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REFLECTOR: Access panel



Word of caution
          I am under the impression that the keel on a 173 has a definite
structural function in reenforcing the fuselage especially at the level of
the doors.  I would not want to compromise its structural integrity by
cutting out access panels here and there and everywhere on it just for the
sake of oversimplifying maintenance.  Who says that every nuts and bolts on
an aircraft has to be easily accessible? I`ve never seen one. 
         Sit in the back seat of your 173 with the two doors open.  You
will be amazed to see how little structural  material there is left to
support the front end and canard. I admit that the doors contribute a major
portion of the fuselage strenght when they are shut  but I still think that
the keel should not be weakened unecessarily by multiplying the access
panels. 
Cheers, 
        Gilles Gratton
         C-GDOU     173 FG Elite