Generic shell build, take 2

[Neil Hewitt]

Hi all.

As some of you will know, my project has been going slower than a creeping glacier for about two years now, and I was in the middle of building a very rough and ready shell which I was kind of making up as I went along. Well, long story short I abandoned that shell a few months back and have been building a new one in the hopes of restarting my project - which is a fairly generic, fairly simple but fully enclosed pit.

For my first build I wanted to do something simple, and I have no particular attachment to a particular aircraft to want to build an exact replica, and I also wanted to fabricate as much as possible myself without buying off the shelf. I decided early on to go for a heavily glass cockpit and to do a lot of the heavy lifting in software, where I'm comfortable. Touch screens dominate the design. When pushed I say it's modelled after a vaguely futuristic business jet.

All well and good, but I never got beyond the fiddling-with-the-shell-and-not-knowing-what-to-do-next stage, and hence my project reset (actually my second - I started out building just a free-standing console + pedestal arrangement). I got much inspiration structurally from the FDS shell range, particularly the 737 shell, although with a smaller space I couldn't replicate it exactly. But it definitely has informed my design.

Compromise is the order of the day here. I'm not building a complete interior + exterior shell like many here - the exterior will be plain wood and unfinished, it's the inside that counts. Right now it's just plain wood too, but there's a lot of trim to make and fit - lots of foam and leather and acrylic! I've gone for straight and plain rather than curved and detailed - so straight side walls, simple window frames, etc. It has to be within my relatively limited DIY prowess to construct.

Without further ado, a few pics. More can be found on my blog (http://milehighgeek.wordpress.com) should you be so inclined.

I'll post some more updates as I go... hopefully this time I can actually get the shell built and get closer to a first flight

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[notgotaclue]

I look forward to version 3.....
I totally agree about the outside, you see people here who spend years getting the outside looking perfect - who cares? The only time I see the outside of my pit is when I switch the plugs on.
Even professional multi-million pound sims are basically a box on the outside.
Saying that I just spent a few hours putting decals on the outside of my sim to make it look more realistic, so ignore evrything I just said.
Allan.