THE

SPORTPLANE
AKING INSTRUMENT PANELS BUILDER
MORE ACCESSIBLE By Antoni iTonyi Bingelis
EAA Designee Program Advisor

8509 Greenflint Lane

Austin. Texas 78759

w, HEN YOU PASS an open hangar and happen to see

a pair of squirmy legs sticking out of a cockpit, you can particular.
(All Photo* by Tony Bingelis)

during those most important annual inspections, in

bet your bottom dollar that they belong to some poor

soul who is propped up on sweaty shoulders squinting at
— or messing with — the jumble of wires and plumbing
behind his instrument panel. This, of course, is an un-
pleasant way to work and is at best a most undignified
position. But this is a situation that could well happen to
anyone who builds his own instrument panel in the highly
styled, maintenance-impossible manner found in most
autos and aircraft.
It seems that only homebuilders, and not all of them,
are really interested in simplicity and built-in accessibility
when it comes to aircraft instrumentation. And why not?
Guess who has to do all the maintenance and repair work
on the airplane?

The basic panel looks like most other instrument panels of
comparative complexity. Sub-panels and pedestal cover are
removable for servicing and maintenance. Use of nutplates
permits easy access.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
If from the very first flight all your instruments func-
tion flawlessly (a rare experience in a new installation),
you may never have the need to remove or replace any-
thing. But even a single inoperative or poorly functioning
gage could mandate its removal and lead to reenactment
of that odd scene to which earlier reference was made.
Surely everyone knows that it is much easier to work
on something when you can see what your hands are
doing . . . and doing it right-side-up helps too!
Inspecting the plumbing, the installation of instru-
ments, switches and circuit breaker connections behind
the typical aircraft (or automobile) instrument panel is
usually difficult or near impossible unless you first remove
most everything . . . wheels, windshield, wings, etc. (a
little overkill perhaps?) beforehand. Such conditions,
more often than not tend to induce a "I can't see it but it
must be O.K. because everything is working" philosophy
The right hand panel is open revealing the piano hinge that
makes it possible. Notice how the radio rack requires a recess
in the fuel tank. In this photo the tank mold is being used for
fitting purposes.
Everything may not be O.K. behind the gages. Some
wiring might be on the verge of becoming badly frayed or
loosened. Static or pressure hoses may be kinked or
wearing through. But all that aside, have you ever tried
to wire or rewire an ignition switch — working from
behind? One such experience is enough.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a plug-in instrument panel
or at least one that could be turned around for inspection
and maintenance purposes? A plug-in panel would be
hard to make but the next best thing to that would surely
be a hinged instrument panel. This is not a new idea, of
course, but it is one that is seldom utilized by aircraft
manufacturers, or homebuilders for that matter . . .
but it does merit your consideration.
This view shows both panels opened. The large one on the
left is shock mounted on its hinges. The tank recess is very
prominent. Along the top of the instrument panel former are
three horizontally mounted shock units and three more on
either side of the panel opening.
SPORT AVIATION 11
 Making That Hinged Instrument Panel
For Shock-Mounted Instruments
It is easy enough to fit any instrument panel with a
piano hinge along its bottom edge so that the panel can
be tilted open. As a matter of fact, by making one end
of the piano hinge wire accessible you could pull the hinge
wire out and remove the panel completely — then
take it to the workbench where you can work in comfort.
(You're right, amigo, you would have to disconnect the
plumbing . . . or have some mighty long entrails trailing
behind you.)
Small VFR panels are made to order for a hinged
panel installation. These panels do not utilize gyro
instruments so shock mounting is not necessary. But what
if you wanted to hinge a larger, more complex panel?
Popular practice is to shock mount only the few gyro
instruments installed in a separate small panel section.
This is all right, I suppose, but still leaves you with the
problem of accessibility to other instruments and wiring.
If your aircraft is to have a 'full panel', it will probably
be divided into two separate panel areas separated by a
radio stack. But even this shouldn't present any problem,
Decorative nut
Instrument panel
Shock mount
(Horizontally mounted)
Aluminum plug
Nut & lock washer
Aluminum angle
Rivets
Snock mount
Cross member
^Piano hinge
SHOCK - MOUNTED GYRO PANEL
(Normal position)
Panel partially open
SHOCK-MOUNTED GYRO PANEL
(Maybe opened for inspection .and maintenance)
FIGURE I.
SHOCK-MOUNTED GYRO PANEL
(Easily removed by pulling piano hinge w i r e )
SWING-OPEN SHOCK-MOUNTED PANEL DETAILS
especially since it will not be necessary to shock mount
both panel sections. One side (usually the right with no
gyro instruments) would be hinged without shock mounts.
The other, the gyro panel portion, however, should be
hinged on shock mounts. But this too can be done rather
easily.
The method I used to mount and install the panels
in my Falco project is depicted in Figure 1 and is also
illustrated in several of the photos. Since my panel is
rather large and heavy, I had to use several standard
instrument shock mounts installed both vertically and
horizontally.
These rubber shock mounts are standard items made
in rectangular and round shapes with brass protrusions
molded into each end. The ends are threaded to take
8-32 nuts (you can obtain shock mounts from a local
instrument shop or you may order them from one of the
larger homebuilder supply sources advertising in SPORT
AVIATION). A less cluttered and neater installation is
possible when you mount all switches and circuit breakers
on sub-panels located almost anywhere convenient. In my
case, the most convenient location was on two sub-panels
secured beneath the main panels with small bolts and
nutplates. Installation of nutplates makes it easy to
remove the sub-panels when you need to wire or service
the various switches, circuit breakers and instruments.
Grouping of the fuses and switches on sub-panels
also serves to simplify the wiring of the airplane. For
example, a single heavy gage of copper wire or copper
strip may be soldered across the ground terminals of
all of the grouped circuit breakers instead of making
separate ground connections for each unit. The same
can be done with switches if they are grouped.
Some Instrument Panel Design and Installation
Considerations
A sophisticated aircraft such as the Falco deserves
extensive instrumentation and provision for a radio 'stack'
. . . even though I may initially install only a hand-
me-down old wireless set picked out of some Good Will's
goodie rack. (For my overseas readers . . . 'Good Will' is a
U. S. charitable source for used clothing, pots and pans,
etc.)
If you elect, as I did, to provide space for panel mounted
radios, you will need a depth of approximately 14 inches
behind the panel. Although most radios are but 12 inches
or less in length, additional space is needed for their
hook-up and removal. The implication is that if you must
have a fuel tank installed behind the instrument panel
you will, undoubtedly, have to build an indentation
(recess) into the tank to accommodate the radio(s).
Unfortunately, when you are forced to do this you cut
into the available fuel capacity. Not only that, a lesser
fuel load up front will also influence your weight and
balance situation . . . especially if you have a large
aft-mounted fuselage tank. At any rate, a hinged panel
would also afford easy access to the radio racks as well
as to the instruments.
The plumbing connections to the various instruments
will probably be completed while the panel is swung
open on its hinges. If so, the length of the tubing and
wiring used will automatically be sufficient to allow the
panel to be re-opened at any time without difficulty.
Otherwise, if you are making your initial installation
with the panel in its upright position do not forget to
allow extra length and some slack in the wiring and
plumbing.
Since the panel is hung on rubber shock mounts you
will have to electrically connect the swing-open panel
section with the stationary part of the panel. Use a
short metal strap or a piece of stranded wire for this
purpose (Figure 3). When installing the individual instru-

