http://www.goflightinc.com/order/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=85

there you are.

stevehookem wrote on Aug 9^th, 2008 at 8:58pm:

I wish I'd thought of this angle... let everyone else do the legwork... 

Quote:


I have to agree 200% to THAT one.  Take whatever time estimate you have in place and multiply by a factor of 10, then double that.  

best,

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

Stevehookem,

Welcome to the Homebuild Forum section.  Nice to see another person here with "a screw loose" like the rest of us.  Makes us all feel a little more sane.   

First step in my book IS the main flight controls.  With the exception of fighter jets, a typical computer joystick just doesn't cut it.

One thing to decide right off is if 100% fidelity to a specific aircraft is important to you.  DO you want the captain of a REAL 747 or A340 to think they stepped into the real aircraft... or do you want to just creat a reasonable aircraft cockpit "feel"? 

That will lead you in the direction on decisions.

Remember the closer to REAL........ the more it will cost.  For 100% fidelity...... that 3 Grand will not go far.  You'll likely spenf $1000 of it just getting a "real" yoke set up.

best,

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

stevehookem wrote on Aug 11^th, 2008 at 12:33am:


Steve,

As far as I know, Goflight dumped the rudder pedals a while ago.  They had a special sale on them for past customers that was awesome at that time (maybe 4-6 months ago).  I've been "out of the loop" over in Japan for the past two months...... so maybe they have released some new stuff (like new perdals or a yoke) that you know about that I don't yet.

The two "cheap" yoke options are CH Products and Saitek.  Once you leave that world the price goes up REALLY fast.  Elite is the next tier, I think.  Then there are the few folks thaqt offer full scale reproductions.... with the $1000 price tags.

No, I don't think I have  a listing of all the stuff that I use in one place.  It is scattered in the thirty something individual threads that cover the pit build so far.  See my signature lines for some listing of basic stuff.

Off the top of my head....... with some fuzzy memory fom being away for two months........ there are currently four computers running the sim, eventual end point will be 5 or 6.  I'm running fs2004....... too much invested there to change to FSX.  Tons of payware scenery addons, including Aerosoft AES services.  (No payware aircraft....using freeware Murchison BAe 146-200 as the "base" plane with Liebrecht systems panels.)  CH Products Yoke, Pedals, and multi-engine throttle quad.  (Throttle quad will eventually physically get rebuilt but still use the electronics)  Goflight stuff: four VRP-166s, MCP, two GF-45s, one RP-48, one RMK-RP-48, ATC module.  Two Hagstrom KE-72s.   Three Phidgets TextLCD/8-8-8 combos, one Phidgets rotary encoder unit.  Lots of powered USB hubs.  Aura Bass Shakers with amp.  Software: FSUIPC, WideFS, formerly all FreeFD, primary flight now some Ellie Systems and some FreeFD; FSXpand for engines, SA-WXR, Teamspeak, Real ATIS (improves default), WeeTunesBeastie (online music in flight), FSCommander (flight planning).

The rest is home built including some minor VB6 code.

That's all I can remember right now  .

best,

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

stevehookem wrote on Aug 11^th, 2008 at 7:03pm:


Steve,

As I write this I am discovering that I left out some stuff in the hardware / software list above.  Sorry.

First machine is the main flight sim machine.  It runs FS2004 (and associated options like AES and Real ATIS, etc.), plus the licensed version of FSUIPC.  CH Products USB stuff connect to here as do the Goflight units.  One KE 72 hooks here too, to get the inherent flight sim commands (default keypress available stuff) into the sim.  It drives a 1024 x 768 projector for the main outside view.  (No "in-sim" panels are displayed....just the windscreen view.)  It also has the sound card hooked to a solid state amp that is in turn hooked to a pair of Aura Bass Shakers mounted in the pilot's seat.

Second machine is the one that mainly runs the Captains left MFD and that is now almost always displaying the Ellie PFD.  It runs WideFS.  It also has Danny Ho's TACAS gauge and a couple of VB6 utilities.  It drives a sound card that has PM Sounds running to place some sounds into certain "locations" in the pit.  Experimenting with FSXpand for some stuff on it.  Weakest machine in the setup...so it handles the least load.

Third machine is the Captain's right side MFD...and visually is mainly the Ellie ND display.  Running WideFS.  It also covers the FreeFD backup instruments on the same LCD monitor.  In the background it takes care of the Teamspeak program for online flight voice communications, and WeeTunesBeastie if I want to have music as an option on my Comm 2 radio when I am flying.  It also runs Real ATC Chatter if I want the actual live ATC feed from a particular airport.  Into this machine also goes the USB connections for all the input/output Phidgets and it is running FS2Phidget as the interface program for that.  Also hooked here is a second KE72 card to get more switch functions (mainly the overhead panel and EFIS) into the mix.  This machine drives the simpit coms headset.

The fourth machine is mainly driving the lower EICAS display, and the SA-WXR weather radar.  Runs WideFS.  The engine information pages are all "custom" (for a BAe 146) and done in FSXpand.  SA-WXR ( a stand alone Collins simulation) sends the weather display to the Ellie ND display over the network if desired, or can be displayed here.  This machine also has PM Sounds ruunning on it to drive more positional speakers.  Controls are still being added to this machine to control the WXR functions and the changing of the various pages on the EICAS system.  Likely the rudder trim panel will hook in here via a joystick port eventually.

The Fifth machine will mainly be the upper EICAS.  Will run WideFS.  And PM sounds for more sound locations......... probably boarding / deplaning sounds for start up and shut down positioned to the rear of the cockpit (sounding like it is coming thru the cockpit door).

The sixth machine will be the FMC.  Will run WideFS.  And PM Sounds once again.  It will also likely run FSCommander for flight planning. (Now run on the #1 machine pre-flight.)

Hope that helps.

best,

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

I've seen it---it does help, thanks!

John,

Can I see a photo of your monitors displaying the PFD, ND and backups without the front panel over them? I'd like to see how much monitor space it takes up. I am planning to use LCD screens since the price has dropped so much. I have two 17" screens just sitting here already.

I saw some with just the monitors but not turned on to show the gauges. I would like to see them on the monitor positions without being masked off.

It looks like one of the actual "switch" panels would interfere with the monitor pressing up against the back of the MIP (the monitor that has the back-up gauges and ND if I remember correctly). There is a switch set above the ND and to the right of the top backup gauge.