Not much got done on the airplane today because I was tired. However, I did figure out what was wrong with the F-789 forward elevator pushrod… it's not that it was too short to allow sufficient down elevator travel, it's that the control column was hitting on the seat ribs. I dremeled out some small bites from the F-716 seat ribs, just enough to allow full forward stick plus about 1/16" extra for clearance.
Another photo of the other side. The duct tape is to protect the finish on the control column.
I likewise had to trim the removable parts of the two center seat ribs:
Once I had full stick travel, I put in the pilot's stick and seat in order to adjust the neutral stick position. Man, these seats are comfortable as heck.
Here's me doing ergonomics testing. I was in and out of the fuselage a half dozen times before I got it the neutral point adjusted where it fell easily to hand. The pushrod has a little more than the minimum required thread engagement, which is good. If you're reading this and you haven't fabricated your F-789 yet, do yourself a favor and make it about 1/4" longer than what the plans call for.
Yes, I made airplane noises:
