Luggage Door and Light
I’ve continued with upholstering the luggage area, it’s getting close to done. I worked on the ceiling pieces as well as the door. I’m not too sure what is the “correct” way to upholster the door, so I’m sharing a few pics of how I decided to do it.
I still wanted to have some padding on the door, but instead of using the 8mm thick padding (from Aircraft Spruce) that I’ve used in most other places, I used the thinner foam that came with the fuselage kit. I cut it to size to match the carpet piece, however I took 1″ off the sides, so that the carpet will closer to the skin on the edges – less chance of it catching something and peeling off.
Judging by the size of the carpet piece that comes with the kit, I think I was supposed to put on the carpeting before adding the reinforcement angle. Instead, I decided to just wrap the carpet around the angle, and then cut small pieces (from scraps) to fill in the area above the angle / next to the lock/latch. I think it looks pretty good. Once I find a material to use for a door seal, that should help the appearance even more.
I’m not too sure what to do with the loose flap of carpet that goes over the hinge. I’m afraid the glue won’t hold over time on such a narrow strip, as seen in the next picture. Until I have some better inspiration, I’ll leave it as-is for now since I can come back to this anytime between now and first flight.
Next, as I was getting ready to install the foam and carpeting onto the cable tray, I decided that I wanted to have a luggage compartment light. I played around with a few design concepts, and settled on a low-profile bracket that would be flush with the carpeting. I used an LED array that I had on hand, and designed a fixture in Fusion. The parts are 3D-printed with ABS – including the lens, for which I used a clear ABS filament. The fixture is riveted from the top size of the cable tray.
