You may find that there are a few DFs that spent a large number of hours, swearing and bitching, upside down in the RCP trying to get the battery into the hole, especially on the twin stickers.
Slopjockey,
Thanks for resurrecting that (I thought) long suppressed nightmare, I think I need to have a little lie down now!
228 OCU - mainly twin stickers. How to do a battery change
1. Remove the rear seat
2. Remove the RH Circuit Breaker Panel (No 2 I think)
3. Remove the relay box behind the CB Panel
4. Carefully remove the locking wire securing the battery clamp (you'll be needing it later)
5. Unscrew the battery clamp and hoses
6. Wind the rudder pedals fully forwards
7. Get a really heavy mate (preferably one who plays rugby) to stand on the right rudder pedal in the front cockpit.
8. Have him hold a hundred pounds or so of force while you wrestle the 30lbs of battery out of it's hidey hole with your fingertips (five minutes).
9. Wrestle battery from the rear cockpit floor to the ground (usually via the intake, spine and down onto the wing, then the LAU)
10. Wrestle new battery up on a recipricol heading
11. Have same mate stand on pedal again (if you can find him)
12. Re-attach battery clamp and hoses
13. Start to lock-wire the battery back in using the piece removed earlier as a gauge as to how long the new piece needs to be. Repeat four or five times until you get it right.
14. Refit the relay panel
15. Refit the CB Panel
16. Refit the rear seat
17. Carry out a functional check of the battery - push in the EJECT light, if it lights battery has volts!
18. Carry out a functional check of all the disturbed systems!!
19. Carry out an essential check of the rear seat.
Total time for a twin stick battery change on a Phantom - about five hours. Total time on a Jag or Tornado - about five minutes.
Despite all that I used to love maintaining the Phantom
Next time I'll recount how to change the fatigue meter accelerometer through the simple method of removing the entire spine panel!