Walt

Walt

Well Known Member
I wish I was more of a mechanical engineering type so I could make something like this.... somebody needs to produce this setup for the RV before I get to where standing on my head to work in this stuff becomes impossible :D

This is a picture from a "World Aicraft" panel design.

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Those look like they are simply drawer slides from a cabinet shop. That actually looks pretty simple to make. One would have to design out the dimensions and such but looks very doable.
 
You need the depth behind the panel to make it work neatly and you need to plan for necessary cabling loops that add length to cables. WAC was obsessed with ease of maintenance for a long time. Unlike the majority of other S-LSA vendors, who come from Europe, WAC's chief designer is from Colombia, perhaps it mattered. Anyhow, their design has a longer than usual nose that permits this kind of arrangement.
 
Why?

Yikes! That looks like a lot of weight to add for something that is pretty infrequently used. I do have a three piece panel that can come off pretty easy, with no extra weight. Most current equipment is pretty flat anyway.

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CC
 
Walt said:
I wish I was more of a mechanical engineering type so I could make something like this.... somebody needs to produce this setup for the RV before I get to where standing on my head to work in this stuff becomes impossible :D

This is a picture from a "World Aicraft" panel design.

1785_3.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks like a tip up with the canopy removed;)
 
Those drawer slides look just like the ones you can get at HD/Lowe's, etc. Available in a variety of lengths, they are pretty heavy for something to be used so infrequently. That's a pain you would carry around every time you flew.
 
Toobuilder said:
Available in a variety of lengths, they are pretty heavy for something to be used so infrequently. That's a pain you would carry around every time you flew.
Click to expand...

Agreed, BUT, the one time you need to work behind the panel those couple pounds would be very worthwhile..
 
My Air Tractors have flush mounted camloks from the factory that hold both the upper and lower panels in place. The lower panel has all the switches and CB's and wiring and hinges downward, exposing everything.

Best,
 
Slide out panel or panel-in-a-drawer

As a 58yrold with back problems looking to upgrade my panel, this looks worth the trouble.
But, laying upside down, head on the rudder pedals, flashlight in my teeth, spar reversing the natural curve of my spine @ about T-8 vertebrae, feet sticking straight up outta the cockpit, progressive lenses sliding the wrong way up my nose, the wife unit finds this sexy......
Sexy?!? Not sure which end is up, to get it.
Once got a cramp in my back that I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to extricate myself from this contortionists dream.
Either way, I'm extremely interested if that is a possibility in an RV9.
 
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An alternative...

Walt said:
somebody needs to produce this setup for the RV before I get to where standing on my head to work in this stuff becomes impossible :D
Click to expand...

I wasn't clever enough to design/fab a sliding tray but I had my avionics shop copy what I saw in the military. They rolled their eyes and said it was an unnecessary expense until last July when I had them install a new autopilot and GTN 650. The whole panel save cheeks pops out into your lap.

The panel
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The access
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RV8iator said:
Agreed, BUT, the one time you need to work behind the panel those couple pounds would be very worthwhile..
Click to expand...

Depends on your priorities. Some people would gladly suffer through some ocasional discomfort to save a few pounds. Go over to the Biplane forum if you want to see some weight obsessed builders. These guys have debates about the weight of tires and tubes like we do about primer or propellers.

A 3 pound slide out rack makes a lot more sense on a million pound cargo plane than a 1100 pound RV.
 
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