Make a Desktop Cessna 172 Practice Dashboard (visual Only)

While I was browsing educational materials for pilots in training online, I found some cockpit posters for different aircraft. I purchased a Cessna 172 cockpit poster and was faced with a conundrum: if I stick it on the wall, I can't really reach it and it may be damaged when I'm moving. I decided to mount the poster on a science fair display board. That way I can carry it with me and put it up wherever there is a horizontal surface (i.e. even ground) to practice the pre-takeoff checks, take-off checks and so on.

You can find things like these to buy as well. They usually run about $60 (from what I found). In the spirit of "I'll do it myself because it's cheaper and I decide what the design will be," this project will cost at most half of that (depending on the price of the poster (mine was $20) and the other supplies).

Please let me know what you think of and how you would improve on this Instructable.

Step 1: What You Will Need

You will need the following items (or something similar):

*cockpit poster (plane of your choice. Keep in mind that a Boeing 700 series has an overhead part too)
*science fair display board (I will refer to this as the "display board")
*glue, tape (optional) and cutting tools (sharp cutting tools, a razor blade or exacto knife would be recommended)

The poster you should be able to find online or at your local airport's supply shop.

Step 2: Putting It All Together

I apologize in advance for the lack of images for this part of the process. I will try my best to describe what I did. If you have any questions I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

1. Place the poster on the display board and decide where you would like it located (i.e. centered, off to the left like mine, etc.).

2. Cut the poster in a straight line along the fold of the display board. This will effectively remove the creasing when the board is folded for storage/carrying.

3. Apply glue to the display board in the area where you will be placing the biggest part of the poster. Attach the biggest part of the poster and make sure it is square (i.e. parallel to the edges of the display board).

4. Let the big part dry for 2 - 3 minutes so that you don't accidentally move it out of place.

5. Apply glue to the display board in the area where you will be placing the smaller part of the poster and attach it to the board.

6. Allow them to dry and there you have it: your very own desktop Cessna 172 dashboard.

Step 3: Final Product and Future Improvements

The final product has quite a bit of white space around it. It's up to you what you do with it. You can:
*cut it off and just have the dashboard
*decorate it to look like the view from a Cessna in flight
*(what I will do) add checklists and little things to keep in mind while you're up there flying

Future Improvements
Going forward, I would do a better job of cutting the poster. I would also consider laminating the pieces and sticking velcro on their back. This would allow me to buy multiple cockpit posters (Cessna, Piper, etc.) and create a practice dash for the plane I need.

Thanks for following along and Happy DIYing!

(This project is also available at http://www.dannyvacar.ca/blog/2008/03/09/projects-make-a-desktop-cessna-172-practice-dashboard/ with some what larger images)