When I bought my Hatz biplane, it had a locking rear baggage space in the turtledeck behind the pilot’s head, but only an uncovered opening in what would be the front cockpit instrument panel (if there were any instruments). This was per the plans and provided a place for the passenger to put a jacket or purse, but it wasn’t something I was comfortable with when flying solo, as any item that fell out could potentially jam the controls.
Once I started wanting to use the airplane for overnight trips, I knew I needed to make the forward space more secure. I considered copying the rear baggage door, but I had a sheet of 1/8-inch mahogany plywood left over from a friend’s Minimax project, so I decided to use that, along with a strip of stainless piano hinge and a nifty combination lock I found on Amazon.
There’s not much to it. I cut the plywood about an inch larger all around than the opening in the aluminum panel. Then, using an old Dremel Moto-Shop scroll saw, I cut the door from the larger piece. On the top and sides, 1-inch-wide strips of the same plywood were glued to the front (inner) side for the door to close against. Two coats of clear shellac make it pretty and protect the wood, and stainless screws and locknuts hold it all together. Six screws with nuts hold the entire assembly to the existing aluminum panel.
I did make sure (very important!) that the door can’t open far enough to interfere with the control stick.
The combination lock fits in the same hole as a standard keyed lock. I like it because I don’t have to worry about losing the key, and I replaced the rear baggage door lock with the same type of lock. It’s hardly high security, but it will keep the honest people out.
The opening isn’t large, but there’s quite a bit of room inside for anything small enough to go through the opening, with no more worries of it falling out.
This one from Amazon is no longer available, but similar ones are.
