There are not enough dirty words to describe the unfortunate situation of having to do something to your brake cylinders/pedals or panel wiring, and not having the front deck removable. Thanks to N891JF, I can say that with complete sincerity. The main spar is so close to the bottom of the panel (which sits on the longeron) that the only way my head fits back there is turned sideways first, and my ears show the scars! And unless you're triple jointed, you only have one arm to work with, and your shoulder is as far as your body can go. So good luck even doing something as simple as installing a tie-wrap with one hand, while your ears are being sheared off. Any troubleshooting or rewiring requires a complete panel removal, which means the control cables come out, potentially compromising the critical throttle cable connection at the carb. That's a safety issue.
Here's how I made N56ML's removable...see http://www.n56ml.com/kmlfd.html. Seems hoaky, but is proven to 245 mph. I can remove the front deck, aft deck, and canopy in about four minutes. Pull four piano hinges, loosen two nuts on the canopy struts, and remove six screws that hold the instrument panel to the front deck. I didn't invent the removable deck, I got it the idea out of the Newsletters, but I know a good idea when I see it. It's a no-brainer, and no, Ken didn't build his that way. My plane is heavier than 310 pounds, but it's a lot safer and a lot faster. Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
