July 13

Rudder Pedal Construction

The 737-700/800/900 series aircraft had to come up with approximately an extra 2.5 inches in the Forward Electronics Bay to make room for the ECAS screen. To do this they had to reduce the diameter of the rudder pedal arms.

The older style rudder arms were round, the 700/800/900 arms are made from square aluminum tubing which allowed Boeing to gain the inches they needed. Below are the old style rudder arms and the new style rudder arms that I made. The photo on the left shows a comparison, the newer style is missing the bushing that had to be custom milled.

The bushing from beginning to finished product

Here are photos of the rudder pedals temporarily installed prior to being welded. The clearance is as follows:

Inboard pedal (pilot right & copilot left)
A] between the pedal side and the forward electronics   .300
B] between the pedal side and the rudder arm cover       .400

Outboard pedal (pilot left & copilot right)
A] between the pedal side and the outside support         .400
B] between the pedal side and the rudder arm cover      .300

In February 2005, I had new bolts, bushings and spacers made for the rudder pedals

New rudder pedals installed. Now the installation of the forward electronics bay can continue.

Heel Plates

(February 2006)

Heel Plate Template made from MDF board

Side view of template

Heel plate nearing completion. I countersunk the holes for the rivets and they will be filled in to give a smooth appearance

Test fit of the heel plates and now I will begin the Rudder dust covers

Rudder Dust Covers

(March 2006)

My first attempt at the dust covers using MDF boards. Even though the picture makes them look like junk, the finish was smooth an unblemished where I had previously sanded and primed. At this point I decided to go back to aluminum knowing full well that someone would probably get excited when something went wrong and kick them and break them.

Aluminum Rudder Cover parts

Rivet holes have been countersunk but have not been filled. I temporarily used screws to hold cover in place while I installed floor mounting rail.

Test fitting the heel plates and rudder covers. I moved the rudders ( that is what the cable is for with the handle) to their full range fore and aft without any binding.

Side shot of the complete setup

Here is the old classic rudder dust covers and heel plates

Here are the heels, dust covers, and side wings painted and ready for installation

Rudder pedals installed

Legal Stuff

ALL images on this webpage are owned by ProjectB737NG.com unless otherwise stated...... all rights reserved, any use of content (word and picture) without written permission is illegal
Copyright © 2006,2005,2004,2003,2002,2001 Chuck Moore