MD-80 series flightdek

Hi, I am new to this site but have been a lurker for a while. My husband and I have decided to turn our outside metal shop building into a full cockpit simulator. I have a thing for the md-80 series aircraft but i have seen that most companies primarily make airbus and 737 and some 757 series panels and equipment. I think this is going to have to be a custom build. We have set our budget at 45K for a full sim. That being said would it be possible for us to buld it ourselves that way or could we have some PROFFESIONALS do it for us. LOL. WE do have acsess to an actual md-80 cockpit taken off an old retired Continental md-82....before it gets destoyed...:( Let us know how compicated this might be and if we may have bitten off more that we can chew! Thanks guys.:grin:

Goodday,

It is possible, and the perfect example is the 727 project from Joseph Maldonado ( http://project727.xsn.net/ ). He, did the same thing. He coverted a 727 shell in a 727 sim. Tid a 737 classic shere are more people here who did that, one dhell to a 737-NG, he has a podcast with his story on how he did everything, really great.

MD-80 ain't a bad idea if you want to use real parts. This is a great site for parts esspecially md-80 series http://www.oncealoft.com/

But real parts/panels can be a nightmare to interface with your I/O cards.

As for me i just made the whole thing my self. Real rewarding but i'm allmost certain that a full shell is the ultimate dream.

Happy landings,

Stijn

Hi & welcome.

Go for the real thing.
I'd rather struggle with not getting things connected easily but have a stable setup.
I am working with 727 parts and I have to do a lot of programming for my IO Cards with SIOC (which I would really recommend). But I don't have to worry that my parts fall apart, they are just made to be rubust and to survive for years.

Good luck,
Florian