The Dream continues..

[tennyson]

Break it down, Ryan.

The last thing I need is suggestions like that, you know how susceptible I am to those ideas....geez!

In actual fact, my old mate over the other side of brisbane had one for sale....no, come on, keep on track.

With some luck, he's sold it or something....now where is that phone number.....

Frank

[tennyson]

So, as I said in the other thread (the old one before this thread), I'm just about to build a few walls and doors for my sim room and then re-construct the sim.

In the mean time, I've been a little busy.

I have a few little projects on the go. I will take some pics of my latest endeavours and we'll have an update.

Frank

[rockliffe]

Hey Frank, for some reason I've been missing this thread, but anyway, great to see things are still progressing well.

[Ryan Mason]

Break it down, Ryan.

The last thing I need is suggestions like that, you know how susceptible I am to those ideas....geez!

In actual fact, my old mate over the other side of brisbane had one for sale....no, come on, keep on track.

With some luck, he's sold it or something....now where is that phone number.....

Frank

DO IT, DO IT, DO IT! If you don't immediately, at least add enough height clearance that if you decide to in the long run (which a man with concern for perfection will undoubtably do) that you will already have the height clearance

[tennyson]

It's too late now, Ryan.

Plans are done and the room just isn't big enough.

I will, however, be exploring some new technologies in sight and sound and vibration, so we'll see how that goes.

I'll keep you informed, tho.....

Frank

[NZ255]

Hey Frank, for some reason I've been missing this thread, but anyway, great to see things are still progressing well.

Best thing do to is 'Follow this topic'.

Hit the button up the top right of the page and receive notifications the second a post is made

Glad to see the progress, thanks for pointing me to the new thread.

[Iain Emms]

Its great to see you back up to speed Framk my friend and i look foward to seeing the shots.

cheers

Iain

[AirborneSTIG]

I've never seen anything LIKE this....simply BRILLIANT!

What a fantastic project.

[Ryan Mason]

It's too late now, Ryan.

Plans are done and the room just isn't big enough.

I will, however, be exploring some new technologies in sight and sound and vibration, so we'll see how that goes.

I'll keep you informed, tho.....

Frank

all good though Frank, I'm still inviting myself over on my next trip home! With the current financial state I bet ti will be complete by the time I get home next! lol

[tennyson]

Should be up and running by Xmas, Ryan. You got a personal tour, mate!

Frank

[Ryan Mason]

haha, I wont make it home by then, but I will take you up on it when I finally get back next mate

[alan2]

Ive been quietly watching this Frank . I can see why you had a successful business . Awesome work mate . There is no need to wish you luck , you dont need it but I wish you good health mate .

Like the others I am itching to see the finished Pit .

[cabnz]

WOW!!

[moonman]

... some very interesting news here again!

I am also eagerly awaiting the "finished cockpit"!

So:

Keep on with this great work!

Cheers, Christoph

[tennyson]

Well, it's been a gruelling week, so far. I have done all the preparation for the installation of my walls and now I just gotta wait for the builder guy to come on the weekend and give me a hand.

I had to get in with a concrete saw and jack hammer to remove a portion of the driveway, so that we could put the wall in. I got callouses on both hands, first time in about 20 years.....hahaha

All that stuff didn't prevent me from doing some work on the overhead, tho. I've finally got my new landing light switches (I got two from an NG, no less!) and I installed them today. They are a little different from the original two, but that's OK, the ones on the far left are usually the retractables and they have two positions, so it doesn't look out of place.

I took some pics with my phone, but can't get to it at the moment, so I'll take some shots with my camera tomorrow and show you all the end result.

The other news is, I'm building a newer machine for my cockpit. I'm gonna retire the 3960x to this computer and buy a new mobo (Asus Rampage IV Extreme) and the 3970X and 32gb very fast RAM, so that will keep me busy, too.

Of course, that just sets off another chain reaction here as the PC's in the house go down the line, until I end up with a complete superceded unit, which I'm gonna give to the builder for helping me out with the wall.

That's about all for now,

Frank

[Dibidut]

Have to ask you Frank.. when do that, very fast Ram, do any thing for FSX, Personl i havent seen any inprovement with RAM-speed, see my sign.).

For now i will waite for new Nvidia cards(maeby special desined for FSX ) and INTL. CPUs, i think.

Btw. its great for you, that you overall, get closer to your goal.

Keep on, the great work.

Best regards

Henrik

[cthiggin2]

Hello Frank and "followers",

Just stumbled upon this on YouTube...another 737 builder in the states: It's a good watch.

Enjoy and have a blessed day.

cthiggin

[tennyson]

That is a great vid and James is a very active member of some of the cockpit builder forums. He has spent many years making that thing look like a million dollars. Buying a "real" cockpit and converting isn't really an option in Australia, as we don't have the graveyards like they do in the US and buying one and having it shipped is a very expensive proposition.

I opted for the shell made by FDS. It's an exact replica, size wise, of the NG (Next Generation) 737, which is the current airliners we fly here with Qantas and Virgin, etc.

