33- Baggage Area and Access Panels

While planning out my conduit and wire runs under the baggage area and rear seats, I started on section 33 and worked on baggage area tasks. As I will now be skipping around a fair bit in the plans and working in several sections simultaneously, I decided to stop tracking individual subsections and time spent, as that becomes more time consuming. From here on, the build also starts to become somewhat custom, so the work I do going forward will likely differ from other builders.

I began this section by fabricating the F-6114B and C wear blocks. Once again a 3D printed drill guide made this easy without the need to manually measure and mark out each hole prior to drilling

F-6114B drill template

F-6114C drill template

Drilling rhe wear blocks with the 3D printed drill guides

Channels in the bottom of the F-6114C wear blocks were cut using the band saw and cleaned up with needle files

I will be installing the Airward Baggage Area Access Panels that allow access to the step bolts if needed, and will need to cut openings in the baggage floors to accommodate those. I laid out the access panel doubler ensuring that it was centered between the rear seat back hinge location and the skin stiffener that will attach to the baggage area floor. I also made sure that the doubler, and more importantly the access panel opening, was placed far enough inboard to avoid interfering with the F-1080 and F-1081 side panels that will be worked on later.

Access panel doubler and opening outlined on the baggage floor

Temporarily placing the stiffener and rear seat hinge helped verify that the proposed location of the access panel had adequate clearance

I also had to cut openings in the rear seat floors for the COM antenna access panels I had previously fabricated. These doublers were easier to place and I just made sure they were centered between the ribs.

COM antenna access panel doubler positioned and match drilled to rear seat panel

COM antenna access panel opening outlined on rear seat panel. ready to be cut away

Access panel openings were taped around the outside to minimize scuffing, and holes were drilled into each corner using a step drill

Opening was rough cut using a jigsaw and then finished using files. Here the doubler has been clecoed in place.

With some final finessing using needle files. the COM antenna access panel cover fit nicely in place

Right COM access panel also came out nicely

I then moved back to working on the step access panels in the baggage area, as well as the openings for the Sky Designs baggage area storage bins.

Final sizing the step access panel doubler holes to #40

Access panel doubler match drilled to baggage area floor

Baggage area and rear seat panels clecoed in place for one last verification that there will be no issues after cutting the openings

While having the baggage area floors clecoed in, I completed match drilling of the F-1027 close out panel to the left baggage floor

Right angle drill came in handy while drilling along the flange

Verifying that the right step access panel opening would clear the F-1080 side panel flange

With the openings masked off, and holes drilled into all the corners, I was able to again use a jigsaw to rough cut them

Access panel and storage bin openings taking shape

After finishing and smoothing the opening edges with files, I test fit all the doublers and covers

Very happy with how everything looks so far, and baggage area modifications are now mostly done

Next I countersunk the screw holes in the covers of the step access panels, and dimpled the screw holes in the lids of the antenna access panels (due to limited edge distance).

Countersinking holes in the step access panel covers. I had the covers clecoed to the doublers because the countersink extends into the doubler material

Cover fully countersunk with good edge distances

Antenna access panel cover and doubler dimpled for #8 screws on the left...

...and on the right

While working in the baggage area, I decided to also add some tie down brackets as other builders have done. I'm not sure how often I will need to use them, but it does not hurt to have them and they are easy to add at this stage of the build.

I took a design from Allen Glen's build log, that he had based on Randy Vanstory's build, so a lot of the guess work on fabrication was eliminated thanks to both builders.

I first 3-D printed a template and drill guide for the four tie down brackets that I needed to fabricate, and used a left over piece of 1/8" aluminum from the landing gear mount service bulletin that I don't need (since my landing gear mounts and spar were already updated) to mark out the brackets.

Luckily, the 1/8" aluminum already had a number of holes drilled that I could easily ream to 3/8" for my tie down brackets, so I only had to drill one additional 3/8" hole.

Tie down brackets marked out and holes drilled and countersunk

Brackets cut from aluminum sheet and deburred

Match drilling rivet holes into hinge pieces

Initial hole drilled into hinge piece that will be riveted to baggage area ribs.

Tie down brackets positioned on the baggage floor panel, and additional hole match drilled from the panel into the hinge half.

A third hole was added at each hinge through the hinge half and floor panel for additional strength.

Tie down bracket parts ready for priming. I added a slight S-bend to the each hinge pin to prevent it from sliding out once inserted. This seems to work well.

I then worked on cutting additional holes into the rear seat floors to accommodate the conduits and antenna cables that will need to pass through.

Conduit and coax holes marked in the rear seat floors. These will come up behind the side panel that will later be screwed in, so will be hidden from view

There will be 2 conduits coming up each side of the cabin. Conduit hole rough cut on the right, and after filing to final size on the left

Coax cable holes drilled to 3/8" diameter to accommodate a bushing through which the cable will pass

Prior to riveting any floor panels in, I also had to dimple various screw and rivet holes in the bulkheads and ribs. Most holes were dimpled using the pneumatic squeezer with a few exceptions.