I spent most of the session deciding and counting how many circuit breakers I would need and figured on 23...a good number for me. I then drew up the switch locations and the circuit breaker locations on the panel layout. Then an old idea started creeping back in my head...the idea of how nice it would be to have a little more knee clearance room while getting into and out of the cockpit as well as a slightly longer control stick.
I quickly erased the blue sharpie switches and CB's and calculated that I could likely cut .75" off the top and move everything down on the panel, then slide the panel up but that amount. I re-drew the switches and CB's and moved the slicks into their new positions. The reason for cutting off the top would be to keep most of the structural bend at the bottom of the panel, although I would be losing the sides. I had some surplus cardboard and cut a shortened mock up and installed it. I entered and exited the cockpit a few times to test it out. In the end, it just didn't seem to make that much difference and so I am choosing to stick with the stock configuration and move forward… I have done enough flip-flopping.
Lower workup of panel, panel would actually be higher - this was just to test fit
