RV-8 Rudder Pedal Extensions & Bolsters

RV-8 Rudder Pedal Extensions & Bolsters

Hold rudder without riding the brake. On a stock RV-8 pedal, the face ends at roughly the same height as the pivot, so everything your foot touches is above the fulcrum and every rudder input carries some brake input with it. These extensions bolt to the back of the lower pedal face and kick forward, putting about two inches of foot surface below the pivot. Push there and you get rudder only.

I designed these for my own RV-8 build from a 3D scan of a standard Van’s RV-8 aluminum rudder pedal, retaining the existing Van’s pedal assembly.

Choose your package

• Complete Kit – Extensions + Bolsters: a left/right pair of extension plates in 5052-H32 aluminum, 0.187" (3/16"), that arrive cut, bent to 20°, and drilled, plus a pair of ASA 3D-printed bolsters. Kits in stock ship within 2–3 business days. When stock runs out, kits are made to order: please allow 3–4 weeks before shipping.
• Bolsters Only: the pair of ASA 3D-printed bolsters, for builders who cut their own extensions from the DXF file. Ships from stock.

Fit

Designed for standard Van’s RV-8 aluminum rudder pedals. Each plate is 4.80 × 3.14 in flat and mounts to the flat lower band of the pedal face, below the two lightening holes, between the pedal’s side plates. Verify fit against your own pedals before drilling.

Extensions

The extensions mount to the back of the existing RV-8 pedal face with five 8-32 flush screws per pedal, and serve as a drill guide for match-drilling the pedal. Installation requires drilling and countersinking your pedal face. Two K1000-08 nutplate locations at the bottom of each extension carry the bolsters.

Bolsters

The bolsters mount to the bottom of the extensions and give your foot a crowned pad instead of a bare aluminum edge. Each one has “RV8” debossed into the center for a clean, aircraft-specific finish. They are printed in ASA, a durable engineering-grade thermoplastic with excellent temperature and UV resistance, and attach to the nutplates with 8-32 flush screws.

What you’ll need

Hardware is not included with either package. It is all stock Van’s / Aircraft Spruce inventory: 8-32 flush screws, thin locknuts and washers, K1000-08 nutplates and 3/32 flush rivets. Installation instructions with the full hardware list, tools and step-by-step procedure are included with every kit.

Prefer to cut your own? The TFlight 77 RV-8 Rudder Pedal Extension DXF is available separately in the TFlight 77 Store.

Builder Responsibility

These components modify a primary flight control and are intended for Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft only. The builder/installer is responsible for verifying proper installation, hardware, fit, clearance, rudder travel, brake operation, and suitability for their individual aircraft. Having an EAA technical counselor or A&P review the installation before first flight is recommended.

This is a builder-designed experimental aircraft component and is not a Van’s Aircraft product or an FAA-approved part.