This month’s panel planning rundown was sparked by a sad story from reader Stan Smith, who walked away from a big-dollar panel upgrade for his Piper with a fair amount of buyer’s remorse. If only he spent more time overseeing the design and layout—backstopping his freelance A&P who didn’t consider how pilots interact with autopilots and backup instruments.
This is an all-too common trap where the people planning the panel aren’t pilots and just don’t understand how critical the placement of backup instruments and switches really are. But the shop isn’t always to blame. Some aircraft by nature of the structural and space limitations behind the panel simply won’t accommodate what might be the best arrangement. And this is where owners need to understand the process and regs, and how to compromise.