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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