Put yourself in your model's cockpit

This article will show you how to put a two sided profile pilot (YOU!!!) into the cockpit of your model aircraft.

I've been guilty over the years of building a great many R/C aircraft that did NOT have a pilot figure.  I just never got around to it.  But our models look SO much better with pilot figures in the cockpit.  It occurred to me one day that I could easily put a pilot in every plane that I own and size him to match the airplane size.  I show you how to do this below.

Here's the right side of my SE5A with my smiling face looking out...

And here is the left side, showing the same smiling face. 

Is that a good looking pilot or what?  (its a rhetorical question...you don't need to comment.......).

And here he is again in a FliteTest Spitfire.....

.Here's my wife Luann displaying the Spitfire...

To create the image, I donned my WWI flight helmet, my white silk scarf, and my WWII flight googles.  My wife then took some photos while I made some goofy faces.   I choose one of the photos for my pilot figure.  To make a 2 sided figure, you need to duplicate and reverse the image.  If you then put it together with the original image, you can fold the final print and have both side lined up so when cut out, the same image is seen on both sides.

I used Adobe Photoshop to create my profile pilot figure.  I believe that many other graphics programs will let you do the same thing.  I've been using Photoshop for about 15 years; I know my way around the program and I'm comfortable with it, so that's what I use. 

The following images are screenshots taken from photoshop that take you step by step through the process of creating that image needed to print a two sided profile pilot figure. 

The chosen image is loaded into photoshop....the background is kinda messy so I have elected to clean it up.  You could proceed without cleaning up the background and cut out the final image.  A clean background makes it a little easier to do the cutting of the final pilot figure.

I'm using the "background eraser tool" to eliminate the messy background.

.The background eraser lets you get a clean separation between the background and foreground...to finish cleaning up, the regular eraser tool is being used.

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The idea here is to create a line around the photo that will provide a perfect center line for creasing, folding and gluing the final two sided image.  We really only need a line on the right vertical edge, but the other lines aren't a problem and the "stroke" command lets us put an outline of any pixel width around the image.  You will see below why the line is important.

With the lines created around the image with the "stroke" command, its time to copy the entire image.  You will then paste it into a new document where you will reverse it to make a mirror image of the original. 

Use select "ALL" from the drop down selection menu.  One you have selected "All" (the entire image) you can use the copy command (from the drop down EDIT menu) to make a copy of the image you've been working on. 

Next, use the FILE drop down menu and select the first option (NEW) to create a new blank document.  You can now press CNTRL-V or use the PASTE option (from the drop down EDIT menu) to paste a copy of the original image into the new document. 

We now want to REVERSE (mirror image) the new copy.   Use the drop down IMAGE menu and choose IMAGE ROTATION first, then FLIP CANVAS HORIZONTAL. 

You should now have a mirror image copy of your original image.

.Now its time to take the mirror image and copy it back to add to the original image. 

Open up the original image and use the drop down IMAGE menu to select CANVAS SIZE.  With the dialogue box open, at least double the WIDTH of the document, and click to position the orginal image on the left center square of the boxes available.  This will leave room for the reverse image to the right of the original. 

.Now use CNTRL-V or the PASTE command (drop down EDIT menu) to paste the reverse image onto the original.  It will probably be pasted into the center of the document and will need to moved into better position. 

.Using the MOVE TOOL (see arrow in photo below) move the image until the center lines overlap each other as perfectly as possible.

.Now we need to combine the two different "layers" in the image by flattening the image with the LAYER drop down menu.  At the bottom of the LAYER menu is the available command FLATTEN IMAGE...go ahead and flatten the image.  WHEW....you're just about done in Photoshop.   If you look at the image below, you will see that there is some excess space on the right side of the canvas.   That's becuase I was lazy about doubling the width, and made it a bit more than twice as wide as the original.  So now I can choose to TRIM away the excess un-needed image.  Photoshop has a command to do this...the TRIM command under the drop-down IMAGE category.  You don't have to trim away this excess, you could leave it as it is and go ahead and print out the final product. 

.You can see that I FINALLY figured out how to display the drop down menu while doing a screen grab to capture the images for this article.  

And VIOLA!!!....here's the final image after trimming away the junk from the right edge. 

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DONE with PHOTOSHOP!   Onward and upward. 

Print the image on your inkjet printer.  Use nice thick glossy photo paper and the finished product will be plenty stiff.  Experiment with size to get the pilot figure to the right size for your model.  I used 4x6 photo paper and made the image size 4.70" wide and 3.12" high....This worked out to be just right for a pilot for the SE5a.  I can now print the image any size needed to match the model it will be used in. 

We need to fold and glue the printed image so that the two sides are in exact registration.  That is WHY we added the center line between the two images.  If we make a score cut (score ONLY, do NOT cut all they way through) we can then make a fold at the exact center of the image and the two side when folded and glued will line up perfectly.

.Use a straight edge and a sharp knife.  Make a score cut only; don't cut all the way through.

.The score cut forms the basis for a perfect center fold.

.I used 3m Super 77 spray adhesive on the back...it only needs a very light quick spray.  Then fold together and you have a permanent bond.  You can use whatever adhesive you have handy.  Two sided tape would probably work pretty well too. 

.I used scissors to make a quick rough cutout of the image.  I then used scissors and a sharp knife to refine the cutout. 

Here's the rascal ready to jump into the cockpit.  You could use a bead of hot melt glue on the bottom edge to install.  I've taken a piece of 1/4" square balsa and used a razor saw to cut a shallow slot lengthwise and then glue the pilot to the balsa.  the balsa was then glued into the cockpit. 

Now there's trouble if I say so myself!   The SE5A has about a dozen flights on it, and the profile pilot is no worse for wear. 

I make my roudels (and other marking) by inkjet printing on plain copy paper.   Anyone interested in an article on how to do this????

NOW GET OUT THERE AND PUT SOME PILOTS IN YOUR AIRPLANES!

Here's a copy of the finished image:

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