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short legs

Kmdpilot

Member
Basic question. Looking at used RV6 and wondering about the leg reach. I am only 5'5". Flew an RV12 recently and even with the seat tilted forward was reaching for the rudder pedals. The problem is that when I get the pedals where I have full use of the rudders, I lose full back elevator without a lot of, um....discomfort. Are the pedals adjustable in the 6?
 
I'm 5'4" with a 27" inseam. I have a purchased RV6.

I have the seat back on the furthest forward hinge line, and I use a square foam pad behind me, 2" thick I believe. With that set-up I have good control and full range, so I haven't felt the need to look any further into changing where the rudder pedals are.

As far as I know the pedals are not adjustable like the seat back or say a car seat, but I believe it is possible to move where they are mounted slightly forward or back, although it would take some effort and drilling, and may depend on the specific plane. At least that is what the DAR that did my pre-buy told me.

I'm sure an expert will chime in with a more thorough answer.
 
Basic question. Looking at used RV6 and wondering about the leg reach. I am only 5'5". Flew an RV12 recently and even with the seat tilted forward was reaching for the rudder pedals. The problem is that when I get the pedals where I have full use of the rudders, I lose full back elevator without a lot of, um....discomfort. Are the pedals adjustable in the 6?

My 2 cents...Not sure of the 6's pedal adjustability. If it's like the 7 then they are by moving the entire pedal assembly to the rear most mounting hole. This is of course if they were build it at the time of construction. If not, then you can add them if they are the newer top mounted system. I do not know about the floor mounted types. You'll then need to adjust the cable length connectors too. The seats are also (should be) adjustable. Try looking under the cushions for a couple of hinge rows. If there are then move the seat-back to the most forward position and try that before adjusting the pedals. Adjusting this moves your hips forward shortening the distance.
 
Not adjustable if built according the plans… modify able, like RV things, yes ;)
I’m the same size and have just drilled additional holes in the four link plates on my suspended pedals… this not only gave me full control on the rudder again, age taking it’s toll, but also a better braking angle :)
 
Early -6s had floor mounted rudder pedals. Later -6s had "overhead" mounted pedals. On the overhead version, the pedal support bars slid into high density nylon blocks that were through bolted to the fuselage longerons on both the left and right side. Each nylon block requires two bolts. There is an additional "mid-span" nylon block that supports the rudder weldment bars. Within a narrow range, all three nylon blocks can be unbolted and moved to a different location, and new mounting holes drilled into the longerons and the center support structure.

The rudder pedals attach to the rudder cables via sets of steel links. These steel links may need to be modified to accommodate your repositioned rudder bar weldments.

What ever you do, be sure to check for full rudder travel and that the rudder does contact the rudder stops.
 
Early -6s had floor mounted rudder pedals. Later -6s had "overhead" mounted pedals. On the overhead version, the pedal support bars slid into high density nylon blocks that were through bolted to the fuselage longerons on both the left and right side. Each nylon block requires two bolts. There is an additional "mid-span" nylon block that supports the rudder weldment bars. Within a narrow range, all three nylon blocks can be unbolted and moved to a different location, and new mounting holes drilled into the longerons and the center support structure.

The rudder pedals attach to the rudder cables via sets of steel links. These steel links may need to be modified to accommodate your repositioned rudder bar weldments.

What ever you do, be sure to check for full rudder travel and that the rudder does contact the rudder stops.

This - The best bet is to buy with the overhead pedals, or modify for them. The overhead pedals can provide quite a bit of adjustment range.
 
Although I stopped construction on my 7A ( life circumstances) I had planned on making the seat fit my back comfortably, then add some pedal extensions to fit my vertically deficient (5'4", 27" inseam) body. Same time I was going to lower the pedal extension to allow my heels to rest on the floor---so I wouldnt have to raise them everytime I wanted to use the rudder.

Havent done anything yet---ya'll know the story.
Tom
 
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