Holey Panel, Batman

I've nearly finished cutting all the panel holes. I'm proud to say I did it myself and there are only a few slight cosmetic errors. The only one that I think will annoy me is on the map box lower edge- I'm going to try some epoxy filler- hopefully it won't be noticable after painting. 

Only one hole left to do- the big area near the middle is for the AIM-1 engine, which is now back with the manufacturer getting reprogrammed. I'll cut that hole once it gets back here, hopefully in about 2 weeks. Note the dark blue- that is layout dye I used for more precise marking (better than a Sharpie). I used a tool called the ARC-360 to cut all the square holes and all the large (>1.25" dia) round holes. It is a pneumatic angle grinder with a small 1/8" end mill, mounted to a bar with an adjustable post. The post goes through a centering hole and the distance from the post to the end mill determines the hole radius(I should have taken a picture and saved myself some typing). I modified it to make straight cuts by using a peice of angle as a straight edge and replacing the post with a square block. I was then able to push the tool up against the clamped-down angle and make reasonable rectangular cut-outs.

I also riveted in the ELT mount- I bought an Ameri-King AK-451 406MHz ELT that came with all the bits needed for a complete mounting, including the gold anodized bracket seen below. The panel it's screwed onto was a kit from Vans that fit perfectly between the stringers on the right side, just aft of the baggage area.

Drilled and mounted ELT antenna. A lot of people mount it under the fiberglass tail fairing. I opted to put it out in the breeze, on the top fuselage, just aft of where the canopy will stop when fully opened.

Another hole in my airplane! This one is the outside air temperature sensor. I put it on the side of the fuselage, under the horiz. stabilizer. It wires into the Dynon remote compass module, which is also mounted in the tail. 

Coming next- with the ELT located, I can complete the aft fuselage wiring, then rivet the aft fuselage skin in place. Then I can get back to the canopy (it's really warm now!) 

Also, when the panel holes are all done, I can paint it, then start mounting and wiring instruments. This can (and will!) be done in air-conditioned comfort inside the house - a good project for summer...