INTERIOR DETAIL
4The other obvious bits
of cockpit detail are
the pilot’s seat, the
throttle quadrant and the
control stick. The seat is
made from roofing aluminum
with a split fuel-tubing
combing added around the
edges. Painted silver and
buffed to a shine, the seat is
held in place with stick-on
magnetic material that’s used
to hold screen door windows in place. This allows it to be removed
before flight. The stick is made with some music wire with more fuel
tubing slid over it, bent to shape and topped with a scale hand grip
(available from Hobby Lobby). The stick is attached to a pushrod base
that’s glued to the bottom of the cockpit. However, the stick is made
removable so it can be installed when the model is not flying. The
throttle parts are made from thin bits of plywood painted black and
finished with aluminum ducting tape.
SHOULDER STRAPS
5These add a tremendous amount of realism to your pilot’s seat.
The webbing straps are made from 1⁄2-inch-wide decorative
ribbon and the buckles are made from scrapbook accessories.
They are cast aluminum miniature buckles and are available in several
shapes and sizes at most craft shops. The ends of the straps also
have buckle inserts added, which are made of thin plywood covered
with aluminum ducting tape.
COCKPIT SIDES
6To give the cockpit a finished look, the sides are covered with
thin plastic detailed with plastic tubes and painted to
resemble the interior surfaces of an airplane. I used PFM
adhesive from Hobby Lobby to stick these onto the bare wood
surfaces. These are also a great way to hide servo and battery leads.
Just tack glue a 6-inch servo extension to the wall and cover over
with the detailed inserts.
PUSHROD EXIT COVERS
7Let’s face it, those slots cut in the sides of the fuselage for the
pushrods to exit out of are really, really ugly. An easy way to
clean up their appearance is to add some exit covers. I made
these with some simple forms from a thin plywood base and a length
of dowel cut at an angle and glued to the base. You can then vacuum-form your covers using thin styrene plastic sheeting. Paint them and
then screw in place.
