Throttle lever vs knob

[dothedr3w]

Normal convention is mounting a throttle knob on the panel...has anyone here considered installing a throttle lever in their kitfox on the center console instead?

[bbs428]

I had thought briefly about a throttle quadrant on the left side of the left seat and one left of the co-pilot seat (on the console) like I was used to in the military and on my ultralight, although it was a single seater. The entry and egress for the pilot would be a pita, not to mention the engineering involved, plus the extra weight.

Some have done variations on it, and it turned out nice. Jeff's 340 Kitfox comes to mind. https://teamkitfox.com/Forums/thread...fs-340-Kitfox/

Jeff's 340 kitfox throttle.jpg DFE6D071-9AAF-4E2C-9590-81B44CDC258F jeffs 340 kitfox throttle.jpg


A central throttle quadrant for both pilot and co-pilot could work well if executed correctly. Would be a bag of worms for anyone attempting any kind of flight training. Just my opinion though, it's your plane!

Imho - It's best to follow the industry standard - Throttle on the instrument panel or even with it and slightly below.
I believe it does help to have the trim sw. on a hat button on the stick so your "throttle hand stays on it during the critical time of flight - takeoff and landing.
Anything that deviates from the norm might put off prospective buyers down the road.

After many hours, I have grown accustomed to the "standard" and it's not a big deal anymore.

All the best!

[DesertFox4]

It has been done. Mike Gibbs did it in his model 4 Speedster years ago and Murle Williams has it in his new Model7 SS. Mike?s was built in Murle?s shop in Phoenix. Wouldn?t be my choice but Murle makes it work well. Sorry I have no photos of either.

[TRegli]

I Was wondering the same thing with my build. I actually came up with the a fixture that could be mounted to the regular throttle without changing the configuration.
I tested it out and it worked, but I never went through with it because 1. More moving parts meant more areas of failure potential. And 2. The lever was higher than the regular throttle knob and I figured it would be annoying holding my hand/arm that high. Below are some pictures of the CAD model and the assembly being tested out. It did work pretty good!
20221228_080647.jpg20221228_080715.jpgScreenshot_20240405-134142_Video Player.jpgScreenshot_20240405-134155_Video Player.jpg

I still wonder about moving the throttle to center console so I can feel like I'm flying an F22...

[dothedr3w]

Man what a clever solution! Shame you didn't go through with it, but super cool nonetheless.

Have you considered mounting the throttle knob on the center console? I was/am toying with the idea of that as well; making up some sort of angled bracket so it doesn't go straight up like a lollipop.

[AvDES LLC]

Why not move the throttle knob onto the panel and get some knee space back for you and your passenger?IMG_6870.jpg

I tried the lever thing in the center console as well. Didn?t work out as well as I?d hoped and made the console region very ?busy?.