Well, people said I’d need one and I said, “naw fam, I’ll be fine without.” Turns out, I was wrong.

It became clear, as I looked at the growing stack of avionics destined for the back of the plane, that the two wire runs down the center channel weren’t going to cut it.

It also became clear that many avionics planned for behind the panel weren’t going to fit. These would be things like the IBBS (battery backup). And while moving them back doesn’t help my CG concerns, moving them to the baggage compartment hurts less than moving them aft of the bulkhead.

So I made up my mind and drew up some pieces for a baggage compartment stash box that would both hide a component or two, and allow for another wire run to be installed.

The hard part on this was finding a size that was as large as possible but would still fit within the baggage ribs. The hatch size is, of course, determined by the largest possible doubler size.

Once this was determined from the plans, I got the pieces drawn up and fabbed, then I set to cutting holes.

Using feeler gauges and such to ensure I wouldn’t wind up with a doubler that overlaps a rib flange, I cut into the floor and carefully aligned the pieces.

There was a little oil canning on the first go-around, so I had a new hatch made that was slightly thicker, and move the screw holes just a hair. (Think: stretching the hatch like a fitted sheet.)

Want to make a hatch of your own. I don’t blame you! Just don’t blame me when shit goes south. The files below are for use on your own project at your own risk.

I can only upload a PDF (without significant effort), but these are vector and can be converted to the filetype needed for your cutting application. Overall size should be 6.5″ x 14″ (doubler) and 5.8775″ x 13.3775″ (hatch).

I was alright with some rivets living a little close to the edge of the baggage floor cutout. If you’re not–if you’re a edge-distance purest–you might want to adjust.