My particular aircraft is based on an 800 series, which holds approx. 189 passengers in a single class configuration.

My overhead is the same as James, all of the Boeing logic is modelled, so I can emulate pretty much all of the systems and faults for training purposes.

The throttles I opted for are all motorised and linked to the autopilot systems, so very close to the real 737 systems there.

MIP and other items are all using properly backlit gauge technology and systems logic.

And now, with my sim room, I'll be able to dedicate the space needed to run a curved screen and triple roof mounted projectors, giving the beautiful ORBX graphics the look they deserve.

I wouldn't say I've done 100% with my planning, but I've been lucky enough to be guided by the right people down the right paths and the finished item should be a good representation of the real 737 aircraft and all of it's systems.

Frank

[cthiggin2]

Frank,

Glad you enjoyed it - I was sure you would.....James MUST have thousands upon thousands in his setup - Just watching where the "shell" was loaded on a hugh flatbed - we'll, hauling on one of those things is heavy duty dollars.

I'm sure you have or will have thousands in your progressing setup....I'm just amazed at both of your talent...geeze..................(I'm building a 3dof motion platform and it's wearing me out - which is nothing compared to what

you guys are doing.

THANK your for sharing your beautiful build....and have a blessed one.

cthiggin

[tennyson]

Unfortunately, that is sometimes what defines a good sim from a great sim. Money.

There is always a cheaper alternative, but usually at the cost of functionality.

I've opted for the upper end, where my gear is imported from around the world and mostly, top quality.

Truth is, you can throw a lot of money at these things and miss the whole point of the exercise.

When I started, I wanted a highly realistic, but also highly functional education piece. I want to continue learning about this great bird, so I need the tools to do it.

When you get in this far, you need to have reasonable expectations of what you are going to achieve.

I know roughly what I've spent so far (just the outlay for the 3 high end PC's would scare most people off) and I have a very good idea what I still have to pay to finish it off.

So yes, if you can't detach yourself from the fact that there is a holiday home in the shape of a 737, sitting in your garage, then maybe model airplanes would better fit your style.

Anyways, as I previously stated, I have some pics of the fitment of the new landing light switches.

Here they are:

Here are the starter switches, fitted

More to come,

Frank

[Iain Emms]

Looking great my friend.

cheers

Iain

[tennyson]

Well, it's been a most productive weekend.

My sim room is shaping up well. I'm hoping to have it finished by next weekend. I decided to go the whole hog and internally sheet it with gyprock and cornice the roof as well, so that is the part that still needs doing.

I was saying to the builder on the weekend that he's helping me to achieve a dream that I've had for ten years, of building and flying a full sized cockpit.

The builder thinks I need to be hospitalised in a rubber room!

On another note, I have nearly completed my re-installation on my upgraded FSX machine I'm typing on now. It used to be an Ivy Bridge 3770 and now it's a 3960X on an Asus Rampage IV extreme with 32Gb of fast ram and a GTX 680.

I did a flight last night from Melbourne Airport to Lainceston. With everything running flat out (PRO-ATCX, GSX, YMML V2, FSTime, FS2Crew Emergency), it ran faultlessly.

It is running smoother unclocked than the Ivy did clocked at 4.5Ghz.

Mind you, when you pay over a grand, just for the CPU, versus 350 bucks for the IVY, you'd expect that sort of performance.

When I finalise all of the settings and get this thing fully set up and tweaked, I'll be looking at building the replacement machine for my cockpit. It will probably be the 3970X with 32Gb Ram and the GTX 690.

Now, I gotta get back to some painting and finishing.

I'll try and get some pics up real soon.

Frank

[chumley]

FS Time? - do you mean FS Real Time?

[tennyson]

yep, you guessed it......brilliant little proggy

Frank

[Iain Emms]

That sure was a busy weekend Frank by the sounds of it, cant wait for more shots.

cheers

Iain

[mra]

Your progress continues to amaze me and I wait for each further report with great interest.

[tennyson]

Rooms almost finished, just got the internal sheeting to go. I had the son-in law over this morning to measure up (he's a plasterer by trade) and should have it done by the weekend, all going well.

Here's a few pics of the weekends work:

This is a pic of the back wall before we installed the door and sheeted it

Here's a pic of the inside of the front door and wall before we sheet it.

Here's the front with a coat of undercoat on it. It will have a textured rocky finish similar to the colour of the corresponding bricks

Still hoping to start building the shell again by the end of the month.

I have a nice mural of my Virtual airline, OzSim 738 to go up on the wall. It's the 737 in my Ozsim livery peeling out of runway one at Brisbane airport at dusk.

It looks great and should make a very impressive sight on the wall.

Frank

[moonman]

Frank - this looks super amazing!

Congratulations on all the progress You have achieved!

[rockliffe]

Yep, sure looking good Fank..

