wera710

wera710

Well Known Member
I am considering putting a slight S bend in the control stick to bring it back toward me by approximately 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch. I am 5' 10" and find that the reach to the stick in cruise is slightly long, positioning my arm in a less than comfortable rest position. the stock position is not bad, but due to some age/shoulder injury issues, its just not "perfect" and over time the arm fatigues.

Could use thicker seat foam but I hate to go that route. Everything else fits perfectly and falls to hand exactly where I want it. I just dislike the forward postion of the stick, especially how close to the panel it sets.

Has anyone dones anything similar? Figured I'd get a spare stick, make the S bend and see how it felt. Main consern is to not limiting or effecting full aft travel, which, after playing around a bit, does not seem to be an issue if I keep the bend less than, or at an inch.

Any experienses or suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Many of us have bent sticks exactly as you describe Scott, and it works quite well. There used to be a fellow up in the Northwest who did stick bending in batches, but I believe that he has stopped. Search here on the forums, and you might find the drawing, as well as advice on how to do it yourself.

Paul
 
Excellent info! Thanks guys. Now all I gotta do is figure out how to wire a 50s era crontrol grip from a P-80 into this thing and I am back in the saddle!
 
I bent my own...

using a standard stick from Vans; then filling it with dry sand (play sand from Lowes); tamping in down and pounding a wooden ;ug in the top. The sand prevents localized overheating and/or tube collapse. I clamped it to a sturdy stool, then heated it about red-hot 360 degrees around the perermeter in the area to be bent with a cutting tip on an Oxyacetylene torch (no oxygen, just a neutral flame). Used a piece of broomstick for leverage and bent to a wooden pattern. Worked like a charm.:D

This was have a 'professional' tubing shop collapsed a stick and still charged be $40 for the job :eek: I did burn a hole myself in another stick when I got distracted momentarily (no sand); but overall, the final product was worth it.
 
Bent Stick

Just wondering about the bent stick. I am building an RV-8 but do not have the fuseledge kit yet. I am about 6' 2", 225...does bringing the stick back 1.5 inches make a difference? I like the idea of having the stick right about thigh level and far enough back but still able to get full travel rearwords...kind of flying with the wrist stabilized so to speak...
Thanks,

Pete
 
A way to test before you 'buy'

For me; it was a huge difference. At the neutral point with a straight stick, my arm was well extended and uncomfortable; so the bend was important. If you aren't sure, you can test it as I did: Draw a side view outline outline on a 1 x 4" pine board and cut it out with a sabre or band saw. Drill a 3/8" hole at the appropriate spot and insert the brass bushing from your stick and bolt the wooden stick in place. Jump in the seat and make engine sounds while your flying :D
 
Pete, as I started to fly the 8, I found the factory stick position has two issues. While the factory position is perfectly acceptable for flight and formation flying, the position at neutral elevator has the front of stick roughly a 1/2 inch or so from the face of the instrument panel. Since the stick is designed to pass under the panel, if you have your thumb on the transmit button you risk pinching it between the botton of the panel and the top of the stick if for some reason you apply forward stick (as in taxiing). Issue two is the reach. The arm ends up somewhat unsupported, which in the short term is not really noticable...but in the long term, you feel fatigue from not being able to rest your forearm on your leg solidly. You can rest it yes, but not at an ideal angle. Of course, I used to race superbikes and crashed a few times...so the fatigue might just be my hobbies coming back to haunt me. lol.

Anyway, I would think the critical the issue you have to watch for if you bend the stick like I intend, is the clearance between the stick at full aft position and the front of your crotch. Putting too large a sweep on the bend would mean you would be limiting travel by hitting your body. I think 1.5 inches might be at the limit of what you can do. ESPECIALLY if you ever intend on wearing a parachute, which is another consideration needing addressing. Harolds idea is excellent and I am going to try that myself until I find the bend that allows clearance but still feels better than the OEM position. Thanks Harold!
 
I am wondering if I need to get a stick that has NOT been powder coated to try this? Otherwise the powdercoat will crack or burn?
Al
 
You want a stick in the raw or with primer only. Bending is going to screw up what ever finish is on it. I have not done my front stick yet, but had the rear bent at a local machine shop to compensate for the P-80 grip I installed back there. It would not clear the front seat back with the grip installed. ANYHOO, if you are planning on a bend, no matter what method you use, its probably best to start with a raw finish or just factor in refinishing the stick after. I can not imagine the finish remaining unblemished during the process.
 
stick bending

No oxygen, just a neutral flame is a contradiction. The flame MUST be a neutral flame to avoid damaging the metal. Best to strip the stick to bare metal before heating. It is much easier to heat uniformly with bare metal. A "rosebud" tip makes the heating much easier. For someone who has not done this before it might be wise to buy a similar piece of 4130 tube to practice on.
 
Stick Mods.

wera710:

I shortened the rear stick considerably so that the ham fisted guy in back doesn't have quite the leverage he would have on a normal stick.

This is from reading about the original RV-8 crash where a person not familiar with the amount of "G" forces that can be produced during a dive pull out was probably the cause of pulling the wings off one of the prototype -8s.

Shortining the rear stick resolves some of the problems of hitting the back of the front seat.
 
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