Cockpit Finishing; Install Control Surface Corrugations - Top Flite CESSNA 182 SKYLANE Instruction Book

Cockpit finishing

1. Sand the inside of the cockpit with 320-grit
sandpaper. True up any uneven edges in the
cockpit area.
2. Assemble and paint your pilots. We used
1/5 scale Williams Brothers pilots which required
a 1" block under them to adjust their height. We
glued and screwed our pilots to a piece of 1/8"
light ply (not included) which was then screwed
to a a couple of blocks glued to the fuse sides.
3. Paint the interior of the cockpit flat black.
4. Install the Instrument Panel Decal. It may
be applied directly to the existing panel.
For best results, stick the instrument decal to a
scrap piece of 1/32" to 1/16" plywood, trim it to
shape, then use spots of self-adhesive Velcro
(hook and loop) to hold it in place.
5. Add any other cockpit details of your
choosing at this time.
6. Trim the Front Windshield to the cut-lines
then glue it to the model. We recommend using
RC-56 glue or 6-Minute Epoxy to glue on the
windshield, but if you have a favorite technique,
use it. You should remove a small strip of
MonoKote (if applicable) from under the
windshield's frame for good glue adhesion. Use
masking tape to hold the windshield in place
while the glue sets.
7. Trim the Side Windows to fit the openings
on both sides of the Cabin. Be sure to leave
about 1/8" extra plastic around the perimeter for
gluing. Test fit the Windows and trim the edges
as necessary. Glue them to the inside of the
Cabin Window Frame with RC-56 glue or epoxy.

Install control surface corrugations

1. We made a cutting jig out of scrap ply to aid
in trimming the ABS extrusions to the correct
length for each surface.
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2. Cut enough pieces of a specific length to
do both sides of each control surface, then
change the jig for the next length. Keep each
piece close to the correct length (no more than
1/8") to avoid waste.
3. Use the plans as a guide to draw the
location of each corrugation on the control
surface, then, while holding the corrugation in
position, place one drop of thin CA into the
opening at each end.
4. Trim off any excess with a single-edge
razor blade.
Just for the record, the patience required to do
this part of the model will be rewarded by an
extremely realistic finish and a lot of "oohs" and
"ahs" at the field.