Ripcord Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 A couple years ago I finally got around to building what I thought would be a really cool sim cockpit, which would be based loosely on an F/A-18 or A-10 cockpit, and accomodate FSX and DCS. I also wanted it be able to fly other aircraft as well, particular helicopters and GA aircraft, as well as regional commercial jets/turboprops - those would require a bit more imagination, obviously because the main 'look and feel' was/is to be aimed at a good ol' fighter jet. I got it done and lugged it upstairs and hooked it all up and found that I almost never flew it -- too hard to climb in and out of. And it was too much of a headache to program a gazillion button, etc, and still allow for two different sims. So when it came time to update to a new computer, I decided to make a few changes. So this is a refit project more than it is a start from scratch project. At any rate, I'll share some photos as I go along. These were from last weekend. Got a bit more work done today, so I'll share some more photos later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Hey, that looks as an amazing good basis for instalments. I mean, expensive valuable instalments... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcord Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Indeed Gerold, it is really meant to be nothing more than a 'custom-built' table. That is probably how most (if not all) of these flight sim projects start. I have all these cool gadgets but I need them to stay put, so I can press/push on them and they won't slide around my table. One or two 'valuable instruments' maybe go like that and then you just decide you need to make your own table... and maybe a little side table, so you can have your HOTAS/throttle there, also. That will help make room on the table for more 'valuable' stuff. And that is how it begins.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcord Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Time for a couple more photos here. One item here is used - an old car seat from a salvage yard here in Houston. Can't remember what I paid for it, probably $20-$30. Far more confortable than an office chair, at least for me. You can also see here that I have a 23" USB touchscreen sitting here on the right side. This was one of the big reasons for rebuilding/resizing this whole thing. I'll get into a couple of the other reasons later. Another feature that I plan to keep from my original design was that cross board behind the chair. I put a couple 2x4 boards flat under each side and lay the board across those. You can see the step areas where I have some black matting tacked on. Decided to raise/elevate the rudder pedals, so I painted up some plywood to put under it and screwed that on to my little frame, which I had been using to hold the pedals stationary. Today I will bold on some flat 2x4 boards underneath. I was testing out the height yesterday, sitting in the chair, in fact. Also you don't see that here, but I have pretty much decided that will have a bit of a raised step platform right in front of the pedals so I will have a better, more robust place to step and put my weight when climbing in and out. The round PVC pipe is hte mounting for my HOTAS stick. Will try to get a shot of that in place later this morning - got to try to get some more work done before football starts at noon. Houston plays at Dallas today - needless to say that is a big one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingleaf Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 What a great idea. Looking real good. Enjoy your football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Kane Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Sweet as bro......You just want to know what it feels like to climb in and out of an F-18 The touchscreen is the way to go these days and pretty soon our home cockpits will be a little more like Star Trek The Next Generation. At least with touch screens you can fill a large area with an interchangeable interface for a low cost. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcord Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Got a bit more work done last weekend and this weekend. Will post some more shots as soon as I can get the photos kicked over from my phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilstorm Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Nice cant wait to see more. Im like you where I have a certain favorite kind of plane but also enjoy flying many others as well. So my simpit has the layout and feel of a kind of plane but still allows me to fly a bit of everything as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcord Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Yes there is really no right answer, is there? It is very hard to build something specific yet generic. Probably that is my I am here rebuilding mine. OK on to the photos now.... I will have configurations, one with a Thrustmaster HOTAS and one with a Saitek yoke and throttle. Very easy to remove and replace. Really the only semi-challenging part will be connecting the cords thru that big wooden maze! I didn't take a photo but there will be another 23" touchscreen sitting front and center just above the controls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.