A little about my sim project
It’s been my dream to have my very own flight Simulator for many years.
After spending countless hours scouring the Internet, reading at least 1,000 articles on the subject I began drafting.
After pricing a projector and considering space limitations in my home I went with the next best thing I could find for my outside view screen.
This simulator uses a 36-inch Fresnal lens mounted in front of a 21-inch monitor.
Two 15-inch monitors side by side make up the instrument panel.
Controls:
CH Products USB Flight Yoke CH Rudder Pedals and CH Throttle Quadrant.
To give you some Idea the size of this thing!
It is 48” inches wide, 7’ Feet long and 5’ Feet tall.
If you lay a full sheet of plywood on the floor it’s that big and 5 feet tall!
My simulator also uses a HAGSTROM Electronics KE72 Keyboard Encoder board
2 - 10X36 Breakout Boards for switches and 2 Rotary-5 Interface boards so I can use rotary encoders for the Autopilot and Radio stack.
The Autopilot and radio Panels where cut for me at the local sign shop with a laser engraver. I’m currently installing the encoders and wiring. So they are not in the sim at this time.
These functions are mouse operated until I get the panels made up and install the rotary encoders.
Note the mouse on its own little shelf just behind the throttle handles for easy operation. The radio panel is the raised center section of the main panel and the autopilot panel will be mounted just above the right main panel monitor. The picture shows the Keyboard shelf extended and pilot seat removed in the side shot below the keyboard is retracted and rumble seat is in place.
The wooden console has 2 small wheels on the bottom at the back so when I slide the seat back I can lift the front of the console and it retracts under the main panel and aloes foot room getting In and out. When I’m sitting in the simulator with the seat ahead and the console in its back position it fits me like a glove.
The rumble seat is out of an old Bronco and has 2 -10 inch woofers cut into the wooden base and a 25-watt stereo Amp to drive them. I only use about 2 of them or I rattle the dishes in the cupboards!
I have installed a top of the line motorcycle intercom.
The intercom has a stereo input and lets the simulator sound be played in my stereo headsets so when I have company over to fly we can chat back and forth with the voice operated intercom, very realistic!
I know it may not be all that pretty. It is a blast to fly!
The 3D effect created by the Fresnal lens is unbelievable! When I have the lights down low turning inbound CYYZ in the Lear - 45. Believe me I don’t see the parts that are not painted yet! I had to make up my mind to take it apart in the workshop and re assemble it in the house and fly it for the winter or go without. As you can see I’m going to have to take it apart and take it back out to the shop paint it and do a little wiring in the spring.
The upper shrouds are made and painted but I’m having two much fun flying to start fooling around with them now. When the weather warms up it will go back down to the work shed and be overhauled.
As you can see I opted for a twin-engine Jet setup.
The CH Throttle Quadrant has not been modified but is connected to my hand made Throttle handles and the trim wheel via ¼ dowel pushrods.
The 7 Position Flaps leaver took a bit of thinking to design and build but has worked flawlessly for 2 years.
The Flaps switch and Gear leaver are wired through the KE72. Anyone interested in how I made the flaps switch work ask and I will take it apart and post pictures of the thing.
The throttle handles have finger-operated releases that allow the handles to drop back
Behind idle position and apply rev thrust in FS2004.
The Computer itself is not special.
A 2.7gig P4 with 800 bus and a gig of 400speed ram.
128 Mb MSI Video card for the outside view and a 64mb Radeon 7000 for each of the 15- inch main panel monitors.
I find it quite adequate as long as I don’t do 10G turns over high-resolution scenery it never stutters or whites out.
The simulator has taken me the better part of 4 years to acquire the parts, do the design work and build.
All of the gray buttons on the CH quadrant are programmed and are easily accessible.
The two unused axis leavers on right side of the quadrant will soon be hooked up as prop pitch leavers for those days I am in the mood to Dash 8.
