my stick grips (trigger switch PTT - ARRGHH!). I personally don't like flaps on the stick, but that's just me. I sat down & thought through all the things I do during a flight. The things that I did the most, I put on the stick.
 
I didn't put my com on the throttle but like many others I can't stand to have the flaps on the stick. I also ran out of buttons on the stick so I put my flaps and rudder trim on the throttle.

The body of the hat switch from Aircraft spruce fits inside the throttle handle with 1/16" to spare and the flange butss nicely on the end. I just drilled a hole in the handle for the wiring, left the mounting bolt in place and slid the switch into place after filling the handle with a soupy flox mixture. The excess oozed out the drilled hole and now the bolt head is set solid as is the switch. I twwizzled the wire bundle and left a 6" loop for throttle movement. My fat hands were too big to operate the levers as they came so had to extend the throttle and prop levers to make em fit. Seems to work well for me.

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