Building A-6 Intruder/EA-6B Prowler Enclosed Cockpit

Hey all,

This is mostly just so people can offer casual advice as i go but i do have a few important questions.

Myself and a friend are going to start building what can resemble for the most part an A-6 Intruder/EA-6B Prowler pit.

Prowler
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a87...click/prow.jpg

Intruder
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a87...ick/A-6_02.jpg


It will be just heavily and as much as possible based on these as we want to do other things like have 3 people in the cockpit as ill explain, but we want to end up calling it a Protruder :roll:

We're into sim games like ArmA and Silent Hunter but this is our first stint over to flight sims besides IL2, but it was only a matter of time.

We've watched videos of A-6 Intruders in Xplane and a couple of other older sims, and assume they are at proper sim level as far as adding all the switches and having them do something goes (?), but that isnt too important as we'll fly other planes obviously.

To cut it short its to be based on an Intruder just so we can sit beside eachother and not have to be seated infront and back like in say a F-14, we also aim for it to be an enclosed box like a real pro simulator. (Will post the google sketchup image so far once have added a few things)

Now i also mentioned the Prowler variant, and heavily emphasise based on as we also want to have a 3rd (cant afford 4 like a real Prowler) seat right behind us facing sideways at a right angle to us like the empty seat closest on the right below (ignore the rear seat to the left)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a87...ick/nimrod.jpg

Just so we can fit an extra guy in even though it isnt realistic, also advice on a sim with a healthy multiplayer community for flying planes that can carry 3 or 4 guys and have them all busy doing something in the one plane (like a Prowler) would be helpful too as were as i said quite new to the community as a whole so maybe a game like this doesnt support that type of play yet for it to be worth while.

Looking to use Fresnel lenses but i hear they can blur the game a bit too much, may end up with 3 20" widescreens for each side of the cockpit, or we also considered projectors as they seem to be quite cheap on ebnay for good resolution (1024x768 or whatever is good right?)

We think its quite an expensive thing to do but what is the sort of cost to make your sim move with the planes movements like some of the videos ive seen?

http://youtu.be/ONjAwKO-IjA

Like that but like 2 side by side and enclosed with more elevation to allow for the width.

Thats most likely something we'll leave behind but thought id ask anyway as the cheapest known way is probably a huge price tag with similar man hours.

I did see these movement platforms though and wondered if anyone knew their cost or what compatability they needed with each indivdual flight sim or similar flight game?

MSE Simulation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bLwvoPD2Zg

The only other thing id ask is if anyone has a link to an A-6/EA-6B Blueprint of what all the gages, dials, switches and buttons on the cockpit actually do, as we'd like to set all of them out where they would really be?

Thank you for any advice and will as said post the google sketchup so far when we've finished the front area at least.

Fantastic Project and thank you for the videos :) :) :)

Just a quick explanation..... I inadvertently deleted the previous original post and have asked Will to repost. My apologies to Will and those who posted.

Matt Olieman

You can buy them on Ebay - A-6 Intruder Manual

I agree with Matt on that. It's a great project. Love the A-6 ever since I read the book Flight of the Intruder - Stephen Coonts.

I'll keep looking for a 'free' version of the manual but I would go with a manual more then just the MIP/Cockpit diagram. As you will get more info that way. Something else I found an A-6 Weapons Control Grip Just a display (not a working stick) however you could perhaps turn it into one??

I really look forward to updates on this project. I was a plane captain in the Navy and the squadron I belonged to was a squadron of A6E's. I sat many a hours in the pilots seat waiting to be relocated on the flight deck! I used to pretend I was a pilot flying the craft.

Thanks Matt, no trouble good to be here!

That would be great Ronson, ive bookmarked the manual and will definitely get it.

That weapons control stick is awesome too, if i can afford it towards the end id love to have it. Hopefully know a way to make it useful too. (depends on what game is used i guess)