Wednesday, April 15, 2026

RV-14/14A Controls Stick with Tosten Grip

The kit comes with the control stick, but it's up to the builder to pick a grip and button combination.

I'm going with Van's prewired ones with Tosten grips. It has the same button combination I'm used to, as well as an ability to twist it left and right into a postion just with an allen key.  The only thing I don't really care for is that the top stick label is a sticker vs an engraving.



Thursday, February 19, 2026

Yaw Damper

 Do you need it? No of course not, but it's extremly useful on longer flights and does away with the need for rudder trim.  I've heard it also makes the ride smooth but since I almost always use it on the 10 I can't really answer that.

You buy the kit directly from Vans however the rest is dependent on the servos you use. You'll end up spending north of $1,000 US for this feature which is reasonable on the grand scheme of things.  Installation is extremely easy and can be done during the build process or after.



Here's a picture of the pre-clean up install.





Thursday, February 12, 2026

Beringer Brakes

You can add the Beringer brake option to your RV-14 when ordering the kit.  You can probably get it after the fact but I just opted for it on the order.  I feel brakes and master cylinders are a good upgrade to put on any project.  These also come with lines from Aircraft Specialty, and some wheels for tubeless tires (tire not included).

I can get a few additional options such as a parking brake and antiskid valve.  I chose not to add either of those because I've used the parking brake maybe twice on the 10, and I have enough feet control not to skid... plus a buddy of mine said he never set it up.

The instructions for the master cylinders I couldn't find, and had to email Beringer.  They emailed them back same day and while it was a bit fuzzy, between those and VAF posts I got everything installed and plumbed.


Here's the diagram which helped ensure I put everything together correctly.