BluSkyRidr
Well Known Member
I heard of an individual at OSH who can make an overhead console for a RV-14. Anybody have any info on it? Thanks in advance.
Last edited:
Van's Air Force
The definitive Van's Aircraft support community! Buying, building or flying an RV? Join our exclusive family of mentors and enthusiasts!
RV 14 overhead console
- Thread starter BluSkyRidr
- Start date
How could an overhead console be implemented on a tip-up? Are you sure you're not referring to the Aerosport Products center console?
BluSkyRidr
Well Known Member
Yes I have that already. I found out how it was made and it’s pretty sweet.
That looks like something from the aftermarket auto world.
That’s from my plane. I salvaged an overhead console from an Audi A5, and then fabricated a custom enclosure to hold it. Was a pain in the ass but the end result worked nicely. I don’t have a mold for the enclosure - I made it as a one off - if I did I’d gladly share it with you.
Used adhesive to attach the whole assembly to the canopy, and wiring for the lights can be run in the canopy side rails.
I made it primarily to block the sun as I’m not a fan of the Krueger sun-shade thing (had one in my RV7). Between this console and the 3M film I put on the canopy I was happy with the combination of visibility and sun-blocking.
It also has a spot to mount my go-pro as well as store sunglasses (!).
Currently I have about 650 hours of time on the plane and it’s held up well.
Used adhesive to attach the whole assembly to the canopy, and wiring for the lights can be run in the canopy side rails.
I made it primarily to block the sun as I’m not a fan of the Krueger sun-shade thing (had one in my RV7). Between this console and the 3M film I put on the canopy I was happy with the combination of visibility and sun-blocking.
It also has a spot to mount my go-pro as well as store sunglasses (!).
Currently I have about 650 hours of time on the plane and it’s held up well.
Another salvage - it’s a mini cooper armrest. Had to modify the anchor mechanism a bit to make it work - essentially it’s now locked in what would be the “up” position, and the base is bolted to the “tower” between the seats (with some internal stiffening to the tower). I like it as it’s very functional (sturdy enough to push on when lifting oneself out of the seat, and it has storage) and I thought it looked a bit more elegant than some of the other options. Underneath it is a leather shaving bag to hold my O2 cannulas - routing them from the Inogen unit under the throttle, through the tunnel below the seats, and up
through the tower to the back of the shaving bag.These are the only pics I could find on my phone - but they show the basic set-up (before shaving bag was added and I was experimenting w cup holders).
Last edited:
ramalama137
I'm New Here
Generally, good with it. Just hitting 700 hours on the plane (just about 5 years). Used RTV to adhere it to the canopy and it’s held up with no issues. I’m debating whether to do it on the current 14 I’m building - if only in that I don’t use it all that much for its intended purpose (hold my sunglasses, overhead lights, GoPro mount and as a sunblock.
Re sunglasses: My favorite spec sunglasses don’t fit in it.
Re overhead lights: Don’t use them much at all. If I did, I’d likely modify the unit to hold a different aviation spec light.
Re GoPro Mount: It isn’t necessary for this - one can simply get a suction mount for a go pro and attach it anywhere on the canopy. I will say the overhead console does put it in a good spot for capturing flight videos and the panel. But there are times it’s nice to mount the camera elsewhere depending on what one wants to video.
Re Sunblock: The 3 progressive layers of “3M” type vinyl I put on the canopy do great and I suspect the overhead console isn’t needed (where the overhead console is located is where all the three layers of vinyl are - so very little light would penetrate there regardless.
So - it looks great but it’s probably a pound or two of unnecessary weight.
Last edited:
One other question, If you don't mind. Have you noticed any degradation of the acrylic? Always wanted to put tint on the windows in my 10, but I have read that the adhesive based tint material can cause long-term damage to the acrylic, due to the inability of air to circulate. I'd be curious to see if you've seen any of that. Possibly that is an overly conservative recommendation or the material you used is not adhesive-based.
Here a link to the vinyl I used:
(The vinyl has an adhesive on it - however, the vinyl can be removed by peeling it off. As you can see from the Amazon screen shots - it’s a tinting material for headlights. I haven’t seen any degradation to the canopy)
I used three (3) layers of vinyl of two different shades. If you look closely at the original pics I posted on this thread that show the overhead console and the canopy, you can make them out.
The area just above the console used a ‘dark black’ shade of vinyl. Ultimately, I wanted to block all of the sunlight out from that spot - and, frankly I didn’t care about retaining any transparency there. The next step helped me achieve this.
Next, I layered in another layer of ‘dark black’ vinyl - extending this layer out a few more inches from the console - here I wanted a compromise between sun blocking and (retaining) some limited visibility. Useful when looking for traffic, especially in steep turns.
Finally, covering both previous layers, and extending to roughly horizontal and a few inches above eye level, I used a lighter shade (‘Smoke Black’) of vinyl. This shade is easy to see through whilst still offering some sun relief.
