Control Stick Clearance

[N14ND]

Today I put my control stick in temporarily, slid in my foam seat cushions and made some airplane noises as I sat there and ran the stick through full travel; fore-aft and side-to-side. Hmm. I have the travel stop bolts set correctly, but when the stick is full aft my thighs are in the way when I try to get full deflection left or right. Is that a normal situation? I don't have barrel keg thighs either. I haven't been in a Kitfox for 20+ years so I couldn't say if this is standard.

[jiott]

No that's not a normal flight control position. Maybe when taxiing into a strong quartering x-wind.

[jrevens]

Do you have long legs? I do, and the stick runs into my thigh on the left side before full travel. My right leg can be shifted to allow full travel on that side. It might not be an issue if your legs are short... the stick travels further the higher up you go of course. Bubble doors may alleviate that somewhat also... I don't know since I have the standard doors. All that being said, I find that roll authority is more than adequate and full deflection would rarely, if ever, be needed. For instance, I've found that stick movement to the left is enough to do a smooth barrel or aileron roll. I got kind of used to that similar situation with my Thorp T-18, which is even a little narrower in the cockpit than my Kitfox... flew it for 28 years that way.

Additionally (I just saw Jim's post), when the stick is all the way back I would think that most airplanes would have diminished clearance there. I was thinking of the stick in the neutral position, fore & aft.

[DesertFox4]

What John and Jim said. Normal. Keep making airplane noises. Keep building.👍

[efwd]

It isn't any better (it isn't a problem anyhow) for those of us with short legs either. We just have more stuff behind us so we can reach the pedals. Puts our thighs right where everyone else is.:rolleyes:

[jrevens]

Hi Eddie,

The potential issue with us long-legged people is that our legs may have to bend more at the knees, sometimes considerably more. This puts the leg/stick contact area higher up on the stick, where it moves a greater distance left & right. You’re right - everything’s pretty much the same with the stick fully aft, but further forward this becomes a possible issue. My back seat cushion is thicker than I would like it to be - I could use just a little more leg room, but I’ve gotten real used to it.

[efwd]

ah yes, I didn't consider that John. One more reason I can use to appreciate being short. Im always looking for those.;)

[N14ND]

Thanks guys. I didn’t think it would be too big of an issue, but I am so used to the “knees and nuts” -“free and correct” control check that I was startled at the problem. I can move my knees out to make the stick go to the stop. I am short, but I did have Oregon Aero make my seat cushions. They are slightly thicker than the standard Kitfox cushions, but they are extremely comfy. I took them out and sat on just the seat pan, but that didn’t do much more than give me more headroom.
I think I will go out and make more noises. 😂

[ken nougaret]

Now every time I do a preflight control check I'm going to think of "knees and nuts". Thanks for the laugh.

[alexM]

Today I put my control stick in temporarily, slid in my foam seat cushions and made some airplane noises as I sat there and ran the stick through full travel; fore-aft and side-to-side. Hmm. I have the travel stop bolts set correctly, but when the stick is full aft my thighs are in the way when I try to get full deflection left or right. Is that a normal situation? I don't have barrel keg thighs either. I haven't been in a Kitfox for 20+ years so I couldn't say if this is standard.

Unless you are planning to do snap rolls I think you'll be fine.