Hey all, I'm getting quotes to put an autopilot in the bug smasher. Of
course S-Tec is the big dog in the field. I was looking at their units
that fill one of the 3" holes.

My bird has a plastic panel to cover the instrument cluster.

One shop recommended against 50/60 unit because they said that its
really not round and they would have to cut away the plastic panel to
fit it in. Because the panel is molded to bevel down to the instrument
face, they said that there would be a gap between the panel and the AP.
The shop said that some people consider it unsightly.

Now, I've seen aircraft with the overlay panels and S-TEC APs and don't
remember seeing a gap. (But I don't remember not seeing a gap either.)
I mentioned this to the manager and he said that some people wouldn't
notice it.

He is kind of hinting that the unit 30, which replaces the TC would be a
better option.

Does anyone remember seeing a aircraft with this style setup and
noticing a gap? Was it really unsightly?

Is there a source for a fresh cover panel that I could specify where the
AP is going to be and they could fabricate a nice cutout for it?