Flightstuff Instrument Pod

Here's some pics and a brief description of an instrument pod I recently built. It was actually pretty cheap and easy.

While not a carbon fiber masterpiece, it's pretty slick, and pretty clean...and it cost probably 20 to 25 dollars to make, and a few hours in the garage. It'll definitely work for me, and if you like it, maybe this page will help you in creating one of your own.













Here's a brief description of how I built this pod.

Stuff I used to build this -

Fiberglass cloth (Wal-Mart or almost any auto parts store - 5 bucks.
Epoxy resin (30 minute epoxy from Hobby Lobby)
Krylon primer and paint
Plastic kithcen wrap (Saran Wrap)
dacron peel ply (google peel ply if you don't know what it is, it makes this method of laying up fiberglass much easier)
1/8" x 2" aluminum for the backing plate
dremel tool, hacksaw, table saw, belt sander (for trimming)
small metal lathe and 1" 6061 aluminum round stock for the mount (but don't despair if you don't have access to a lathe. Mounting stuff can be bought from RAM mounts or from Flytec.

Brief step by step instructions -

Cut a piece of 1/8"x2" aluminum about a foot or so long for the backing plate.

Put adhesive backed velcro onto the backing plate and the instruments, and stuck the instruments onto the aluminum strip nice and straight.

Wrapped the instruments and aluminum backing plate with plastic kitchen wrap (Saran Wrap, I think)

Cut pieces of fiberglass cloth that would fit and wrap around the assembly, from the back. Don't cover the front of the instruments.

Mixed up a batch of epoxy, brushed it onto the instruments/backing plate, and started laying fiberglass. Just used my hands to shape it and press it down (wear latex gloves). You just have to press it down for a nice tight fit, try to keep it smooth and make it conform to the shape of the instruments. Make sure the cloth gets saturated with epoxy, but not so much that there's much excess.

I put two layers of cloth on at once. The epoxy starts heating up and setting before you can do much more. Use some peel ply to level out the fiberglass and leave a good surface for the next layup.

Repeated the process, and got two more layers on.

You don't totally encase the instruments, of course. Just get the cloth to fit around the instruments to the point that it'll have a good enclosure around the sides, extending slightly over the front to help hold the instruments in.

I stopped at 4 layers of cloth. Popped the instruments out, and started trimming and sanding. 4 layers made it strong enough, yet flexible enough to allow it to flex when putting the instruments in.

Took me just a couple of hours to have the epoxy work done.

Attach your mounting hardware.

Sand, prime, and paint. Pop rivet the fiberglass to the aluminum backing plate.

Go flying!