I'm a new DIY-er and an avid flight simulation pilot. I want to make my own cockpit using MDF and timber but have no idea where to start. I've been told not to screw MDF to MDF as MDF is a weak material and will not hold for very long. The advice was to use a block of wood to hold both pieces of wood together.
I've been to my local B&Q a few times but the wood available there seems to be rather soft and flimsy. I have no idea what to ask for but I was hoping for timber/wood that was harder. My plans for my pit calls for a few lengths of timber as a structural support --- I will make a "platform" with timber underneath and a "surface" of MDF. This platform is essential because I plan to screw on (attach) the side consoles and monitor stand to this assembly.
At this point, I am really very new so I am not sure of what specific questions to ask. Any help would be appreciated.
Yep. Depending on what sort of weight you need it all to support, you can either use square section wood or plastic corner blocks, as somebody else has already mentioned.
If you need it to be REALLY sturdy, then the stuff used to make the structure for partition walls is cheap and ubiquitous in 3"x2" cross section. Just ask for CLS.
You probably don't need the outer skin to be as heavy as MDF - ply would probably do just fine for much of it, with MDF for the bits that need to take more hammer.
Start off by heading to a proper builder's merchant or timber yard...
Home flight simulators are bollix. Go down to your local gliding club and ask about a trial lesson. You can experience the real thing which is totally unrelated to"fligth simulators".
A bit difficult to advise without knowing exactly what you want to build. Does it need to look like a plane, with curved surfaces?
Assuming you mean a box with a seat maybe something like a "passport photo" machine or a motorcycle sidecar I'd consider making the "structural" or load bearing stuff from cheap 18 mm plywood ("shuttering" ply). It's a bit splintery but if you sand it and give it a couple of coats of paint it will be OK. You can joint two bits at right angles quickly and strongly with "biscuits". You'll need a circular saw, a sawboard, and a biscuit cutter. For lighter stuff you could use 9mm or 12 mm ply. I would steer clear of MDF as it is not so "forgiving". For "cladding" the cheapest material is probably hardboard.
A basic cordless drill and some Quicksilver or similar twin start screws, and some drills are worth having. Where you use "batten" to join two panels at right angles it is worth screwing and gluing for strength, but make sure the geometry is right before you glue.
John Williams> You can buy plastic jointing blocks specifically designed
That pulls the MDF towards it... which I don't think would work. What I've been advised to do is to drill THROUGH the MDF and use the block of wood + screw to hold the MDF in place. Instead of having the screw teeth inside the MDF and pulling it towards the "jointing block," the idea was to have the screw teeth inside the block of wood and use that and the screw head to "sandwich" the MDF and keep it steady... I hope that made sense.
'Andy Burns[_9_ Wrote:
Thanks, I got that on my list!
Adrian;3228002 Wrote:
Well, I was planning to build a central area to which all other parts of the cockpit would be screwed onto. The central area would also support the pilot seat so thick support timbers would be great.
I would then have two "towers" that will screw onto the central area, these towers will hold my joystick and throttle -- I am using Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS. As the two towers will only be small, I am worried that they might warp/bend with the stresses/torque from hard yanking-and-banking and this is where I am really worried that the screws will just come off if I use the soft timber I see in B&Q.
I plan to use 18mm MDF for the central area's flooring, then maybe 12mm MDF as the walls of the tower.
Lobster;3228004 Wrote:
Thanks David! He and I have quite a few things in common, but he's a commercial bus driver. I "fly" the F-16 Falcon in Falcon BMS.
'harryaga> ;3228030']
I am well on my way to my bronze badge and I have been given control during aerotow since my first training flight. Stalls and recovery discussed and performed on my 5th flight. Assisted landing (P2 worked the brakes) since my first flight as well, and did my own landing on my
4th flight. I am told this is not "normal progression" for a glider student and even the CFI acknowledges that my flight sim experience is a factor for my skill level.
Pity an ASK 21 or a Discus 1000 can't carry missiles :)
F Murtz;3228057 Wrote:
'Andy Burns[_9_ Wrote:
No access to welding tools, no welding skills, and the aluminium stuff is just expensive. Buying an Obutto or similar would end up cheaper.
newshound;3228202 Wrote:
No, I am not building a replica cockpit. I just want this for a more ergonomic position. Sitting in an office chair with my Warthog HOTAS controls on the desk means my arms are in a higher position compared to an actual pilot in a fighter plane cockpit. I am after the function of things and with my limited woodworking skills (ie, NONE!!), the less cutting I have to do, the better!!
As I've said, I do plan to make the central area with 18mm MDF, with as thick timber as I can find. I wonder why there is constant reference to plywood though.... is it stronger than MDF? The other "load-bearing" parts would be the towers I've mentioned earlier.
I've also managed to buy an actual Martin Baker ejection seat and I would need to mount it using lengths of timber, so I would need really strong/hard timber so that it doesn't flex/bend/pit from all the weight of myself plus the seat.
I gather at this point that B&Q's selection of timber isn't quality material? Is there a rating system or name for the hardness of timber? I'd like to be able to go up to a guy and say "do you have CLS timber with hardness of 5 and legth of XX.Xcm"? Also, is it possible to get properly "squared" planed timber? I'd love to do this myself but like I said, no skill, not tools too!
I have done both too. I used to use the one I posted a link to when I had a Seneca III and couldn't get out to fly it. Being designed as a training aid, it allowed me to practice recognising and responding to emergencies without actually encountering them in real flight.
You are, as usual, wrong. The few thousand for the full Elite kit is quite enough for flight training and there is an excellent EE Lightning simulator at the Tangmere that has been built by the museum volunteers on a shoe string.
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