12 AUGUST 1981
ments be sure each mounting screw is tightened firmly
but without excessive torquing. Many instruments are
made with plastic cases and may be easily damaged.
Exercise similar caution when tightening the plumbing
and the wiring connections behind the instruments.
Threaded endt -^.
tnreod)
RUBBER SHOCK MOUNTS
(Two types sfiown)
The O4 -cut p*ct from 0
2 IT4" ffttftfftr* pone* hole
TYP.CAL SHOCK MOUNT BRACKETS
Thin oluminjm strop
TYPICAL GROUND CONNECTIONS
FOR SHOCK MOUNTED INSTRUMENT PANELS
FIGURE 3.
Speaking of mounting screws, one difficulty I've
always experienced in making an instrument panel was
in getting the screw holes for securing the instruments
properly located. Invariably, I would have to resort to
the corrective influence of a small round file. It seems
I always had to elongate one or more holes before all
of the 8-32 brass screws would go in. Then as if that was
not embarrassing enough, invariably at least one instru-
ment would not be level . . . a bit cockeyed, you might
say. Well, my friends, rto more problems like that for
me!
I devised a simple little drilling fixture made with a
couple of those useless instrument hole cut-outs to give
me an instant capability for drilling correctly located
instrument attachment holes. All I needed, in addition
to the two scrap cut-out pieces (one from a 2'/i" hole and
the other from a regular S'/a" hole), was a small piece
of aluminum about 3.5 inches square (about .50" or .060"
thick, or whatever you have) and a short V4" bolt and nut.
No need to describe how to assemble it when you can
take a peek at Figure 2.
Be careful when you initially lay out and drill the
fixture and your hole drilling jig will serve you well.
The best part of the whole (oops) thing is that the device
can be made in less time than it could take to measure,
(onr lti.c»r«»t I/It"- l/8'l
FIGURE 2
DRILLING JIG FOR BOTH STANDARD SIZE INSTRUMENTS
layout and drill the holes for any single instrument the
old way.
Use the device after all the holes have been cut in
your panel. Simply insert the proper sized side of the
fixture into one of the instrument openings. Then, using
a square, align the edge of the fixture and square it with
the bottom of the instrument panel. Clamp the fixture in
place, and drill instrument screw holes with a .169"
drill bit. Remove the fixture and move on to the next
instrument opening.
Some gyro instruments may be damaged if screws
longer than 'V are used for securing them to the
panel. This does not apply, of course, to instruments with
attachment holes which are not internally threaded.
These can take any length screw but do require the use
of a lock washer with the nuts. Read all the labels on
each instrument before undertaking its installation.
Current practice is not to use a thread seal or lubri-
cant when connecting instruments. Any connection
that you think would require a thread seal or lubricant
can be installed using Teflon tape wrapped around the
male fitting only. Many discount and hardware stores now
carry this tape.
Of Course!
Each instrument opening should be covered or capped
until the instrument is to be connected. This precaution
is especially important if you are using one of your good
instruments to check each of the instrument panel open-
ings for trial fits during the instrument panels fabrication.
Need More Information and Ideas?
Other references regarding basic instrumentation and
installations:
1. SPORT AVIATION. March and April 1975.
2. The Sportplane Builder By Tony Bingelis, Sec-
tion 9, "Instrumentation."
SPORT AVIATION 13