Sunshade for bubble canopy: plastic-mylar window insulation from hardare
store (thin bubblewrap with silver mylar on both sides). Cuts to shape
with common scissors, stiff enough to hold its shape, attach to canopy
with suction cups, or to frame with Velcro(tm). Also would work well for
window sun covers.

Plastic baseball card holder, $3/dozen at comic book stores: velcro to
instrument panel to hold cheat sheets. Mine holds a table of all the
local airport ATIS, tower, and ground frequencies.

Partial panel instrument cover: forget the post-its and rubber covers
that fall on the floor and leave rings on your DG. Take a sheet of 8x11
paper, fold into thirds like you are mailing a letter. Hold
vertically, and poke a hole just above center using a pen or pencil.
Hang on the AI adjustment knob. Covers the AI and DG perfectly. My
CFII gets credit for this one, thanks Greg!

Is the black coloring on top your glareshield fading to tan-gray?
The black color is there for a reason: minimize reflection in the
windshield. Buy a yard or two of black craft felt at the fabric store,
and cut to fit. You may be suprised by the improved visibility.

Is that handwritten compass deviation card getting a little hard to
read? Not in the best location? Transcribe into Excel, then laser
print and attach to panel with double-sided foam tape. Mine is
in vertical column format between the #1 OBS and radio stack.

These aren't exactly in the cockpit, but still good Cheap ******* tips:

Homemade chocks: take a 6-ft length of 2-inch angle aluminum, apply
hacksaw, obtain 3 pairs of lightweight, easy-to-store, weather-resistant
wheel chocks.

Substitute pitot tube cover: 35mm film cannister with "X" cut into top.
Be sure to remove before flight!

Another use for 35mm film can: fill with coins and carry in flight bag
for raiding airport vending machines.

(I just bought a new digital camera intended to replace my 35mm SLR.
Now I will have to find a substitute source for those incredibly useful
little plastic containers!)

6-ft length of 12 guage bare copper wi I have a canopy cover for my
Grob. Whenever I am by myself and it comes time to put the cover
back on, the straps inevitably are dangling on the downwind side,
and I have to crawl under the aircraft to grab them. So I now keep
this length of wire in the car trunk (where the cover is stored while
flying) formed into a hook to snag the straps.


Happy landings,
Ross Oliver