Dear all,

After many learning lessons and a number of modifications over time, my P28R-201 Arrow III cockpit is pretty much done. Its flight model is the excellent vFlyteair Arrow III run into in Xplane. I have an RXP GTN650 running on a touchscreen in the avionics bay to provide COM/NAV/XPDR and flight plans for the rare occasion I'm not flying in VFR (which in England in the winter is nice to have the IFR capability!) I also have Siminnovations Air Manager to provide the main instruments including an EDM900 for engine instrumentation. I have two Leo Bodnar 32-port interfaces for switches and rotaries and a saitek yoke and throttle and pedals. So while I wait for a decent size TV to roll up cheap on Gumtree, and for my Arduino Nano to arrive so I can hook up the landing gear lights, I hope you can see I'm pretty well along with it. 

I also managed to get some CAD drawings of a PA28 panel earlier in the year and got them laser cut in wood-veneer covered MDF. So the thing looks pretty accurate! One day when I'm feeling flush I might buy an old Piper yoke ;)

I mention these things to show how far along I am with the project. So the bit I need some help with is this:

I need to spray paint the main panel. I've decided I like the very light grey or the slightly sort of very light tan that I've seen on a number of panel refits, eg the before and after pics on the Sarasota Avionics website. If someone's done so already, could they advise on a car spray paint colour that would be close? Obviously I don't want to go through hundreds of resprays to get it right when I'm this close to finishing and actually be able to enjoy the thing!!!

Much obliged,

 

R.

Also I'd like to get some labels applied. The laser scanned black on light grey looks lovely and clean, but I can't get the text cut in. Is there somewhere that sells suitable decals?

In many GA aeroplanes, the specific panel colour/texture is: Corvel Gray Wrinkle which is a slightly textured paint. You can find it in aerosol cans with this colour easily with a google search and it will give you a nice slightly textured finish exactly the same as an aeroplane panel providing you use the correct primer with it.

If you're going to use spray paint (and by that I assume you mean rattle cans rather than a spray gun with a compressor), then there's a few things to consider when going over wood. If you're spraying on wooden construction, you need to ensure that it's properly sealed and smooth; for this what you'll need is 'high build primer' rather than the typical 'bog standard' primer, since the high build stuff will fill in the pores of the wood grain.

Aircraft panel decals:

https://www.fly-visuals.co.uk/placards

 

Edited October 21, 20187 yr by Chock

Thanks for your help, Chock - I managed to find a suitable neutral grey primer in a local hardware store. As it was so cheap I decided to get it with the aim that if I didn't like it, it would mean the panel had been primed ready for another colour - however I have to say I'm quite happy with it! It's not the white tan I had planned on, but it will do very well.

The decals link is absolutely fantastic and just what I wanted - thanks! - And I just realised are in my home town!!!

Edited October 21, 20187 yr by rictus