Cub Rookie
Member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2007
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey Guys
Thought I would post a few of my latest improvements to the Cub. I have been working on a few of these projects for a while but have been slow to get photos. I still dont have photos of everything that I have completed but this is a start.
As I mentioned before, my first project was to install shoulder harnesses. I went for the brand X kit because it was the one that everyone was using and it was less expensive than the alternatives. Again, I dont want to slam anyone or their product but in the end the only things I used from the kit were the belts and one of the tube clamp attach fittings. The rest has been thrown in the maybe Ill find a use for it someday junk box.
I knew instantly that I would not use the front seat shoulder harness mount. As discussed on this site the location given in the kit is totally undesirable. Having the attach fitting less than an inch directly above my cranium did not give me a warm fuzzy. Additionally, the fact that the installed harness would then be flapping literally a few inches in front of my face was unacceptable. I consider these both to be safety issues as well as aesthetic. My included photos show the solution that I came up with. It took some time to fabricate the cross tube but I am very happy with the result. It did not require any welding or drilling of the airframe (per the AC). It works beautifully and is out of the pilots way while providing the best compromise for front passenger safety.
The rear seat was another disappointment as far as the kit. The hardware provided did not install as I would have expected. The tube clamp and angle bracket would not allow the harness to attach without a slight twist in it. I installed the harness as instructed and flew with it one time before removing it. In my opinion, the inability to readily reach the carb heat and trim is a major problem...safety again. Even with the shoulder straps fully loose I could not reach the carb heat. My solution was to install an inertia reel. I fitted the Y-harness to the reel, fabricated some brackets and mounted the reel to the rear diagonal tube. Man .what an improvement .full freedom of movement with the peace of mind of having a restraint system. I understand that no reasonably priced kit can include a cross tube and inertia reel but someone should be providing a system like this to Cub owners. I think that the additional cost would be easily justified. I dont have a good photo of the rear seat with the reel but I will post one soon.
My final photo is of my new PTT buttons. I machined these in a few hours from a 1.5 diam. 6061 bar. The buttons are Radio Shack momentary contact. The O-rings are what secures the buttons in the top of the sticks. You can literally just pop them in and out as needed. Velcro-ing a button to the stick didnt work for me. They are now installed with new black rubber grips from Spruce. They look and function great and I will post a photo of them as well. I tell my passengers that the front button is either the eject button or fires the guns depending on their state of mind.
Regards,
M.B.
Thought I would post a few of my latest improvements to the Cub. I have been working on a few of these projects for a while but have been slow to get photos. I still dont have photos of everything that I have completed but this is a start.
As I mentioned before, my first project was to install shoulder harnesses. I went for the brand X kit because it was the one that everyone was using and it was less expensive than the alternatives. Again, I dont want to slam anyone or their product but in the end the only things I used from the kit were the belts and one of the tube clamp attach fittings. The rest has been thrown in the maybe Ill find a use for it someday junk box.
I knew instantly that I would not use the front seat shoulder harness mount. As discussed on this site the location given in the kit is totally undesirable. Having the attach fitting less than an inch directly above my cranium did not give me a warm fuzzy. Additionally, the fact that the installed harness would then be flapping literally a few inches in front of my face was unacceptable. I consider these both to be safety issues as well as aesthetic. My included photos show the solution that I came up with. It took some time to fabricate the cross tube but I am very happy with the result. It did not require any welding or drilling of the airframe (per the AC). It works beautifully and is out of the pilots way while providing the best compromise for front passenger safety.
The rear seat was another disappointment as far as the kit. The hardware provided did not install as I would have expected. The tube clamp and angle bracket would not allow the harness to attach without a slight twist in it. I installed the harness as instructed and flew with it one time before removing it. In my opinion, the inability to readily reach the carb heat and trim is a major problem...safety again. Even with the shoulder straps fully loose I could not reach the carb heat. My solution was to install an inertia reel. I fitted the Y-harness to the reel, fabricated some brackets and mounted the reel to the rear diagonal tube. Man .what an improvement .full freedom of movement with the peace of mind of having a restraint system. I understand that no reasonably priced kit can include a cross tube and inertia reel but someone should be providing a system like this to Cub owners. I think that the additional cost would be easily justified. I dont have a good photo of the rear seat with the reel but I will post one soon.
My final photo is of my new PTT buttons. I machined these in a few hours from a 1.5 diam. 6061 bar. The buttons are Radio Shack momentary contact. The O-rings are what secures the buttons in the top of the sticks. You can literally just pop them in and out as needed. Velcro-ing a button to the stick didnt work for me. They are now installed with new black rubber grips from Spruce. They look and function great and I will post a photo of them as well. I tell my passengers that the front button is either the eject button or fires the guns depending on their state of mind.
Regards,
M.B.