As I said above, I’ve seen no ill effects to date on the canopy. And, I’ve been extremely happy with the end result. I also used the darker shade on the rear canopy windows as well. I believe the combined impact of all this is the cabin is much more comfortable - especially in sunny weather.
All this said, I ran into a Texas company at AirVentire that does aircraft window tinting and is able to put the tint on the inside of the canopy - in spite of the concave form of the canopy (at least they tell me so). They’ve told me if I fly down there they can have it installed in less than two hours. I’ll probably take the new RV14 down there after AirVenture and give it a try. Chalk this up to ‘I’m always on the hunt for a better alternative’.
Btw - the challenge (and why I didn’t do it) of putting the vinyl on the inside of the canopy is that it bunches up when you try to apply it to the concave shape - so there is no way to get a smooth, flat, application.
On the exterior, though, the canopy is convex, and the vinyl is stretchable which enables it to stretch it over the curve of the canopy resulting in a perfectly smooth, flat application. It is a job best done by four people - each one holding a corner of the vinyl sheet and stretching in unison.
The down sides with the exterior application are:
1. The leading edge is exposed to 200+mph airstreams, and over time it will suffer small nicks. I solved this by trimming the leading edge back about 1/4” a couple years ago - it looked perfect afterward. It may need another trim by next year. That said, it’s never “peeled” back or significantly deteriorated. It just had a few nicks.
2. Since the vinyl has to be stretched to fit the shape of the canopy, it will ‘pull back’ over time slightly. The only place I noticed this was on the rearward edge where it abutted the rear canopy rail. It’s only pulled back about 1/16 of an inch.
I’ll try to find the name of the Texas company - don’t recall it off the top of my head.
Amazon.com: VViViD Air-Tint Smoke Black Gloss Vinyl Headlight Foglight Transparent Tint Wrap Self-Adhesive (180 Inch x 48 Inch Lrg Bulk Roll) : Automotive
Buy VViViD Air-Tint Smoke Black Gloss Vinyl Headlight Foglight Transparent Tint Wrap Self-Adhesive (180 Inch x 48 Inch Lrg Bulk Roll): Light Covers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
(The vinyl has an adhesive on it - however, the vinyl can be removed by peeling it off. As you can see from the Amazon screen shots - it’s a tinting material for headlights. I haven’t seen any degradation to the canopy)
I used three (3) layers of vinyl of two different shades. If you look closely at the original pics I posted on this thread that show the overhead console and the canopy, you can make them out.
The area just above the console used a ‘dark black’ shade of vinyl. Ultimately, I wanted to block all of the sunlight out from that spot - and, frankly I didn’t care about retaining any transparency there. The next step helped me achieve this.
Next, I layered in another layer of ‘dark black’ vinyl - extending this layer out a few more inches from the console - here I wanted a compromise between sun blocking and (retaining) some limited visibility. Useful when looking for traffic, especially in steep turns.
Finally, covering both previous layers, and extending to roughly horizontal and a few inches above eye level, I used a lighter shade (‘Smoke Black’) of vinyl. This shade is easy to see through whilst still offering some sun relief.
As I said above, I’ve seen no ill effects to date on the canopy. And, I’ve been extremely happy with the end result. I also used the darker shade on the rear canopy windows as well. I believe the combined impact of all this is the cabin is much more comfortable - especially in sunny weather.
All this said, I ran into a Texas company at AirVentire that does aircraft window tinting and is able to put the tint on the inside of the canopy - in spite of the concave form of the canopy (at least they tell me so). They’ve told me if I fly down there they can have it installed in less than two hours. I’ll probably take the new RV14 down there after AirVenture and give it a try. Chalk this up to ‘I’m always on the hunt for a better alternative’.
Btw - the challenge (and why I didn’t do it) of putting the vinyl on the inside of the canopy is that it bunches up when you try to apply it to the concave shape - so there is no way to get a smooth, flat, application.
On the exterior, though, the canopy is convex, and the vinyl is stretchable which enables it to stretch it over the curve of the canopy resulting in a perfectly smooth, flat application. It is a job best done by four people - each one holding a corner of the vinyl sheet and stretching in unison.
The down sides with the exterior application are:
1. The leading edge is exposed to 200+mph airstreams, and over time it will suffer small nicks. I solved this by trimming the leading edge back about 1/4” a couple years ago - it looked perfect afterward. It may need another trim by next year. That said, it’s never “peeled” back or significantly deteriorated. It just had a few nicks.
2. Since the vinyl has to be stretched to fit the shape of the canopy, it will ‘pull back’ over time slightly. The only place I noticed this was on the rearward edge where it abutted the rear canopy rail. It’s only pulled back about 1/16 of an inch.
I’ll try to find the name of the Texas company - don’t recall it off the top of my head.
Last edited:
