This Is Unreal!!!

[Michael Carter]

I never imagined it like this. It's great!

I haven't had that 'flying feeling' since I last flew a Cessna.

We pushed out of Geneva for the return trip to Paris, and then it was on to Hamburg. What an experience. FS flying will never again be the same. I'm glad I've stuck it out this long with the 727. It has not disappointed me.

Now I know how everyone else felt on their flight deck's maiden flight.

WOW! :lol: I couldn't stop grinning for the whole flight. I busted my altitude on the way up just staring at the instrument panel (and navigating too, I don't have the altitude alert quite working right yet, but I'll get it).

Now I have to get on those instrument bezels.

Parked at 17A, Hamburg, just after shutdown:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/727MIP5.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/727MIP6.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/727MIP7.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/727MIP8.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/boeing722/727MIP9.jpg

[jmig]

At long last the payout :) Bet you felt like Howard Hughes did with his airplanes.

[QF6228]

I cant wait to do the first flight in our sim, still alot of work for us to do yet.
But im sure we will get there:-|...

Damien

[Michael Carter]

Well, lets just say I haven't been able to get this stupid grin off of my face.

Part of it because it's finally flyable as a panel and second because I wasn't every really sure it was ever going to happen.

[James Twomey]

Very nice work!!!! I know how you are feeling right now!

[JBaymore]

CONGRATULATIONS!

I know exactly how you aere feeling... it is a real kick when it shows that it WILL work.

best,

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

[737NUT]

Congrats!! The pictures don't do it justice, i did the same thing in my 737-200sim and never could get a good photo of the simulated gauges on the lcd. They looked very real in person. Great job!

[Michael Carter]

Thanks guys!

I'm still making minor adjustments for the instrument placement and I believe I've got it now.

The heading cursor contol is functioning too now for the HSI, but it's not the same knob that was used on the 2-D panel. ??? All that matters though is that it works. It looks pretty much like the Mode Select switch on the AP.

In one of the above photos, I have the Collins bezel over the HSI. It has a piece of glass with an anti-reflective coating. It looks a lot better in the picture than the other guages do. I may use a window tint on the lenses of my bezel and see how that works out. The do seem rather bright in the photos and in person.

[project 727]

Congrats Capt. Mike!!!

Your hard work, love for commercial aviation and dedication to the Boeing 727 has finally payed off big time. You are so wright to say that FLIGHT SIM WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.

You will Never, Ever forget this moment for You are now Once Again Airborne, Pilot In Command, Soaring Higher and Faster Than Ever Before, but this time its Special because At Last it Finally Does Feels
..."AS REAL AS IT GETS".

As you well know its not easy keeping the spirit of the 727 alive and strong, but you have managed to do so with lots of CLASS.
Again, Congratulations to You CAPTAIN!!!

Joe Maldonado
PROJECT727
www.xsn.net/project727 (http://www.xsn.net/project727)
KEEPING THE SPIRIT OF THE 727 AT FULL THRUST!!!

[Michael Carter]

Thanks Joe! Hearing that from the best 727 builder on the planet means quite a lot.

I'd sure be interested in knowing just how many 727 builders there are out there. Especially those that have them flying. I believe we belong to a very small club indeed.

Sure feels good to have it flying. It's been a long four years.:lol:

[AndyT]

The first time I flew with my guages working was a blast! I had wondered if it was really going to work and YES! It did!
Congrats! Keep it up and don't quit flying.

[mauriceb]

And now, you're going to be even more hooked on 'trivial details'. I know because even though I'm nowhere as addicted to details & fidelity of reproduction as you are, the closer you get to a 'real' filght deck, the closer you want to get even if you don't really believe that it is necessary for your flying enjoyment (like it is in my case).

My deepest sympathies :( & congratulations :D:D. Very nice work!

Maurice

[Tomlin]

Congrats Mike, it's looking great.

I too had a very similar experience this past weekend when I got the MIP stand moved into the house and did a test flight with the displays mounted on the stand and all lit up. Then I got the yoke mounted on a temp column/table just for convienience. It's a great feeling, to sit in front of your setup and be able to control stuff aint it?!

All the Best,

[Michael Carter]

You're probably right. But since you just don't see 727 home-grown simulators every day, I want it as correct as I can make it.

There are several things I'm glad I didn't do, and a few that I wish I could have afforded, and plenty still to do yet.

But at least the biggest hurdle has been crossed and I'm thankful for that.

I still have annunciators to wire and I'm still undecided about what cards to use. No one supports 24VDC except for one whose shipping I refuse to pay.

Another computer will probably be needed to drive the other monitor. This old dog can't take much more and frame rates are down with the addition of the instrument panel monitor. Besides, I want to add WX radar and a fourth monitor will be needed as well.

Radios need to be purchased or modified. Maybe this winter when there's two feet of snow on the ground I might try a mod on one of my Collins heads.
At least the Collins SP-50 auto pilot works.

Yep, still a lot to do.

[Michael Carter]

Congrats Mike, it's looking great.

I too had a very similar experience this past weekend when I got the MIP stand moved into the house and did a test flight with the displays mounted on the stand and all lit up. Then I got the yoke mounted on a temp column/table just for convienience. It's a great feeling, to sit in front of your setup and be able to control stuff aint it?!

