Hi new here need a little advice

[jmneissa]

Hello everyone I have been reading for a while now and have finally taken the plunge and made the mental decision to start making a simulator. I have seen so many different kinds of simulators I have no I idea which one to build... I have come down to either doing the traditional boeing 737NG which is the most popular or doing a F16 simulator wich has a following to it on other sites like viperpits.org. Now each of these has their pros and cons... the boeing is popular and can take two people which is nice as then you can fly with a friend there is also all the parts available for it which makes it easy for a new person like me to get their footing. However there is also the cons in this case it is for me the size and the cost. Now I have the room for it however it would then be a more "permanent" item... also because of all the hardware it would have to be more expensive and there are not many cheap solutions out there for it. Now an F16 cockpit would be fantastic it is small more portable wont take up as much room has more diy parts which is nice but the main lacking here is that there is not the crowd behind this and if you want to show somebody the simulator they have o watch from outside they can't be part of the action... but in my mind the real stone in the bucket is the software FSX which works for the 737 allows you to fly anywhere however, for an f16 there is only falcon 4 which in my mind lacks the freedom you have with FSX. If the economy wasn't as bad as i is now I would love to make a large 737 but it is bad and I am not sure but an F16 might be cheaper without sacrificing quality. If any of you guys have any advice on which way I should go please say so. Thanks

[Rodney]

You might consider building a Cessna or Lear. Many before us have done this, built most of the parts themselves, and get just as much satisfaction as someone building a 737NG.

[AndyT]

It sounds to me that you really prefer the F-16. So build it in FSX.
http://www.aerosoft.com/cgi-local/us/iboshop.cgi?showd490!0,5046845940,D10849 (http://www.aerosoft.com/cgi-local/us/iboshop.cgi?showd490%210,5046845940,D10849)

Check it out. I think you will like it.

[ian@737ng.co.uk]

weight, lift, thrust and drag. but in building a sim, these change to Budget, Skill, Expectations and Space available. sit down and have a think about it. everybody is going to tell you to build this or build that, but we aren't going to be flying it are we?
my best advice is trust your instincts. ask yourself what is going to give you more pleasure and excitement.....go where your heart leads you.
good luck and i'm sure you'll make the right choice.
best regards from wales..... ian

[jonnydaz53]

hi ian check pm

[jmneissa]

Thanks for the advice... my heart lies with both they are both top dogs in their own world... I cleared a huge amount of space today a whole un heated attic in a barn for the flight sim so I will have to build the cockpit insulated and the ceiling their is like 11 feet plenty of room for a small motion platform:cool: I think I might have to go for the 737 their is just so many people out there that are doing one which creates a lot of people willing to help out a fellow sim builder. The F16 well its a great plane but there are limitations to falcon 4 such as location and the solution for FSX is great however it is not as realistic in that all the buttons work thats what I got from the facts on their page I might be wrong... but having everything working is the whole point of a simulator. With a 737 their is so much one can do there are so many choices. I did a brief cost analysis last night and when I found the final numbers they wer not that much different. Now that was only looking at basic equipment for a 737 only one seat of equipment no co-pilot. With a full F16 as I can't cut out half the cockpit as it is only a one person plane :( When I found out that I figured then I can expand upon a 737 and make it last for a long project instead of an F16 which takes shorter time because of its size. With all this data floating around I started scouring the classifieds and ebay and other used parts places and found that there are tons more available for a 737NG then a F16 most likely because it is a military plane. I believe now that I am just going to have to follow my heart and go with the 737 but as of now I am still open to opinions from both sides of the argument. Thanks guys!

[AndyT]

The only opinion here that should matter is yours. If you want a big cigar tube then go for it!

[ronjonrollo]

If space is still an issue and you definetly want to build something fast, small, a little more affordable and with two seats side by side, take another look at the Lear45.
But like everyone else here is suggesting, build what you WANT to build. Otherwise you won't be happy in the end. :wink:

[Michael Carter]

If you really want to build the Boeing, you can, as you said, just start with half of it. You wouldn't be the first to build only 1/2-2/3'rds of an airliner cockpit.

You can have just as much fun with a single seat as with a dual seat. Especially if you have no one else to help fly it. Like you said, you can always add on to the other half a little at a time as you like and can afford.

I rather like medium-sized cigar tubes myself. :D

[PaulCooper]

Just for comfort and reassurance... I am/was in the same boat as you.. not too sure about which direction to go and daunted by the plethora of ideas that are out there. Personally, I decided that choosing my aircraft first was the most important thing and settled for the Airbus. As has already been stated, there are loads of ideas out there, and in some ways, that makes the decision more difficult. Again, as previously stated, the right decision is the one that is right for you, and you alone. There are some fantastic sims out there and seeing one and aiming to achieve the same results could prove to be difficult. Do as I am... make your own decisions, dont be swayed, go with what is right for you and most importantly, enjoy the whole thing!

Whatever course you choose, I believe, (although I have only recently joined) that there is more than enough expertise out there to draw on to help you on your way.

Happy simming

[jmneissa]

Thanks for the reassurance Paul, and also to all the other great advice I have been given. For now I am going to research the 737 but I am going to play around with the Lear 45 Idea as it is fast, small and also different which is nice thanks for the idea. The only thing that discourages me from the lear is the availability of parts maybe its just I haven't looked hard enough but will look around. Thanks again to all.

[Tomlin]

There are tons of LJ45 parts coming online here in the next week or so. Also there are about to be released a huge collection of info on building your own LJ45 shell as well. The community has grown by leaps and bounds since I started my own LJ45 sim just 1.5 years ago. See the parts previewed here: http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14287