Xyn,

Great questions.  I went the "generic route".  There are three main reasons:

• -while i mostly fly the 146-200 I also fly other planes
• -exact replication is almost always far more EXPENSIVE then generic
• -exact replication of ATP aircraft usually requires a lot of space

Xyn_Air wrote on Aug 6^th, 2007 at 1:02am:


Shoga nai, ne'.  Watashi no ie wa oki desu, demo...... my pit sits in a space exactly 60" x 60" by ceiling height.  Nihonjin mitai, ne'.

Here is the enclosure:




Here's the inside:




Looks like an aircraft to me when I'm in it.    Total immersion.  I forget the real world is outside.

So. suggestion.....go here:

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1083057764

.........and read about how I did what I did.  And remember ... I am about four years ahead of you on this now.


Hope this gives you some fuel for thought.

best,

.......................john

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and comments.

And JB . . . kokkupitto wa sugoi!!! JB-sempai wo urayamashiku omou!!!

Fortunately, I have about a year or so to draft out different ideas.  I won't start actual construction until I return home from Japan (although the idea of carting home a virtual cockpit on a real flight is kind of amusing).  Anyway, this is where I am at so far with ideas and such:

1) I am going to study the layout for both 737's and 747's for general layout and style ideas.  Though it is not feasible for me to replicate either (totemo muri!), I figure I can use certain design elements to replicate the feel of a airliner.  Though I like flying all sorts of aircraft, including smaller, single-prop aircraft, everytime I have been in a large aircraft's cockpit it gives me goosebumps.

2) I am going design functional space around the control setup I would like to eventually have.  Mostly, I will be planning around two computers, three monitors, and various controls offered up by CH Products.  I had debated the idea of going for either a one person or two person cockpit, and decided to go with a one person setup.  I may change my mind later, and if I do, it would mean one more "backup" monitor for the co-pilot position.

3) The whole set up has to be self-contained and somewhat weatherproof.  My partner has no problem with me building a virtual cockpit, but unless we magically get a bigger place, it has to go outside.  On the one hand, this just adds to the cost and time for construction.  On the other hand, I could makes something that does actually resemble an actual aircraft and it would be a great place to escape to when the kids are bouncing off the walls.  One big challenge is making a somewhat modular arrangement for the electronics.  I am not sure I just want to leave everything outside all the time, regardless of how weatherproof the VC is.  On the other hand, I don't want to spend half the day just setting everything up and tearing it back down.

I have started drafting the overall layout and design.  When I have the plan more complete, I will of course post it for your critical review.  But, nobody hold your breath for something to be tossed out immediately.  I am going slow, partly because I intend to be patient and partly because real life keeps interrupting my virtual life! 

And of course, I have been reading your own VC journals and looking at the pictures . . . certainly high standards for me to follow!  Wow, is all I can say.

I think the Smallist standared size shiping container that you can get is about 8" x 10" x 8"

all shiping containers are 8" wide and 8" high.

The standred lenghts that thay are avalble in are :-
10 foot
20 foot
30 foot

The bigist problem you will have with this is that is that the 10" containers are the Most sort after and thus have the Highest price tag.

There is also the problem that if you get a container i might not be weather proof and could require quite a bit of welding to get  all the holes sorted.  Shiping containeres cover a huge distance during there lives and take some terrable abuse from the weather during transit, rough handerling at ports and also the cargo with in them any thing from food stuff to toxic chemmicals to Exploseves.

Containers in normal used condition of the 20 and 30 foot lenths will sell for about £1000 ~ $2000

There are some good alternatives out there.  Every thing from prefabricated Domes to DIY corrugated steel sheds. Google is your frend for these tho as the cost quality size veries massivley.


(All container info Kindly provided by Richared the Truckdriver, Biker, Narrow Boatbuilder Boy frend to my mum )
 

Whatever you do to make it weatherproof, be damn sure you use weatherproof components for providing power to this thing...