Just a couple of statements about upcoming projects. First, I just received my new GO Flight MCP PRO USB from Trevor Hale. Do not be afraid to buy any product from the classifieds, this is the third purchase from here, and I've yet to be disappointed. I haven't been able to fire it up yet, but will tonight.
Second, I contacted an old family friend who is the Chief Pilot/ Director of Operations for a large air freight operation here and my timing was spot on. I had heard they were in the market for a procedures trainer, something they could simulate RNAV approaches on and I just happened to buy the correct real instrument panel from Ebay days ago, so in two weeks, we are meeting with the VP of operations to see what I can do for them. They want the whole deal, visuals, avionics, and even some motion in the future, first things first right.
Third, I drove around our municipal airport asking to rummage through all the A&P shops' scrap bins. This was almost fruitless, as I heard,"man you should have been here two months ago, ...three weeks ago," and so on, but one shop sold me a nice water jet cut C172 panel for dirt cheap, so I bought a number of MIP placards from them and established a nice relationship for second hand spares.
Fourth, On my way out of town I stopped by the local universities flight school and just happened to catch the Aviation Simulator Department Manager on his way out as I was on my way to the maintenance department to ask for scraps. After introductions and an explanation of what I was doing there and my hobby, he showed me a project one of his techs. is working on, He is using Windows XP, FSX, Flight 1 C172, Simkits and some hand made components, including a servo actuated electric trim lever, mounted on an old OEM flight sim chassis (I initially recognized the name but it escapes me now, ATR maybe, I see one on ebay from time to time)
He fired up a flight and I immediately noticed that he needed the ever popular "lights fix" and offered my assistance with this. As he demonstrated the simulator to me, he explained they were having a pitch visualization issue, that is while flying visually, looking at the horizon, the plane appears to be in level flight, but a glance at the instruments shows that one is actually in a steep dive or steep climb, I admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience and I did not look at the altimeter to see if the vertical speed indicator was in synch. No matter if you pull up or push down, the visual cue does not synch with the instruments.Does this issue sound familiar to anyone? Is this symptomatic of FSX, or Flight 1 Payware? Can anyone offer a fix? Any help I could offer this guy would more than be paid back to this forum from either he or I in traded information.
He then showed me the Radar Simulator Room, where they have six or eight Control Center stations, where they simulate Radar Center Procedures, very, very cool. It does operate on proprietary software, as does the Tower Simulator Room, these rooms interface with each other but not the Sim room or VATSIM or IVAO much to my surprise. Reasons being, they need to offer the same lesson plan to each student so the course outlines are regimented, but the software allows for the students activities to be downloaded to a thumb drive and reviewed by the student at a later time.
Next he showed me the Air Traffic Control Tower Simulator. Picture a very large, tall room, you enter the tower simulator which is comprised of large angled screens, ringed by I think at least eight or ten projectors which simulate the view form an ATC tower. it was not online but I could just imagine what it would look like.
Finally he showed me a Website from REDBIRD, a company that makes motion simulators on the cheap, they may have been described here but I can't remember it, a very good product at a very good price, if not somewhat cosmetically dull. But very good engineering, that could be duplicated by any of us, and for some with the same amount of room our sim already occupies (look at the older models to see what I mean.)
I apologize as I did not have my camera with me, I will next time though.
All in all, a really exciting day for me. Once again, any help with the pitch visualization issue would be greatly appreciated. Fly on Captains.
