Leaving an open instrument panel hole

[455 Bravo Uniform]

If an instrument is removed, is there any regulatory or safety reason for covering up the open hole?

The right side of my panel is missing 2 instruments (one is an old ADF) and the prior owner or A&P looked like had gone to great lengths to make sure any gaps were fully sealed with an RTV type sealer.

I thought maybe it was for fire safety, but one of the covers is aluminum while the other is plastic.

 

[murphey]

Not regulatory or safety but drafty. There are snap-in covers but cost anywhere from $25 and up. I took a piece of cardboard and taped over the hole.

 

[GRG55]

If an instrument is removed, is there any regulatory or safety reason for covering up the open hole?

The right side of my panel is missing 2 instruments (one is an old ADF) and the prior owner or A&P looked like had gone to great lengths to make sure any gaps were fully sealed with an RTV type sealer.

I thought maybe it was for fire safety, but one of the covers is aluminum while the other is plastic.

Wrong question.

This is PoA. You should be asking us what sort of budget breaking new avionic gadgets we recommend as the must-have in your panel to fill those holes.
Covers? Sheesh...

 

[frfly172]

Duct tape.

 

[Tom-D]

No regulation, but hole plugs usually look best

 

[Non Compos Mentis]

Some ads in aviation magazines have life-size pictures of instruments and avionics.

Cut out the ones you want and tape them over the holes.

The panel of your dreams!
The envy of other airport bums!

Imagine an engine monitor that never shows cylinders getting hot!

What more could a guy want?

 

[flyingron]

Go dig around the Aeromart at Oshkosh and find some instrument to stuff in there. A mach meter would be an interesting one to have.

 

[Bell206]

A mach meter would be an interesting one to have

Or a G meter and set the limit lines to +/- 9g.

 

[Spring Ford]

It's to avoid unnecessary distractions -

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I guess I could use the round hole to hold a water bottle.

On the ADF, it could be a second glovebox...

 

[Challenged]

It's a good spot for a carbon monoxide detector (thanks GRG55).

 

[cgrab]

I bent some steel strips so that I could mount my tablet on my panel over a blank spot.

 

[Dana]

I made a cover from thin (1/16") plywood to clamp into the hole, then attached a mount for a handheld GPS to it.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

It's a good spot for a carbon monoxide detector (thanks GRG55).

That’s exactly what I had over that blank hole.

 

[Clip4]

Cut some covers out of old beer cans.

 

[texasclouds]

Time for a G1000 upgrade.

 

[chemgeek]

A metal plate works fine, and can be used for mounting auxiliary switches if necessary.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

It's to avoid unnecessary distractions -

Oooh... Next time I need to cover up a round instrument hole, I'm gonna paint a mouse on the cover.

 

[sferguson524]

No regulation, but hole plugs usually look best

Am I the only one who misread this the first time?

 

[SkyDog58]

It's to avoid unnecessary distractions -

That's sort of cheesy.

 

[texasclouds]

Am I the only one who misread this the first time?

You need to repent.

 

[Skyrys62]

Some ads in aviation magazines have life-size pictures of instruments and avionics.
Cut out the ones you want and tape them over the holes.

Lol..
This is also sort of an idea for @Katamarino
No need for locks and chains.... just get a fake painted panel full of old dusty inop avionics and place it over the real panel.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Lol..
This is also sort of an idea for @Katamarino
No need for locks and chains.... just get a fake painted panel full of old dusty inop avionics and place it over the real panel.

That’s an awesome idea. Better yet, get a stack of old equipment, slice the faces off and glue em to a board, and hang/Velcro the board in front of the good stuff at the end of each flight.

 

[lancie00]

 

[Rgbeard]

Let me guess. You're either not married, or your wife never flies in your plane.