I've seen whine after whine on here about how bad the cockpits are for fighter X or buff Y. HTC doesn't have unlimited time or manpower to make new cockpits, so I propose a win-win situation.
In my wish, players would be allowed to make their own cockpits/plane models (just like maps) and use them all they want when offline. However, they would also be able to submit their creations to HTC, who would review (and possibly improve if necessary) them and put them into the main game with the next update.
This would allow cockpits and planes to look absolutely amazing without much work on HTC's part. It would also allow for increased creativity and player-game interaction. With hundreds of player-generated rough and fine skins to use, HTC could give us all the eye-candy we want in much less time and without any fuss at all.
Now, artists, you may think, "What's in it for me?". Well, you would recieve the same 1,000 perks that a background maker would if one of your models were used in-game. Furthermore, you would be allowed to put an appropriate watermark (i.e. your name, your logo) of your choice in an area that you could not see without hunting around a bit. Your name would also appear on the main page of the site with a description of your model.
Everyone wins. We win because we get eye-candy. HTC wins because they can spend less time drawing skins and more time creating new planes, vehicles and gameplay features for us to enjoy. The artists win because they get perks and recognition for their long hours slaving over a hot keyboard.
-Penguin