Since the cockpit floor essentially forms the foundation of the entire setup, it’s important to think carefully about the final size of the cockpit before getting started.
Because I’ve had great experiences with Vier im Pott so far — and the community feedback in various forums has also been overwhelmingly positive — I decided to go with the “Size M” cockpit. This version ends just behind the front side windows, meaning I’ll have to do without the aft overhead panel. In my view, however, this setup offers a great balance between space requirements and realism. Not least, the Size M cockpit is also the only real alternative to the full-size version, which can later be extended to a complete shell.
To protect the real hardwood floor at the future cockpit location, I decided against an all-wood base construction. Instead, I’ll build a frame structure from aluminum profiles. The bottom of this frame can then be fitted with sliding pads, while the top will be finished with OSB boards and covered with carpet, forming the actual cockpit floor.
The OSB floor panels are divided into four sections and were attached to the aluminum frame using screws and T-slot nuts. To improve the overall appearance, I painted the rather unattractive cut edges of the OSB boards on the outer sides in anthracite. For the carpet, I used carpet tiles from a local hardware store. They’re easy to install, quite durable, and perfectly suited for this purpose. In the final step, the tiles were glued onto the OSB panels, completing the cockpit floor.
