So I have asked several trusted and experienced builders about the panel layout. Rob, Rick and Jim chimed in and as a result I went back to the panel layout and began to change the layout.
As always the suggestions were both germane to laying out a good panel for having something ergonomic and practical to use, and preferential to suit us as individuals. But ALL the input was great and it is good to have folks that are willing, honest, and take the time to even critique your project as you stumble through the process. Thank you guys!
In the course of building you can tend to get myopic on some things and only a fool would not be willing to take the opinions of others that have proven themselves in the past and weighing their suggestions. For me one of the major changes that I got blasted from my psyche was "having to have the autopilot controller" at the top of the panel. Every airplane I have flown while I was professionally flying has the autopilot controls at the top. This is the best location for the controller and by golly I was going to have mine there! The problem is it made my primary display come down around 3 inches. When I sat in the airplane and looked at it again and took the controller out and moved up the primary display......there was a marked difference. Hmmmm.....got to change that and get rid of the myopia!
So here is the new panel iteration. Displays moved, components relocated, and swiches changed to various locations. The autopilot controller moved to the bottom left as it will be able to be manipulated by the NON-FLYING hand. So it is looking better. In the RV-8 with the most limited panel space, compromise in symmetry and preference must find a balance.
