newbie as well

[weedwacker]

Hey all. Im a newbie hear as well. Im an Airbus 320 pilot embarking on my first build, a P-51 sim pit. There is a lot of information to digest, kinda like drinking from a fire hose. Please be patient with me if I ask alot of basic stupid, I should know that kinda questions.
First question---should the instrument panel be built out of metal or 1/2 inch MDF?

Thanks guys,
Larry

[K. Sayre]

No right or wrong answers here, strictly a matter of preference and technical ability, so to speak. If you are fabricating yourself MDF is probably easier to work with and can be primed and painted to look like metal. I've done it!

[Avro748]

Yeah, I can vouch for MDF. If you have the equipment to cut metal, then great. But MDF is what I use.

[SimSupervisor]

I was thinking or recycling old computer case metal to for the frame to hold the instruments on my cockpits. I got panel overlays from actual cessnas to put on top, so the look of the material isn't really an issue for me.
But, with the weight of some of the instrument, I am affraid the computer case metal is too flimsy to properly hold the instruments steady, and am thinking of going MDF instead.

Its way easier to work with MDF than Metal IMO and unless you have access to thick sheets of metal the MDF should hold better.

(I am currently in the planing phase for my panels, and working on instruments. Take my opinion with that grain of salt )

I was going for metal panels to not care much about thickness, but am getting to think the overlay will deal with that very well.

[weedwacker]

Thanks for the info