For me, one of the most unattractive things to see on a model aircraft is an empty cockpit. No, I’m not talkin’ about the instrument cluster or side panels; I’m talkin’ about a cockpit interior with NO pilot figure visible. One of the first things you may notice about 98% of the aircraft at Florida Jets or Top Gun is that some sort of cool looking pilot is sitting in the offie chair! Nothing worse than a beautiful Tomahawk F-86 doing a fly-by with completely clear canopy, devoid of anyone supposedly flying it!
That being said, there are lottsa ways to introduce some sort of pilot resemblance to the interior of your airplane without doing a lot of work. There are various pilot “busts” available, some already painted for you, and others which require a bit of artistic aptitude to make them look good. Some of the ARF manufacturers offer cheap pilots bust that look sorta like human beings from not too far away. Most of the time, these busts are glued to a wood stick spanning between the fuselage sides and Zapped into place. But, the really cool airplanes usually feature a “full pilot” figure. And the majority of those full figures originate from just one place: WarbirdPilots.com!
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