Help With Switch Locations

[Terry Carraway]

I am finalizing my panel layout and would like some input.

The setup will have the electric (master, alternators, avionics master) and fuel to the left side.

Just right of the yoke will be the pitot heat and prop heat.

The lighting switches will be to the right between the G3X and radio stack, above the AP controller.

So I have 7 lighting switches that will be in two rows. They are Landing, Taxi, Recognition, Beacon, Nav, Strobes, and the Flasher control.

The Flasher pulses the Landing and Recog lights. But when you turn on the respective switch that light comes on steady, not pulsed.

I plan on the Flasher and Beacon to be on most all the time.

I am thinking to have them make two rows of 4 holes, and just put a cover on the unused hole, in case I need to add a switch.

But either way, which switches on each row and what order. And explain your thoughts.

Thanks.

[Dusty Rider]

I drew this out to play around with some ideas. I'm happily on my fourth draft and here's what I'm thinking. I would put the NAV, Beacon, Pulse, and Strobes on the bottom row in that order, since those are the switches you'll likely use the most. This will also ensure all the lighting you want on for takeoff and landing, assuming you don't need steady lighting, is on when the bottom row of switches are all "up." On the top row, I'd put the Landing, Recog, and Taxi light switches, as well as the unused position in that order. You'll probably use the taxi light a fair bit, but this keeps the other two switches available for when you need steady lighting. I was thinking it would make the most sense to keep the unused switch position above where the strobe switch is since you would then be able to manipulate the strobes without interference from a switch above (if you happen to be flying in the soup at night and need the strobes off in a timely manner).

O O O X
LDG RECOG TAXI unused
O O O O
NAV BCN PULSE STROBE

(When I previewed this post, my terrible formatting of my little switch sketch is not preserved, but I think the idea still comes through)

[Ray Tackett]

This really depends heavily on your personal brain wiring, i.e., what makes sense to you. Definitely have at least one capped spare hole, or maybe three if there's room.

One bit from my brain wiring: Landing lights and gear go together for takeoff and landing. Therefore, I'd want those two switches close together, or at least have nothing in between them if possible.

[Terry Carraway]

My thought was the BDN is on all the time, unless turned off in IMC. So it should be to the far left.

Pulse is also pretty much on all the time.

Landing and taxi are turned on or turned to steady during flight, so should be easy to ID and throw. I like Ray's thought of close to gear.

Strobe is turned on just before TO and on landing, so somewhat easily accessible. Nav lights less so.

Recog lights are are used for taxi at night.

So thinking

Top Row - Recog, Space, Taxi, Landing.

Bottom row - BCN, Pulse, Nav, Strobe.

[A. Niemyer]

Think about the order in which a number of our switches were arranged in our cockpits "back in the day", once ergonomics became better appreciated. A logical flow, from "First On/Last Off" to "On/Off for one specific purpose/moment." So, as long as you can build a flow across your switches that makes sense to you and builds a sequence that ensures you hit the right switch at the right time, you're good to go.

[Terry Carraway]

Exactly.

So the layout I proposed is -

Top Row are switches that throw light forward and help ME see. Most times the Recog will be Off, controlled by the pulser. Landing and taxi as needed, with the landing at far right, so easy to ID by touch. Taxi (On) and Recog (steady on) are switches to be used when you can stop and look.

Second Row are to help people see ME. Beacon will be always On (also helps let you know you left the master on). Pulse is almost always on. Nav are when it gets dark. Strobes are on before take off, off after landing, but easy to ID without looking in case you need to kill the in IMC.