hello from NH.

[zebtqb]

thanks for the help.and NH=new hampshire. but thanks for the ideas.



zach

[zebtqb]

but right now i think im going to save for flight lessons and then work on a simpit.

[fsaviator]

but right now i think im going to save for flight lessons and then work on a simpit.

That is a great idea. Here is some advice from one who got his PPL while flying a sim (my initial cessna 172 build):

First, save up to take a ground school at the same time you are taking the flying lessons. There is a big payoff in covering something in the ground school, then applying it when you fly. It helps you understand the systems, and how they work together. In teh sim you can simulate an engine failure... or you can turn off the fuel supply and see what happens.

Second, use the flight sim sparingly to gain understanding of how the instruments work and correlate. The goal is understanding what you are seeing when the compass rotates, the altimeter climbs, the DG turns, the slip/steer/ball etc. Don't get bogged down in the sim and realism as you can only model one aircraft, whereas with just FS, you can change the model to whatever plane you end up flying for training.

I say use the sim sparingly and don't get bogged down as the key thing to a PPL and learning to fly is instrument scan and head outside the cockpit. You are flying VFR and you have to keep your eyes outside and not on the instruments (other than your scan). While the sim is a good tool I found (and it was reinforced by my instructor, several times) that I constantly kept my head in the cockpit, flying by instruments alone, as I had grown up with FS. It took a lot of prodding to break me of that habit. On the other hand though... I was all over instrument procedures which is good, but... the best pilots learn to fly by feel and external reference, using the instruments during their scan to verify what they see outside the window.

Once you've earned your PPL, and you are flying solo, that is when the sim and a simpit really pays off. Now you have a frame of reference for what you want to build, and what is important to you. Then you use your simpit to prefly your flights and prep you for things you would not expect.

So, to wrap up, save the majority of your money for flight lessons... put some aside to buy a yoke (I would recommend the CH Yoke). Don't worry too much about rudders... yet. If you can spare the money buy 'em, if not, the yoke will be more than enough to fly in FS while flying in the real world.

Some ideas to help with the flying... look around for a Civil Air Patrol squadron... they always need people and they pick up the training tab too. There is a price to pay in service, but... it can't hurt and looks great on a resume if you have them time and means to participate.

Hope that all helps.

[zebtqb]

thanks for the tips fsaviator. i have the saitek pro flight yoke

[CuchoX]

This is what I want to do... How you build it? was it pretty hard? do you have a guide on how to do it... Dude that's a great setup!

[fsaviator]

This is what I want to do... How you build it? was it pretty hard? do you have a guide on how to do it... Dude that's a great setup!

There is no guide... but plenty of reading on this website. A lot of money put into it also, as well as time. There is no quick fix here, it is a hobby/passion and takes a lot of resources. In this case, this was my third build over a period of years. She's now retired and I'm working on another build.

[Ronson2k9]

In essence you are building a very large elaborate joystick. One that looks and feels like an aircraft cockpit. There are many ways to do this of course. One of the best ways I've found is look at someone who has built one and take a look at how they got there.

Sim Builders Database

That is a fairly up to date listing of builders that have taken there projects online. You can learn loads from just looking at what others have done. I would 'have' started out pretty simple as that will get you where you want to do without to much work. The basics will teach you what you have to know to build a more elaborate sim.

Another place you can look is Flightsim.com's HOWTO section. This DIY Cockpit Controls In it's pretty basic but will give you a pretty good start.

A few tips.

- Find an aircraft you love to fly. You will be working on a sim for sometime so the aircraft should be one you like. If not you can go with an or aircraft manufacturer (Boeing, Airbus, Cessna, Bell-Textron) Their systems are pretty close within there own design. A 757 and 767 are pretty close to each other. This will let you fly either one within your sim without to much if any change to the cockpit.

- Build a piece and test. Don't build an entire MIP (Main Instrument Panel) then find out that something won't fit and have to start over. Build a part then test then add to your simpit.

- Start with the basics but plan for the future. If you have a simple set of controls that will keep you flying through all other aspects of your building. So you don't get to bogged down and can still enjoy the sim while you continue to enhance it's controls.

From a guide standpoint you can find a few here from a Flight Sim Guru at Mike's Flight Deck These are quite detailed but quite thorough as well. Guides can also be found here at Sim Samurai.

Best of all though if you want to do the work you can find a ton of info online. Here especially. All the challenges of building have been faced by those you will see here. So these guys and gals have been there got the T-shirt. We're a friendly bunch too. With that in mind

Welcome to the site. Find what you want to build and start gathering info. Search through the images and manuals and make some plans and ask questions. We're here to help.

Ron