Return-Path: Sender: (Marvin Kaye) To: lml Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2003 18:27:28 -0500 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from smtp03.mrf.mail.rcn.net ([207.172.4.62] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.0.5) with ESMTP id 2010792 for lml@lancaironline.net; Thu, 06 Feb 2003 09:31:13 -0500 Received: from 208-58-228-151.s151.tnt1.nrfl.va.dialup.rcn.com ([208.58.228.151] helo=DCT0D611) by smtp03.mrf.mail.rcn.net with smtp (Exim 3.35 #4) id 18gn3Y-0006GF-00; Thu, 06 Feb 2003 09:31:12 -0500 X-Original-Message-ID: <06d701c2cdec$18b53560$8ee53ad0@DCT0D611> From: "Bill & Sue" X-Original-To: "Lancair Mailing List" X-Original-Cc: References: Subject: Re: [LML] Re: Aluminum panel construction details X-Original-Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 09:23:12 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2720.3000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 > I have a couple questions for those of you that have built > all aluminum instrument panels (not inserts) for LNC2 aircraft: > Hello Scott, We made an aluminum panel for our 320. It has worked out great. I highly recommend this route over the factory molded panel as it offers several advantages the greatest of which is flexibility in design. For example, our radio stack is right of center. Impossible with the factory panel. We also made the bottom of the panel higher to give more shin room. Although I'm highly biased, I believe that it looks better too. We attached phenolic mounting brackets to the fuselage sides and the panel is bolted to these brackets. Our radio stack is centered over the right side of the nose gear well. A hefty support bonded to the gear well supports the radio stack and adds considerable strength and stability to the panel. The entire panel is removable. We mounted our panel 13 inches from the aft face of the header tank and have adequate room for a full UPS stack. Our panel is constructed of 7075 T6 aluminum powder coated with labels silk screened on. I believe that the 3/4" angle around the perimeter that you mentioned would be unnecessary and take up valuable space. The only advantage that I see for the molded panel is if you're using really old radios. These were much longer than today's equipment and the "extension" in the molded panel allowed for these long radios. We're down in Florida right now and don't have access to our photos. I'll send you some pix when we get home in a couple of weeks. Bill harrelson@erols.com N5ZQ LNC2 O-320 VA42 Fredericksburg, VA