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[October 29, 2007]


I have been agonizing over where to put the ELT for sometime. I want to keep it as forward as possible to keep the CG as far as possible. Since I am planning on putting a composite constant speed prop on the front, I need all the help I can get. Here are some ELT locations I dug up on the web.

This is Dennis Glaeser's installation in a RV-7 on top of the aft deck.


This is Rick Mellor's installation right behind the F-706 bulkhead. I think Van's sells this bracket.


This is Scott Will's installation on the lower rib that connects the F-706 to F-707 bulkheads.


Steve Moore's installation behind the seat but in front/on top of the flap bar. I don't know if this installation is legit. I think the mounting of the ELT has to survive a 100g force.


I think Stein installed this ELT for a customer (sorry if I got the source wrong). Just like the one above, but I think a little more robust.


Anyways, I didn't like either of the two installations in the cabin area. So, I think I am going to try to install mind under the baggage floor. I agonized forever trying to figure out how to elegantly make a hinged baggage floor compartment. In the end, I kept it simple and copied Dan Checkoways method. Make a hole, then make a larger plate to screw into the floor. Since I will put carpet over the floor, no one will be the wiser! Here is a pic of what Dan did.


I am going to make holes on either side. On the right side, there will be a smaller hole (5" x 10" that will be used for storage. The 5" x 10" dimension is what I got when I measured a bottle of oil. Two quarts should easily fit under here.


Once I drew my cutout, I drilled 4 3/4" holes at the corners.


I used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to make the cut, then filed a lot, then sanded and here is the final cutout for the right side.


Here both of the floors are cut out and sitting in place. The left side I made larger, at 16" x 5". I made this larger because I am going to try to put the ELT and strobe power supplied under here.


Notice how the right side (closer) floor hole is centered, whole the left side is more forward. Well, I did this because the compartment's floor is not even throughout. It is deeper in the front (3.25" i think) and shallow in the rear (2.75"). My ELT research showed that most ELT's are about 2.90" high. This means I needed it as forward as possible. That was my driving decision making the floor as you see it. I don't have any material handy to make the covers now, so I have some 0.032" on order with spruce. The floors are only 0.025", but 032 was the same price as 025, and I figured why not? Especially for the larger hole the 032 will be more handy.


My next task is to run some conduit to the aft fuselage from the forward part of the seating ribs. Since the floors in the baggage area and the rear portion of the seating floor are pertinently installed with pop rivets, this needs to be done before that happens. I am doing 3 runs total to the rear. One on the right and left all the way to the F-706 bulkhead. The third will go to the compartment where I plan to put the ELT in. The other two runs will be run in the area just outboard of the area where the compartments I just made are.

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Last Modified: August 13, 2023