Author: "Phil" <pjanderton@...> Time: Thu Feb 12, 2004 6:43 am PST Link
My plans (slider canopy) indicate that the instrument panel is
attached to the foreward fuse with solid rivets. This meams that
service/replacement of avionics and flight instuments would be by
(ugh) crawling under the cockpit and trying to gain access to the
body of instruments and avionics behind the panel. I am too big and
clumsy for that.
One of my SAAA technical advisors flies an RV-6, and he has set up
the panel to be removeable with platenuts and screws.
Also there is the option of fitting a modular panel
(http://www.affordablepanels.com/index.html).
I would be very interested to learn what other builders have decided
to do here. Are you all planning to rivet your panels to the fuse and
hope you never need to service your instruments and avionics? Or are
there other options available?
Thanks
Phil Anderton
Sydney
http://members.optusnet.com.au/rv7/
Emp (VS in progress)
Author: "Joseph F. Giallo, II" <jgiallo@...> Time: Thu Feb 12, 2004 7:32 am PST Link
Phil,
My plans show the panel screwed to the forward structure, but this still
isn't very maintenance friendly as you note. I ordered the XL panel from
Affordable Panels yesterday for my 7A slider. I'll incorporate maintenance
loops into the wiring to facilitate removal and plot carefully where to
place things like the encoder that need to be removed periodically for
compliance checks.
Regards,
Joe
<mailto: jgiallo@m...>
-----Original Message-----
From: Phil [mailto:pjanderton@o...]
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 9:11 AM
To: RV7and7A@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RV7Yahoo] Panel access options
My plans (slider canopy) indicate that the instrument panel is
attached to the foreward fuse with solid rivets. This meams that
service/replacement of avionics and flight instuments would be by
(ugh) crawling under the cockpit and trying to gain access to the
body of instruments and avionics behind the panel. I am too big and
clumsy for that.
One of my SAAA technical advisors flies an RV-6, and he has set up
the panel to be removeable with platenuts and screws.
Also there is the option of fitting a modular panel
(http://www.affordablepanels.com/index.html).
I would be very interested to learn what other builders have decided
to do here. Are you all planning to rivet your panels to the fuse and
hope you never need to service your instruments and avionics? Or are
there other options available?
Thanks
Phil Anderton
Sydney
http://members.optusnet.com.au/rv7/
Emp (VS in progress)
Van's Air Force - World Wide Wing
www.vansaircraft.net
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Author: jacklockamy@... Time: Thu Feb 12, 2004 7:32 am PST Link
Phil,
Take another look at the plans..... I have the same plans (-7A/slider) and I can verify that if built according to the plans, the instrument panel IS removable.
The solid rivets attach the top fuselage skin to the instrument panel ribs, upper fuselage longerons, and firewall. The stock instrument panel is completely attached to the structure with K1000-8 platenuts located on angle stock behind the panel that gets riveted to the top fuselage skin also.
Removing the panel after it is installed is no problem.... just did it last night. I needed to strip off the black rattle-can paint I had applied and have the panel powder-coated this weekend.
Definitely use high quality paint or powder-coat the panel.....
Hope this helps. If not, contact me off-list and maybe able to explain it better. :-)
Jack Lockamy
Camarillo, CA
RV-7A N174JL reserved
----------
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Author: "Jon Baker" <jon@...> Time: Thu Feb 12, 2004 2:47 pm PST Link
At the time, I thought seriously about putting a couple of access
panels in the top of the fuse, but I chickened out. I've regetted
ever since.
My panel is supposedly removable, but in practice, the only reason I
would consider actually removing it would be if I was rebuilding
it. Removing all the strapping on the wire loom to get the panel
out would be way to much trouble for the minor convenience of
actually being able to see what I'm doing back there!
I also made a sub-panel for the "six-pack" instruments and floated
it on some instrument shock mounts. I figured I could pull that out
anytime I needed to get back there. Glad I did that, but it's still
not something I would do lightly. There wasn't enough room to put
service loops in the vacuum tubing without crimping it, so I have to
disconnect all the gyros to get it out. I had a DG go out on me
last month and it took me all morning to replace it.
It would be interesting to hear for someone who put access panels in
the top to see how much it helps.
Jon Baker
RV6A N883TT
--- In RV7and7A@yahoogroups.com, "Phil" <pjanderton@o...> wrote:
> My plans (slider canopy) indicate that the instrument panel is
> attached to the foreward fuse with solid rivets. This meams that
> service/replacement of avionics and flight instuments would be by
> (ugh) crawling under the cockpit and trying to gain access to the
> body of instruments and avionics behind the panel. I am too big
and
> clumsy for that.
>
> One of my SAAA technical advisors flies an RV-6, and he has set up
> the panel to be removeable with platenuts and screws.
>
> Also there is the option of fitting a modular panel
> (http://www.affordablepanels.com/index.html).
>
> I would be very interested to learn what other builders have
decided
> to do here. Are you all planning to rivet your panels to the fuse
and
> hope you never need to service your instruments and avionics? Or
are
> there other options available?
>
> Thanks
>
> Phil Anderton
>
> Sydney
>
> http://members.optusnet.com.au/rv7/
>
> Emp (VS in progress)