I spent the last week working on the Cessna electrical system. This was a project I had on the list for about ten years. The guy I got the airplane from installed radios and put the fuses up under the panel where you could not get to them in flight. That was not such an issue with me because I seldom really need them. Anyway, last week the GPS fuse blew and I had to replace it. This was the first time I had a radio system fuse blow since I bought the airplane. It turned out to be a terrific pain in the a&& to change that fuse out, so I said that's it, I am going to do that long put off project. Well, it was a lot of fun and I finished it today. Of course a functional check flight was required. Everything worked just right. On the right in the photo is the breaker panel I built. It took a while because I tend to work slowly, especially when I am on the clock. Also, my airport buddies would stop by which requires a break for hangar flying. Not sure the next project. I think I will fly a couple days before getting started on another. Besides we are leaving Friday for a two week road trip to see Rob and Laura and Richard and Christiane.
It befuddles me that engineers and designers put fuses in hard-to-reach areas. In my Toyota Sienna, they are in a downward-facing panel tucked way up under the dashboard, near the steering column. To change a fuse one must lie with one's back on the door sill---awkward and uncomfortable. To make matters worse, tiny hard-to-handle fuses are used.
Work like this is classified as a minor modification and can be handled with just a log book entry. They do worry about small airplanes. We have the same FAA standards that the big guys have.
