A few questions for a new builder

My first post as I only found you guys after a few hours checking out different websites about home cockpit building. So Hello all :D

Christmas and new year are all over and my head is starting to feel like enough brain cells have regenerated for me to tackle my project for 2008, Yup I want to build my self a semi cockpit. I call it a semi as I just want to start off with monitors and pc's and not any cockpit hardware just yet like FMC's etc.

My first question and also will be my first project into the build is going to be my forward view of the flightsim, IE the runway or the floor depending on how well that approach went hehe. I am hoping to set up my main flight sim PC with a TH2GO unit. My main pc is a core2duo E6600 2 gig ram 200 gig HD and a ATIx1900 256 meg GFX card. I'm hoping this system would push 3 19" monitors on the TH2GO for a widescreen forward view. I'm not looking to have forward left and right I just want a forward view thats expanded. Any tips with this?

My second question is regarding Project Magenta, Now I only really fly the heavys, this was mainly the 737,767,747 untill for christmas I got the wilco Airbus volume 1 pack which is the A318 A319 and A320. The airbus series are fast becoming my new fav bird to fly, I dont know why I just find somehting nice about the way they work. Looking on the project magenta site I see they do a complete world for both the airbus and the boing. I will have 2 spare pc's to run the magenta stuff on but im a little confussed as to how it interfaces with flight sim, I know all about wideFS etc as I have been using it for years for running weather programs etc on a seperate pc. What I think im getting at is if I purchased the whole package of aibus panels from magenta do they replace the ones built into the airbus? The FMC and CDU built on the airbus panel in the flight sim would be disabled and the external magenta stuff would take over? If this is true how good is the Magenta software at replaceing mainly the FMC?

My third and final question may or may not be relevent depending on how the second one is answered lol. If the magenta stuff does indeed takeover the FMC etc what do I do regarding the aircraft its self? Do I still use overhead panel in FS or do Magenta have a overhead etc aswell? also because the Airbus I currently use simulates its own FMC and CDU what would be the best model to use?

Sorry for the long questions but once I start I cant seem to stop my fingures tap dancing all ove the keyboard hehe.

Many thanks in advance
Dean

Hello, Dean.

There are lots of ways you can go with this. I will summarise my set up for you:

1) I use Project Magenta for the FCU, PFD & ND and MCDU. I have them working well at the moment although there are a few bugs but hopefully they will be ironed out.

2) The overhead is also available from Project Magenta (PMSystems) but I am using the overhead and EICAS software from AST ( http://www.airsimtech.com/RunScript.asp?p=ASP\Pg0.asp ). I am extremely happy with this product plus you get great customer support. You will note that AST has now also released its own FCU, PFD & ND and MCDU. You might also want to explore this.

3) The aircraft I am using is the freeware Project Airbus v.2. People are also using the freeware IFDG Airbus. You can find them on VATSIM quite easily.

4) When you are using the software you cannot run the panels from your existing a/c. The software from PM and AST have their own logic. In my panels directory of the a/c I am flying, I still have the panels.cfg file but with everything deleted in it. If you choose PM for your FCU\MCDU\PFD you can have the PM panel showing up in cockpit view (on the FS9 computer) if you wish and therefore able to use that panel to change altitude etc rather thtough the FCU programme itself runing on the other computer. This panel can be downloaded from PM.

5) The PM software is best placed on computers not running FS and is subsequently connected to FS by WideFS.

6) The AST software, however, does not use WideFS. On the FS computer you run the AST 'server' and its programmes connect automatically to that server.

I hope that claries some points.

Regards,

Darren Sugden

My A320 website: www.sugden.karoo.net

Thank you very much Darren for taking the time to reply to my questions.

I never knew there was another company supplying Software for MCDU\PFD etc. This now brings up the question of which one is more suitable. Having seperate PC's running seperate panels and gauges is no problem for me as I was plannig on this type of setup anyway and the more I can run on other PC's other the main flightsim PC is all a bonus to help FPS etc. Which of the two softwares are better? Which one has more features etc etc. Its a bit of a hard question to find the answeres for because the software packages are a lot of money and not something I could just buy to test. I know PM have demo software to download but it dont seem to give you much time to actually test it.

Thanks again for enlightening me on this Darren, also I have been to your website and thats a first class cockpit build you have there :) very very Impresive.

So now my new question to ponder over if PM are butter at airbus systems or are AST?

Many thanks
Dean

Hmm it seems that after reading a few more forum posts that PM don't currently seem to model a fuly working ECAM status, IE the digitial checklists for takeoff and landing. Could anyone confirm this?