Because Owning And Flying Your Beechcraft Can Be Done Safely AND For Less Money!
  CSOB Approach Plate & Chart Holder Box

 

Beech Lister Bob K., created a nice Approach Plate and Chart holder box for his early model B-35 Bonanza and wanted to share it with all the other CSOBs interested in a better organizer for the area of the floor under the front seats. Here's Bob's narrative:

 

I made an approach plate and chart storage box that fits under the front seat yet still gives ample vision to see what you want.

 

The solution is an Aluminum box 18 inches long x 4 inches deep x 7 inches high and sectioned off into 3 x 6 inch compartments of 4 x 6 inches. This gives me the equivalent of 1 foot  of storage which is about what you would have in a Sporty's charts and maps bag.  The nice part is it is screwed into the floor and back to keep it from moving about. It makes getting into the plane a lot easier and I am not trying to climb over maps and approach plates. It is also snug enough to the seats that it does not hinder egress or ingress to the plane. I used a small metal brake to manufacture the box and covered with leather when completed.

 

The box dimensions are under that of the carry through spar cover so no interference. Look close at the picture and you will see there is plenty of clearance. The center dividers use 0.020 and the box is 0.040 material.

 

Stand a map up on the floor and you will see that it has clearance with the bench seat. The chart box is 7 inches high and the charts are 9 inches. The adjustable seats are on rails and are not any lower than the bench since the rails sit on top of the spar carry through section.

 

Some Bonanzas have a large carry through spar cover plate that sticks out beyond the bench seat. I also got rid of that since it took up a lot of space. I fabricated one that has a small 1 1/2 inch lip before it dropped to the floor.  There is absolutely nothing underneath it that requires it to be there except to protect the carry through section.  Below is a picture of the change in space that occurs when you do this. I got all this signed off when I did my panel update.

 

It sure makes getting in and out easier...both from where your feet are on the floor and what is on the seat. An added benefit is that it gives more room for the leg positions on long flights to keep you comfortable.

 

There is room to do 4 sections in place of 3 if you need the space for more approach plates. I thought I would keep it just to three and allow a nice space to attach a halon fire extinguisher at the end of the box that would also fit under the seat out of the way.

 

 

See his pdf drawing HERE

 

Here are pics of his finished project. Click on the thumbnails for full size image.

 

 

Very nice Bob! Thanks for the contribution to CSOBeech.

 

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