What angle to rivet onto the panel
 

Hi

I am replacing my panel and just received my blanc precut. I now need to rivet some angle brackets on them to mount my Garmin stack and a separate set to mount my Airgizmo mount for a Garmin 696.

It?s an RV8 panel so there is limited space.

What would you suggest I use and where to purchase? Is it as simple as getting a few pieces as Al angle from Home Depot?

Thanks

Roger

I typically use .75"x.75"x.063 extruded angle. I like the style with the radius on the inside corner, as it seems a little more robust. You can get it from Van's pretty inexpensively. Sometimes if there are components in the panel that are close to the stack, you have to trim down one side of the angle to fit.

You building a shelf at home or a airplane? Use aircraft grade aluminum.

Hate to break it to you, but there are things in a Van's kit that aren't 'aircraft grade'.

Maintaining high quality is a very good idea, but some rational thought is in order to know when good enough is good enough. For example, very few of us have ever used any 'aircraft grade' batteries. Back in the '80s & '90s, a lawn tractor battery was the primary choice in homebuilts. When SLAs became affordable, most of us started using those, long before there were any 'aircraft grade' SLA batteries.

0.025 stiffener angle is more than strong enough to support the front end of just about any radio out there, especially when, properly installed, the tray will be sitting on the lip of the panel cutout and the rear of the tray will be supported, as well. If someone chooses to use a few inches of 0.062 hardware angle instead, knowing and accepting that he's adding a few grams of weight for the same or better strength, is that more hazardous than using a lawn tractor battery to start the plane?

A battery is not structure.

I?ve read through majority of your posts here, Tommy, and it seems like you just might be a professional troll :rolleyes:.I have yet to come across one post where you add anything constructive to the discussion.

Nor is a radio stack. It is a component attached to the structure, just like a battery. I suspect the panel itself is adding rigidity to the upper skin and would consider it structural. However, that has nothing to do with the angle holding the radio onto the panel.

I used hardware store aluminum angle in my RV 20 years ago for this purpose. The plane has yet to fall out of the sky nor the radios out of the panel. Architectural aluminum extrusions are far more robust than avionics trays, and rivets, for that matter. If you're pursuing savings in shipping cost, time, or weight, I'd say go to the local hardware for this application.

i have a sheet metal break from h.f. and a supply of sheet alum. when i need an angle like this i will make it , usually out of .032. a little practice and you can put a nice radius on the bend. it's very handy for making brackets and who knows what else. lots of times the angle is plenty strong for the job and extruded is not needed.