Right now we manufacture the panels only. We will coordinate with you and your preferred avionics shop during the design process to manufacture the panel to your specs and ship it out to you. The result is a panel can be installed quickly with little (if any) processing saving you on labor costs and delivering aesthetically pleasing results.

Floating panels were at one time thought to be a great asset in extending the life of avionics related products. The thought was that vibration was the main deterrent to long life. It turns out that while vibration is a factor, the floating panel still transmits much of the vibration to the instruments, and often there was additional maintenance required to service the mounts for the floating panel. Recent trends have shown that securing the instrument panel to the rigid framework behind it is actually a much better method.

The amount of time for manufacture can vary. Your finished product can typically be produced in as little as 4 working days. For emergencies, the process can be completed and returned to you in as little as 48 hours, depending on the aircraft, whether you can supply an accurate CAD file for our staff engineers to work from and the complexity of your requirements. Note that expedited orders are subject to additional fees.

Lower sub-panels typically contain switches, circuit breakers, and controls for heating, ventilation, throttle, and mixture. Creating a sub-panel is possible, but sub-panels are typically more difficult to remove. Please inspect your aircraft carefully to determine if there are any compound curves or radii that would need to be created. If possible, please take some high-resolution digital photographs (at least 1 MP resolution) of your aircraft panel so that we can review it from our location.

Since your aircraft was most likely produced under FAR part 23 or 25, your maintenance manual should give you guidance regarding replacing any aluminum portion of the aircraft. As an example, if the external skin, a rib, or even a firewall was damaged on your aircraft, any maintenance shop would be able to easily "remove and replace" the damaged aluminum or part.

The logbook entry "sign off" should include the scope and location of the work performed, and that the work was produced in accordance with (IAW) the manufacturer's maintenance manual, and AC 43.13 1B and 2A . This FAA Advisory Circular (AC) is a very large and comprehensive book that gives specific guidance to shops and maintenance personnel ensuring that work like this is "equal to the original structure" (reference AC 43.13(B) pgs 4-50 ¶. b. and c. for more information).

In the case of the new instrument panel, the old metal panel that formerly held your flight instruments is being removed and replaced with the exact same material, and in the exact same manner. The only significant difference between the two examples is the reason for the removal. In the former example, the reason was for necessity because of damage or a need to repair. In the case of the all-new metal panel, the reason becomes purely aesthetic, but the same structural quality control rules still apply.

Therefore, there is no need for this new piece of metal panel to be a PMA part, or for STC paperwork to exist. There is not even a legal need for an FAA form 337 as the aircraft was not changed in any way. Your logbook entry from the avionics shop or mechanic will simply state:

"Removed and replaced existing metal (aluminum 2024 T3) pilot and copilot panels and replaced with same. All work performed IAW the structural repair manual and AC43.13 1B End."

If the shop or maintenance person installing the new panels feels more comfortable, an FAA form 337 can be filled out and filed with the FAA as a major alteration, even though there is typically nothing being "altered" or "repaired." in this process. You may also want to check with your local FAA FSDO for guidance on their requirements.

The prices vary depending on the aircraft, the requirements, the thickness of the material, and whether you need two, three, or four separate panels, or an all new "one piece" all-metal panel. Pricing starts at $750 for basic stock half-panels, and full panels start at around $1,500.

We can't tell you that. After five years of research and development and hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment, we hope you'll appreciate our desire to keep our trade secret a secret. What we can tell you is that our process does not use lasers, water jet, plasma, CNC milling. Our process is more efficient and does not involve intense thermal conditions that would compromise the integrity of the alclad finish or the alloy itself.

Our database includes over 375 aircraft panel types and 1,350 instruments. We're capable of producing stock panels site-unseen for most common aircraft. Most of our customers are people who want to rearrange their avionics, or even upgrade to new avionics suites. For those customers, we start with the generic CAD files from our database, and then include the arrangements to your specifications. If you have a panel that is already modified or is not in our database, you will need to provide precise measurements of the sub-panel including the location of existing fasteners and a description of your desired layout including a sketch. Alternatively, if you already have panel or panel prototype in process, you can send us the panel itself or a 1:1 scale tracing of the panel.

After we have completed your layout, we'll provide you with a full size template that can be used to test the fit in the cockpit. Any changes that need to be made are incorporated into the CAD file. Once you're satisfied, our technicians will manufacture your panel and ship it out to you or your avionics shop of choice. We'll also retain the CAD files in our archives in case you ever need to do an additional avionics upgrade.

Our panels are made from aircraft grade T3 2024 Aluminum in .080" (2.03mm) and 0.125" (3.175mm) thicknesses. All panels are alclad coated, and conform to the following specifications: ASTM B209, AMS 4041, AMSQQA25015.