Building a home cockpit

[Waterman981]

That looks really cool! Will the base just come off the Table or will it be painted and matching the dash?

The table is just temporary, the base will fully support the dash, and have the throttles mounted inside it.

[Kalo]

looks nice, thanks for keeping us updated with timely progression pics!

[LLama]

That looks really cool! Will the base just come off the Table or will it be painted and matching the dash?

[davidg]

Keyboard idea. http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyb...ackwidow-2013/
I think that would blend in nice.
Iv been thinking about building one, but never knew where to draw in the keyboard.

[Waterman981]

Tonight I put two coats of black on the dash, then after it dried mounted everything up and took it for a spin. I currently have it just sitting on a table until I get the bases done. I did think it was awesome how my wireless keyboard could just sit there so it's easily available until I get a place for it on the side.



I did find a problem in the future though. Once I mount the Saitek Flight Information Panels I won't be able to push the yoke all the way forward. So when that time comes I'm going to have to make a full size cut out for it. Oh well!



Next up is the bases. I probably won't get started on them until Saturday at the earliest... And I may just relax and not worry about them for a while.

[Waterman981]

I do have a Wagner sprayer... not the best but it works. I've always had to back roll over it though. $15 bucks for a HF sprayer though may be worth trying. It would be a much better spray pattern.

[Splithorse]

Waterman....if you have an air compressor, this is what I would do. Go to your nearest Harbor Freight Tools and buy a cheap gravity fed paint gun. Go to an Auto Paint dealer and buy some clear coat, re-sand the entire thing again and then using the paint gun spray clear coat over the entire thing. Once dry, sand with fine sandpaper and wipe it down with a tack cloth. Now it will be ready for what ever color you want. Get some black automotive paint when you get the clear coat . when you are done, give it another clear coat and it will look just as good as a black shinny car. The first clear coat on the wood will seal the wood and fill in the micro indentations.

The cheap spray guns are around 15.00 bucks.

[Waterman981]

Way to take the initiative and build this. I would be so nervous with every step of the process, but it looks like you are working through it well. You may even be inspiring others to do the same. Now if only you could tell us the best way to win over our spouses/significant others, so the rest of us could get one of these. And here I thought the BUILD would have been the hard part. LOL. Great work! Keep us posted.

I think for me the way I won over my wife was showing her the simple and modular design. Emphasizing that it could be moved around fairly easily, and not take up too much space. I think it also helped that I wore her down!

They have this great paintkit at Home Depot called "deck restore". I got it in black. It's got a sand like texture to it and the roller is very porous. Seems like it would be a great finish for a cockpit. I highly recommend painting outside. It will make your wife mad due to the smell.
I use mine for refinishing speakers.

I'm guessing it's not very smooth when dry. I'm thinking once I build the bases and have arm rests there that wouldn't be comfortable. But I do need to look into some rollers and paint, especially when I do build the bases. What do you think, foam roller or the more traditional (although I would want one that leaves as little texture as possible) type of roller?

[XJJohnsonX]

Yes that would be my problem, winning over the wife.

[Sound]

They have this great paintkit at Home Depot called "deck restore". I got it in black. It's got a sand like texture to it and the roller is very porous. Seems like it would be a great finish for a cockpit. I highly recommend painting outside. It will make your wife mad due to the smell.
I use mine for refinishing speakers.

[c0p0ut]

Way to take the initiative and build this. I would be so nervous with every step of the process, but it looks like you are working through it well. You may even be inspiring others to do the same. Now if only you could tell us the best way to win over our spouses/significant others, so the rest of us could get one of these. And here I thought the BUILD would have been the hard part. LOL. Great work! Keep us posted.

[Waterman981]

VERY nice . When should I expect mine , lol

When I build version 2 you can drive down and pick this one up (Sans instruments of course)...


I'm almost there! I got the entire thing primed and most of it painted. In retrospect I should have used a different paint, definitely not a rattle can. The MDF sucks up the paint, and ends up looking splotchy. It's not too bad after two coats, but the edges soak it up the worst.


I also got my yoke taken apart so I can mount it through the hole after the paint is done.


And finally I did a test fit. I love that Saitek included some M4 screw holes in the bottom of the yoke. It makes mounting this thing a dream!


So tomorrow I will apply the last two coats of black paint on the front of the cockpit. I thought about cutting out holes for the FIP's, but without having one in hand I decided I better wait on it. When I do cut out those holes I may take the time to roll another coat of paint on it. I'm too impatient now though, I want to get it done and fly!

[va6pc]

VERY nice . When should I expect mine , lol

[Waterman981]

nice work Waterman! The craftsmanship looks excellent judging from the pictures.

Thanks! I'm excited to finish it, but don't want to rush it too much. I've already made one mistake and want to avoid more.

[Kalo]

nice work Waterman! The craftsmanship looks excellent judging from the pictures.