[Wolf2grey]

Keep on keeping on Frank..........................Looking great. Cannot wait to see the finished project. It is going to be amazing. In the meantime will love keeping up with the build....

[timmo32]

Rooms almost finished, just got the internal sheeting to go. I had the son-in law over this morning to measure up (he's a plasterer by trade) and should have it done by the weekend, all going well.

Here's a few pics of the weekends work:

This is a pic of the back wall before we installed the door and sheeted it

Here's a pic of the inside of the front door and wall before we sheet it.

Here's the front with a coat of undercoat on it. It will have a textured rocky finish similar to the colour of the corresponding bricks

Still hoping to start building the shell again by the end of the month.

I have a nice mural of my Virtual airline, OzSim 738 to go up on the wall. It's the 737 in my Ozsim livery peeling out of runway one at Brisbane airport at dusk.

It looks great and should make a very impressive sight on the wall.

Frank

frank you are a very tellented person mate,its looking great,i my self just sold my house and will be moving in 2 months,so i will have too put my simming on notice for a while,im looking forward to a new house thats forsure,

[tennyson]

That's tough, timmo. I hate moving, but I'm sure I made the right move. The house is perfect for us, and the breezeway was just made to fit the cockpit.

I do believe in karma and I think it was on my side the day I found this place.

Now, I got lots of prep to do today before my boy arrives to do the plastering, so I better get to it.

Frank

[timmo32]

That's tough, timmo. I hate moving, but I'm sure I made the right move. The house is perfect for us, and the breezeway was just made to fit the cockpit.

I do believe in karma and I think it was on my side the day I found this place.

Now, I got lots of prep to do today before my boy arrives to do the plastering, so I better get to it.

Frank

goodluck frank with the renovations,your posts are very addictive too read and enjoyable and the updates are always great too read,not too sure what place too choose here in melbourne,but im sure i will find the right place in the end,as long as it has a room just for my simming i will be a very happy man, or should i say my mancave lol :)no wife allowed

[tennyson]

Hi Guys,

Been pretty busy, so thought I'd throw up a little update.

It doesn't look like I've done much, but there are a thousand little tidy-up jobs that need finishing off, so I got to them in the last few days.

As you can see from the photo's, the walls are brick, so I've had to use wall anchors to put the battens up, for the gyprock to be attached. I've now gone through over 150 anchors, attaching the battens. It was a cow of a job and nobody to help, so that's taken a great chunk of time.

The neighbours aren't too impressed, as I've used the hammer drill to go through the brick as well.

My electrician friend has also wired up 4 dual power points (with circuit breakers) into the walls and the lighting switch and power, so electrically, we are good to go.

On another note, I visited the painter last night and discussed the paint scheme. He's a smart guy and has come up with a great plan. We are going to undercoat the walls, cornice and ceiling and then paint the forward half of the room off white with a white ceiling and the other half, we are going to do all matt black.

That will eliminate any stray light entering the cockpit from the sides.

If I ever leave the house, I can just repaint that half of the room, back to the original colour again (not that I'm ever planning to leave!).

It's all go, go now, as the plasterer is due to come in early next week and then the painter on Thursday, followed up by the carpet guy the following Tuesday, so it will be habitable within 2 weeks!

The MOF (Minister of Finances) is away at the moment, so I'm baching. That means I can work till all hours and ignore the daily chores, so I'm gonna make hay while the sun shines....hahaha

Anyway, sitting here ain't getting the job done. I'll be off now and have another update real soon,

Frank

[Iain Emms]

Thank you Frank for the update, boy you have been busy mate but its all worth it in the end.

cheers

Iain

[flyingleaf]

+1

[tennyson]

Here's a little update to show you all I'm still on track.

Troy and I spent the weekend getting all the battens up on the wall. On Sunday, I rolled him out of bed early, so that we could start putting the gyprock sheeting up.

We didn't get a lot done.

So, this morning I was up nice and early and got stuck in. I put all of the insulation batts in for the front and rear wall, before we started sheeting.

My friend, Tom (who is the painter) came down from the Sunshine Coast. He bought an old mate, Bob and we got all of the remaining sheeting up. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.

With this all done, now I need my son-in-law to come over and do the finishing off and the cornice. Painting is on Thursday and the whole room is to be finished by Friday, ready for carpets next week.

Been a hard, solid slog for a good few weeks, but it's starting to look like a real room now.

Off for a good long shower and a few hours of tv and then beddy bye,

Frank

[Iain Emms]

Well done chaps, its looking good.

cheers

Iain

[Remko]

Don't forget to put in a cable for your internet connection

[tennyson]

Don't need to worry about that, mate. I got a wireless network that most businesses would die for. It's been tested out there and it's like greased lightning.

I have also installed 4 power points and upgraded the lighting out there, and as well, I have an air-conditioner to be put in, so it should be pretty comfortable all year round.

Tom tells me today that our only hold up may be the black paint that's going on 2/3 of the walls. Apparently there's not a large call for black paint, so we are hoping they'll have enough in stock to do the job.

Frank