Originally Posted by
Av8r3400
I was just wondering on your source for this
Ok, first up, I clearly understand and believe that whoever you are talking to, be it FAA inspector, DAR, or other person of authority has the final say. If you need them to sign off on something you may end up having to meet whatever requirements they put on you. That said, here's some background if you want to research this topic yourself.
I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, just sharing what I have seen.
First up, Why does it always come up that it's required to have accessable fuses & CB's to the pilot? Well that's because of FAR Part 23.1357.D which says
Code:
If the ability to reset a circuit breaker or replace a fuse is essential
to safety in flight, that circuit breaker or fuse must be so located and
identified that it can be readily reset or replaced in flight.
Now that seems pretty clear. However there are 2 issues to be considered. First up is a check on applicability of FAR Part 23. In FAR Part 23.1.a it says
Code:
This part prescribes airworthiness standards for the issue of type
certificates, and changes to those certificates, for airplanes in the
normal, utility, acrobatic, and commuter categories.
Now last I checked that does not apply to Experimental aircraft. Secondly we each need to think about what is required to meet the phrase "essential to safety in flight" and think of proper backups for those items. This comes down to how you equip your plane and what conditions you plan on flying in. There are literally thousands of RV's up to and including 4 place full IFR planes with fuses that are not accessible, so they are getting approved by inspectors all over the country already.
Here's a link to one of the articles by Bob Nuckolls which talks about system design and the fuse vs breaker issue. This is the material that got most of those RV guys thinking about these design issues.
http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/fusvsbkr.html
So, that's what I know on the subject, not trying to argue with anyone. In the end we all have to decide how to equip our own planes to meet the mission profiles we have defined for them.