When I decided to use adjustable seats I knew that the original controls that came with the KIS Cruiser would have to be extensively modified or replaced entirely.  My original plan was to rework the handles to bring them out the front of the seat bulkhead and then curve back to the proper position.  I never liked the control stick position in the center of the seat and find it especially akward for getting in and out of the seat.  My wife wasn't real happy about having the stick come up between the seat either.  I really liked the side stick on the Lancair but felt that it definately wasn't a KIS system.  I looked at Paul Lamar's design and did a rough layout on it and decided that the controls would be too far forward for my preference.  I worked on several designs similar to Paul's but didn't like any of them.

I finally contacted Vance and asked if he had any suggestions.  His first was a modification of the existing system which looked real good but when I checked on the measurements, it showed interference with the seat rails.  Finally, Vance came up with this simple and elegant system which I will be using for my center stick controls.  The drawing below is the initial drawing that Vance did and with the exception of an added connection at the bottom of the control for connection of the AutoPilot, it is an accurate drawing of the final product.

Original drawing.

First Prototype

Final design shown in place.

It works great and has same feel as original.

As you can see from the above photos, I have had to place and replace several different hard points in the station 30 bulkhead.  I had placed the original hard points as specified in the plans.  Then I had to add the Round hard points for the bolts for the seat rails.  I then expanded the original hard point in the center to give a larger center hard point for the control stick.  I sure hope that I don't have to add any more!

Note:  The round hard points are the remains from cutting out the lightening holes in the rear seat bottoms.  I found these to be very easy to work with because I can use the hole saw to cut the fiberglass to exactly the right size.  They provide the same strength as the retangular hard points but are lighter because they are smaller in total area.  I have used these elsewhere in full circle or half circle as needed.