New optional kit: ACCESS PANEL KIT for 7/9/10/14

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by DeeCee 57

Lucky for me Vans relegated the -6 to the dustbin of history once more, lest I?d buy one set

They can be installed on a 6 as well (in fact that is what they were Beta tested on).

[DanBaier]

12 years ago I made a set of these and put them in. In the time since, I can't imagine maintaining the airplane without the access they provide. A definite thumbs up.

[Veetail88]

Hey, how about some for us 8 guys? We need em too!

[Mark Dickens]

Originally Posted by Veetail88

Hey, how about some for us 8 guys? We need em too!

What? They sell an RV-8? You'd never know it. When was the last time you saw them fly one to an airshow?

[SeanB]

I'm wondering if these can be located more aft of the firewall than what the plans indicate. I have a 7 tipper and am considering the benefits of these on the curved section, but a little more aft so I can get to wiring and Garmin boxes in those areas.

[Thermos]

Originally Posted by rvbuilder2002

There is a good possibility that there would be some slight misalignment screw holes in the cover because of the differing radii that the doubler and cover would be installed at, but it might be slight enough that it wouldn't be an issue.

As insurance the doublers could be riveted in place before before installing the nutplates on them. That would allow for match drilling a custom cover if it was necessary.
If installed on the curved sides, I would recommend pre-curving the covers so they match the skin shape to avoid puckering and a higher difficulty in getting them sealed well.

Good stuff, thanks Scott!

Dave

[pilot2512]

Should have called it the blank panel...

[Kuhtenia]

Originally Posted by rvbuilder2002

They can be installed on a 6 as well (in fact that is what they were Beta tested on).

Excellent; thank you very much for clarifying that for us 6/6A drivers!

[RV6_flyer]

Originally Posted by greghughespdx

... snip ...

This particular kit was initially the work of our friend Joe Blank, who worked in technical support here at Van's and unfortunately passed away a few years ago. We were able to pick up his work and finish it off so we can share it with you.

... snip ...

Thanks Joe for making this possible. Miss you a lot and think about you often.

I think one of our friends that helped you with Formation Flying may have put this idea in your head.

[bhester]

I put these in my plane in 2006 and there were a few people on here telling everyone “oh, you can’t do that, your plane will fall out of the sky!” Well, I guess you actually can do that! Mine has been flying just fine with them :-)