Chapter 17 - Center Console

The center console was built per plans by Michael.

I came along and ripped it all out.  I think maybe I should just start every chapter explanation that way.  The Brock bicycle cable throttle quadrant is really not airworthy in my book.  The plans manual landing brake actuator needed to go as well.  So, I started over.  Some 1/4" foam, glassed on both sides, was used for the sides.  The top was 3/8" foam so I could round over the corners a little.  A hinged door was added to the side so that the actuator cables could be accessed, and maybe a shallow tray would be added for pencils and things.
 The throttle quadrant is made by Mark Frederick of the Team Rocket F1/Rocket RV builders.  It is a really nice unit with a nice adjustable friction pack. 

 To finish it off I machined a hollow 1" handle angled up at 45 degrees.  It was anodized black, with TO/GA (Takeoff / Go Around) laser etched in the end.  A button there is a discrete input to the Garmin G3X.  If you are on the ground it sets the Flight Director to a nose up angle for climb out. If you are flying an approach the TO/GA button will automatically set the flight director to the same nose up attitude, and index the flight plan to the missed approach.  In either case you firewall the throttle, press the button, and the autopilot can take over from there.  Super nice. 
The Mixture lever is also 1" aluminum, but it is scalloped just like the mixture knobs in all of the factory planes.  The placard is laser etched for Throttle Idle and Full as well as Mixture Rich and Lean.  


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