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Flying RV-8 - Adding a step

AN23

Well Known Member
I did a search and could find a few posts but I'd like to ask if anyone has added a step to a flying, painted RV-8. How big of a job and how bad did the paint get messed up? What was the approximate cost of the step? As I get older, it seems the airplane is getting taller!
 
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I take my 91 year old mother in my RV-6 from time to time. I use a light, inexpensive folding step to get her up on the wing.

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I know it is not what you are asking about but it may be a solution for your need.
 
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It should not be any harder than doing so to my 6. Just have to take the baggage floor up. Drill some holes in side of fuselage. If you’re careful only need to paint the step. And then some holes in the baggage floor ribs. Bolt it up shoot the rivets in the step doubler plate. Ez Pezy.

Hope this helps
RD
 
For the RV-8 you will need to drill out the rivets and remove the wing/fuselage fairing (that has the flap stop in it). You drill out a hole for the step and reinstall the fairing. The fairing covers up the flap step hole in the fuselage (same skin used on the 8 and 8A) so that hole is already there. I suspect your paint job will need some touch up.

Carl
 
For the RV-8 you will need to drill out the rivets and remove the wing/fuselage fairing (that has the flap stop in it). You drill out a hole for the step and reinstall the fairing. The fairing covers up the flap step hole in the fuselage (same skin used on the 8 and 8A) so that hole is already there. I suspect your paint job will need some touch up.

Carl

Actually, the presence of the hole in the fuselage skin of the tail dragger models depends on whether or not the fuselage is the original design or the later “-1” version. The older design did not have the step hole in the belly skin outright.

Skylor
 
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