All the Best,


It sure is. I kept looking up at the outside display out of habit looking for the instruments. They were right where they should have been. :wink:

And talk about visible! I can now see a one degree change on the HSI and RMI. Before, I never knew if I was actually flying a precise heading without the little pop-up flag to tell me.

[Matt Olieman]

Hi Mike, this sure brings back memories of my first flight, just makes me smile all over again :)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

You ready for me to take a trip to see you? :)

[Geremy Britton]

Well done. I bet its a fantastic experiance. i was very happy just getting my throttle programmed and working. I best contain myself when i eventually get to your stage.:D

Congratulations,

Geremy

[David Rogers]

Awesome thread!

Isn't it just great to hear someone say that they're really enjoying the fruit of their labour. The sweat, the problems, the disappointments..... now the FUN!

You should be proud of what you have up to now - it looks awesome, puts us 'Glass Cockpitters' to shame! I love the 727 and the DF that you've based it on is one of my fave FS addons of all time. I just don't have the DIY experience to be able to take on a project like that, hence my nice easy Engravity MIP / CP MCP type 737 project (that's enough sweat and blood for me!).

So congrats and glad you enjoyed the first flight - would love to see more pics of your '27 (especially when you have a nice big projector / screens!).

[Michael Carter]

At first I didn't think it would be possible to use the DF727 for this sim. With some help from Paul Golding, several late nights and hair-pulling sessions, it's working.

In fact, since I've figured out what I'm doing, it's gotten a lot easier. I do wish the 'light' would come on like that more often!

Sky's the limit now.

[David Rogers]

How did you get the exterior view seperated from the panel ?

I might be going mad but I am sure that when I tried using the DF727 with multi monitors and tried to "undock" the exterior view, it was attached to the panel (ie... both the exterior view and the panel undocked as one item).

Does this ring a bell Mike or have I lost the plot ?

The flight dynamics of the DF727 are just the best ever... (I would say even more superior to Level D 767)..... you really feel you are steering a few hundred tonnes when you fly that model!

[Michael Carter]

When I used the undock feature, the instrument panel is overlaying the exterior view. I just pulled the panel to the second monitor and then dock it there.

This should allow you to stretch the outside view to the bottom of the outside monitor and to position the instument panel correctly over the instrument holes.

BTW, you are trying this in windowed mode? And then going back to full-screen?

Not having ever flow anything larger than a Lear 35, I have to take the word of 727 pilots who have actually flow both. They say there is little difference and that the model is spot-on exactly like the real 727.

There are some slight operational differences, but nothing to do with the flight model. The APU ON switch need not be held until it starts like on the DF. Also the ram air cooling doors on the model do not modulate airflow like they are supposed to. The boost pumps all have to be on for engine start on the DF, only the aft pumps need to be on for the real bird. Lots of little details that aren't important to anyone but me.

[David Rogers]

Thanks Mike, yeah I was trying in Window Mode, as you described. - I must have wrongly thought they were joined. I'm going to try this again. Cheers, Dave.

[magicaldr]

Wow it is looking good, I know my cockpit is nowhere near as complex or well made as your own. However even on my limited setup I know the feeling you describe, that first flight with the instruments in the right place is just magical.

Congrats on your maiden flight, may there be many more :)

[Michael Carter]

Thanks again guys. I'm still thinking I'm going to wake up and I've been dreaming this whole reality. It still hasn't quite sunk in yet that I'm really able to fly this thing as a full simulator instead of a desktop sim. I waited a long time for this not knowing if was really ever going to fly. :lol:

Two Korry indicators arrived today that I've been after for six months or more. This fills up a hole in the left-center instrument panel. $30 bucks for two intact functioning Korries can't be beat.

SPEEDBRAKE ARMED and SPEEDBRAKE DO NOT ARM are the two new additions. If I can find only one more indicator, my MIP will be complete and authentic. Well...as far as indicators and switches go.

Gonna try and get some flying in tomorrow before work. I'm still tring to get used to having the outside view on a separate screen from the instrument panel. Instrument flying is about the same except I can read the gauges now, but VFR is requiring some visual adjustments!

What is really cool is I can just turn the outside monitor off and fly on the needles if I want to practice.

[JBaymore]

What is really cool is I can just turn the outside monitor off and fly on the needles if I want to practice.

Yup. World's best "hood". ;)

best,

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

[phil744]

Congratulations on your maiden flight, I still have that day to come yet, I get all excited when a switch works or a light illuminates but I can appreciate that it must be a buzz to take it for a spin when everything is in place.

I have made an unofficial rule to myself not to do the maiden flight until a minimum 0f 75% is complete, but I know once the throttle quad and yokes are in place I won’t be able to resist taking it for a blast regardless.
And I must admit I have a lot of respect for people who decide to build an unsupported analog style flight deck like the 727, I have a pile 0f 747-400 parts here and I am very tempted to bin the entire lot and build a classic 747-200 instead.

Keep up the excellent work on your amazing project.

[Michael Carter]

I'd say mine is about at 75%. I had everything completed before the instruments were working. Now I still have the engine panel, radios, and annunciators to get working.

I guess I'm one of the few who built their simulator in reverse order of how most builders build.