[نواف]

Finishing your Pedestal

By Joe Ozegovich

Well, we have come a long way; this next session will be the most creative. This is because you can choose many different approaches. Do want the chart holder? (Figure 1&2) Do you want the area cut out for the floor lights/carpet slot (Figure 5)? Are you going to simulate the foot rest area for the Observer (Figure 6)? We will assume that you have assembled the pedestal per the "Building your Pedestal" section. You should add support strips (not illustrated here) in the center areas. Make sure to fill and sand all imperfections! Even though we made our pedestals with a lip around the inner perimeter, all it would take is one, whoops and the whole thing caves in. Peter Dikenmanns' A340 pedestal illustrates the center support pieces (Cockpit 6). I want to add a hinge to the forward inside vertical piece, so that I can simply open and close the instrument panels from the aft end, I like the idea of easy access. If you add a latch by the Alternate Gear extend handle, it would be like opening the hood of your car

I will explain the chart holder section first (Figure 1), in case you make a mistake. I would hold off gluing any parts until you are sure of the final product. I took the approach of only making a chart holder for the Captains side, because it involves a lot of work and would not be used much on the FO side. If you would like to make a First Officers chart holder the dimensions are the same. The approach I used required using a Router to cut in layers. I wanted to have the chart

holder almost flush with the side of the pedestal. I used the ¼ inch hardboard material I am using for the Glareshield top. I needed to have a 3/16-inch cut that would cover the entire area. You will need to think this out, start at the bottom and work your way up, moving left to right. Then I needed to cut the inside layer 3/8" more for the chart area, you can see that area outlined in the figure on the right. Plan this part out because you won't have too much of an area to support the Router for this cut, especially at the lower right hand side. I recommend cutting the light area out after the chart holder. If you decide to cut the area for the floor lights then it will be difficult to be precise. As you can see by all the little mistakes with the router. I then sanded the top area until the area was flush.

I used three screws on the L/H and R/H sides and two on the bottom. Two of the screws on left I used to secure the pedestal vertical front. I primed and painted the inside of the chart holder area before installing the cover. Scuff up the exterior of the hardboard material to get a good surface for the primer. Don't forget to clean up the surface real good, a good paint job is mostly prep work.

Figure 3 & 4

On to the next area: I cut the area for the floor lighting, I find this adds to the realism considerably. I just cut the 2 ½ " wider area (Figure 5) of the forward section 3 3/4" high and 12 3/4" long. I took the 2 1/2" left over piece and used it to fill the gap (Look at Figure 4). I rounded the edges with a ¼ " Round Router bit and that makes for clean consistent edge. I didn't cut the aft end as in the real aircraft because I felt that the stability of the pedestal might be compromised. The pedestal on the aircraft is layered, and that would be challenging and I don't believe that I would want to make the extra effort for that small detail. Figure 5

For the cushion area around the pedestal top, I used a 3/16" Vein Router bit and made the adjustment so that the least amount of cut would be made. I wanted to give the appearance of a separate piece, without adding any layers (Figure 5). Make sure you line everything up, the height of the cushion is 3" on the sides and will be longer on the back end if you add ¾" for the Observers footrest (Figure 6). The cushion at the top forward left and right hand sides is rounded significantly, and is taller than the inside vertical piece. Refer to the Real aircraft pics for a good shot of this feature. My goal is to add the crackle paint to this area. I using a different approach this time. The spray can method didn't work as well as I thought. You have to be at the correct length; or else the paint will dry before it reaches the wood. The local Sears had a big sale, due reconstruction and I picked up a whole bunch of the McCloskey brand. This is applied with a brush or roller. Look for a sale! If you try this method, wait a full week before adding the topcoat. Prime and paint, use two coats for a good looking finish. Figures 8 and 14 shows the General painting completed. I still have the Crackle paint and the seal around the Chart holder to do.