Hi all

I am toying with the Idear of building my own home pit, with 90% of it being built by my own fair hands. My biggest problem to date is the dimensions which seem a bit rare on the web, I am looking at replicating the A320.

Could someone please point me in the direction of some A320 dimensions for the MIP, Glare sheild, pedstal and overhead, some idear of how to build the mounting for the pc's and CRT's behind the MIP would also be really helpfull.

Also what flight model would be best for a pit build, I have been using the pss320 in FS2004 but it can be rather glitchy is there a better one out there?

I know this is not going to happen over night and this is my first step in a long process but good things come to those that wait.

thanks in advance for your help

Regards Karl

nexiss wrote on May 22^nd, 2008 at 9:56am:


Karl,

Hi.  I want to welcome you to both the Homebuild Cockpits forum section and SimViation.  

Well... you've now stumbled onto the sure path to insanity and bankruptcy.  Welome aboard!  

ermias gave you a good start there ....... I'm sure you'll get more.  Surf around the exixsting pages here in the section for a LOT of useful information on many things.

As far as the aircraft to use as the "base" for your sim........ do some checking in the general SimV forums here located up above this one.  Ask about the most realistic A-3xx there first to get a feel what is available.  It seems that most of the highly "system trainer" type offerings are payware.

Then you have to consider which aircraft have the most systems "accessible" to simpit-type controls.  One of the biggest "issues" simpit builders face is the interfacing of systems that are NOT supported by the basic MSFS franchise engine and accessible via the paware version of FSUIPC.  This subject can be the thing that you eventhaully devote the most time into.

One solution is to purchase a package that replicates the aircraft's systems in an externally running piece of software.  The offerings from Project Magenta are the best current example of this.  However that functionality comes with a heavy pricetag...... for the Boeing series the full package is over $2000 USD.

Other promisisng and far less expensive solutions to this are the upcpming Ellie Systems software and the software you'll see in the recent thread here titled "Looky Here" by masternerd.

Unfortunately it seems that the Airbus series is less well supported than the Boeing stuff.

Keep us posted on your efforts.

best,

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

PS;  You got the long process and waiting part exactly correct...... spoken like a long term simpit builder!