Nick1150 Home Cockpit 737NG project in Athens

[Nick1150]

Hi to all,

Thanks again. Few hours ago I returned from a long weekend outside Athens. After entering our home, first thing I did was to install the screens, install the cockpitsonic drivers, and played around with the PC, windows, FS gauges, PMDG, I installed the Flight sim labs trial CPflight driver, etc... To make the long story short, I did my first test flight around venizelos !!!

The trainer is not ready of course. I am trying to find a way to move the standby instruments of PMDG in the right position, the lower EICAS screen fits only in portrait and I am still trying to find a way to rotate the screen, the CH yoke is on a spare desk near by, and not in the right place, the PC, two TH2GO and many many cables are all around, BUT it FLIES

Costas and Spiros euxaristw poly (Thanks alot)

I will post pictures soon.

Thanks

[pylet]

You ain't going to get any sleep... you'll be building all night in your brain. Been there and done that. Looks great!

[Nick1150]

Pylet.... you are so, so right

Yesterday I had the pleasure to make my first test flight with Warren (fsaviator) who is in Athens these days.

Thanks Warren for the company, and as I promised my cockpit base is already on the way, so next week we have a second meeting for an online flight too

I know I have alot of things to take care and i need alot of time to feel that my sim is as I dreamed, but as long as IT FLIES everything is easier !!!

A few pics and a video from the test flight. Fsaviator ILS landing at RW 03L, LGAV





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-bxj9XmnwY

[fsaviator]

Nick, thank you for fun night flying your cockpit. I'm looking forward to the next flight!

Warren

[Nick1150]

My Pleasure Warren

Cockpit base accessories and yoke stands are already in my car as ordered... assembly during the night

[Anderson/SBSP]

Very cool!!!

[Nick1150]

Yesterday was a difficult day. I started assembling at 17:00 and finished 02:00 in the night without stopping... It was worth it, but it is not finished... I have few things left. Carpet will be also added in the next days... The base is made 40cms tall, with rubber wheels 15cms in height, and the sim can be moved easily by one person inside the room. This was made for cleaning purposes, and also this way I can install everything easily without struggling in between cms in the future.




I also added a small step, so everyone can easily enter the cockpit.




Two columns (ordinary table columns) where transformed into yoke bases, till I invest to real 737 yokes.




Finally I did a quick construction in Π shape which can accommodate the 3 x 20" TFT LG screens, which can be easily go away in minutes when I decide about my external visuals.




At 02:00 in the morning I did not have the courage to test flight the sim, but hopefully I will do it today. I was so busy building the base that I forgot to take a few shots in between.




To be continued...

[Nick1150]

Hi again,

Its been a busy week, and I had many things to catch up.... The carpet was installed yesterday and after a few around LGAV flights, I decided that the 10" screen for the lower EICAS area is good but I cannot rotate it whithout having one extra vga port free. That would mean a second PC only for that screen. I have spare PCs in my place but at the time being (waiting for PMDG 737 NGX) a second PC is not in my plans. So I abandoned the 10" screen, and I put in that place a 14" old flat TFT I had in my warehouse. This screen has taken the place of the lower EICAS and the right CDU in the CDU bay. I am planning to create a bezel for the lower EICAS screen and buy a dummy CDU and put it right from the bezel together with the left CDU which I haven't decided yet from where to buy. This is the only way I can keep up with one PC and I want to keep up with one PC untill 737NGX comes, when maybe I will invest in a better PC configuration for FSX.

The problem of course was that the 14" screen is deeper than a normal CDU which means that the screen has 2 cms difference in depth in the CDU bay. So I constructed a new CDU shelf for the CDU bay where now the screen seats nicely and in the same level with a CDU...

Here is the old and the new CDU shelf







and 2 more...





During this afternoon Warren (FSaviator) and my self are going to do our first online flight, and I am hoping to make few more photos after I install the shelf, and possibly a video...

Nick

[Nick1150]

And the result...









The 0.5cms space is going to be filled with MDF plus bezel

[Nick1150]

Yesterday as I said above, I had the joy of flying together with Warren (FSaviator). This was actualy the first online flight of my DST. It took some time to get use to it... new places for the radios for the time being, CDU, FSnav, (lower eicas screen). We did LGAV to LTBA and back to LGAV.

Thanks Warren for the company... Today I cannot breath from yesterday dinner !!!!!!

Photos and two videos in action ...














LTBA approach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk_S5J-jg5s

LTBA RW36R landing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_eogv81BY8