Match drilling master brake cylinder to rudder pedal...

[Michael Burbidge]

I'm about to match drill the master brake cylinders to the rudder pedals. The drawings and directions show nothing about where the neutral position of the brake pedal should be in relation to the rudder pedal. In looking at several builders sites it looks like people make the brake pedal parallel with the surrounding rudder pedal tubing. i.e. lay in the same plane (geometrically speaking) Am I correct on this?

The other question I have is the master cylinders come with plugs in the connection holes. Is there fluid in the master cylinder? How do I know that the shaft is fully extended, before I match drill? Do I have to take the plugs out to make sure the shaft is fully extended?

Thanks,
Michael-

 

[TX7A]

Michael,

I used the "v" of a piece of angle to align the rudder peddal tubes. I then aligned the brake peddals in the same plane as you say. I set the brake peddals slightly toe-forward in the neutral position.

There wasn't any fluid in my cylinders...except for some minor lube.
Yes, you'll want the cylinder shafts extended.

 

[N941WR]

I created a simple "jig" to hold the rudder pedals in place on my work bench. Then I clamped the two rudder bars together so the horizontal bars lined up, as if they were in the plane.

The next step was to use some wood dowel to set the angle of the brake pedals. This will be different for the right and left pedals due to the angle of the vertical bars.

I set mine so the pedals tilt slightly forward. This makes it so your foot naturally rests on the cross bar and not on the brakes. (One RV I flew had them perfectly vertical and it was a challenge to stay off the brakes.)

 

[niblettda]

Ditto on the jig as well here. I did go for mostly vertical on the pedals. My only additional comment is that the vertical parts of the rudder pedals are not perfectly vertical they make a bit od a V to have both bottom bars to line up. So jig according to that. I then made my brake pedals vertical in reference to the bottom tube.

Right wrong good bad or ugly that's the way they will be when I first fly, modifications to begin after that.