hello from NH.

[zebtqb]

hello my name is zach and im 14 years old i have always wanted to be a pilot. i am just starting training. i have the saitek pro flight yoke and want a push/pull thorttel but i cant aford the saitek one any ideas? :?:

[AK Mongo]

Hi Zach,

Good luck on your training! Are you doing it on your own, or with an organization like Civil Air Patrol?

There are a couple of things you need to make this happen:

1. a computer interface. This is a circuit board that allows you to hook up mechanical connections and translates them into data the computer can read. Cost $50+ depending on what you need. The other option is taking apart an old (working) joystick and salvaging the circuit board to connect the physical parts.

2. Physical Interface: This is two things. Something electromechanical that sends a signal to the interface. The most common thing used for push-pull throttles are potentiometers (pots). Your salvaged joysticks will have 2 or 3 of these that connect to the pitch and roll axis on the stick. If it has a throttle or other sliders, it also probably has pots for those axes. These are most likely rotary pots. To make your slider turn them, you will need a gear or other solution. The other option is to buy linear pots. They slide back and forth and can connect without any special mechanism to your push rod. Should be less than $10 each at someplace like Mouser.com.

The second part is the physical knob and slider that move in and out of your panel. There are lots of ways to make this work, with trips to Home Depot. If you do a forum search here about cessna throttles, you will see several solutions, ranging from adapting actual aircraft parts to a simple plastic rod with a wooden dresser pull knob painted and glued to the front.

If you don't want to spend time building one, be prepared to spend money. The Saitek may even be a good value once you figure in the pots, wires, soldering iron, and misc. hardware you may have to buy to make it happen.

Ask a lot of questions, be patient and prepared to make mistakes as you go. Before you know it you will probably build something beyond your wildest thoughts right now.

Reid

[zebtqb]

thanks for the tips i will look in to making one.and im do training on my own. thanks for the help.


zach

[zebtqb]

oh yea and im also looking for realistik rudder pedels.

[fsaviator]

Welcome.

When you say you can't afford... you have to be a little clearer. If you plan to build one, it will come at cost also. That cost will be driven by your ability to build, the tools you have available, and availability of parts. Your level of intended realism will also come into play.

First, take a look at this product... http://www.desktopaviator.com/Products/Panel/Throttle/index.htm (Desktop Aviator Throttle Quadrant)

I built my own for my Cessna, and later my Cherokee... I used real throttle/prop/mixture vernier controls that I bought from Aircraftspruce. The three came to about $100 when all said and done. Then I had to interface them. That's another $50-100 depending on what interface you use. Then add in the cost of the materials for the brackets I made and wiring, and that was another $10. Finally, the three sliding pots cost me about $12.

So, all in all, about $175 and some time in the garage with tools, and I had a working quadrant.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj267/wsoeldner/Cherokee%20235%20Sim/P1010365.jpg

Warren

[iwik]

Hi Warren,
I was interested to see you bought the three engine controls for $100. Can you tell me where on there site they are cause i can see prices
which show $142 each. Just Curious.
Les

[AK Mongo]

Hi Warren,
I was interested to see you bought the three engine controls for $100. Can you tell me where on there site they are cause i can see prices
which show $142 each. Just Curious.
Les
Same thing I was going to say. I got all three of mine from eBay and payed about 75. They are heavily used too. I am still trying to find the correct nuts to secure them to my panel. They are heavily McGuyver'd ATM.

I think premade solutions are cheaper, if you don't need or obsess about the realism.

Reid

[Tom_G_2010]

oh yea and im also looking for realistik rudder pedels.

I just finished a set of rudder pedals a couple months ago that I am using for my desktop SIM setup.

If you want realistic feel and action they're are going to be an investment. Either in cash to purchase a good store bought set, or in time and materials to build them. To tie you over until you can afford a more realistic set (bought or built) there are several low cost options on the market and simple DIY options if you google around that will work well. Then you can start to save your money to later invest in buying or building a better set.

I built my own and worked for that realistic feel and action, I'm very satisfied with the result, but there was no real savings as I put just north of $200 into them. The cost of aluminium stock these days is nuts.

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5165&d=1305592917

Regarding throttle control cables, I have two sets that will very soon be up for sale if you or anyone else is interested. The person I purchased them from told me that they came out of a couple Cessna's during annuals after they had exceeded reasonable hours. I already had throttle and mixture controls, but needed the prop control so purchased the set of two figuring others here or on the other cockpit forums might have a need as well. So, one set is throttle and mixture only, the other throttle, prop and mixture. They are in good mechanical condition and I was planning to clean them up this weekend take pic's and post them for sale.

If you or anyone else is interested PM me to let me know and/or make an offer as I haven't decided on a price yet.

For my sim pit build the set I'm keeping will be linked to 100mm slide pots and a USB encoder. You'll find plenty of good ideas on this and other sites on the mechanics to do such a project. On my desktop sim I also have the Saitek throttles you mentioned and they work well, but I did have some calibration problems going through FSX initially. I solved that by calibrating them in through a program called FSUIPC that many here use.

Welcome to Flight SIM'ing, it's a great hobby and a great way to build your knowledge towards your real world flight time!

[fsaviator]

I built that cockpit about 8 years ago, so the prices have probably changed...

Just looked at the site, and it looks like each of the controls are about $70.

If you are not worried about realism, you can go lower. If you are modeling a constant speed prop, you will need a prop controller. Then again, you will then need to include an Tach and Manifold pressure gauge in your build.

Sorry about the increase in prices. My point was, that building one may not end up cheaper in the long run... that is why I provided a link to the Desktop Aviator TQ.

Warren

[Ronson2k9]

Welcome on board.. You'll have to tell us what you mean by NH (New Haven etc). Anyway I've been watching this thread for a little while and I have a few thoughts to add..

If you take a look at www.flightsim.com's how to section (http://flightsim.com/main/m-howto.htm)You'll find a few articles that should be of interest to you. There is one on building a push pull throttle (http://www.flightsim.com/main/howto/pushpull.htm) and one how to build Cessna rudder peddles (http://www.flightsim.com/main/howto/cessrud.htm) That look a bit like the ones above. You can substitute out materials to make it both easier and less expensive. There are other articles there on 'really cheap rudder peddles' that could get you started and depending on what type of aircraft you want to simulate will get the job done till you decide. Not trying to send you away it's that's where I started many moons ago. Don't be afraid to come up with your own solution or a better way. People were building yokes and cockpits for the flight sim long before there were commercial products for it.

Everyone starts out small though. A piece here a piece there. It takes time and patience. It's not 'rocket science' though and the people here have been where you are now with a dream and energy looking for a place to start. Take a look at what you can do and work from there. Tools you have access to and resources and so on. Then work on the basics (Yoke, Rudder, Throttle) then expand out from there. Technology (computer hardware) is getting way cheaper these days.. Once you narrow down what you really want to fly then dig into the net for every thing you can find on that aircraft. If you feel you want to take flight lessons you may want to look to aircraft you would take those lessons in as a sim target to shoot for. When you take flight lessons you pay by the hour in the plane so the more you can learn 'on your own' the less time you need in the plane. The cost savings can be considerable. It's kind of like learning the trumpet. If you have you're own you can practice at home. :)

Anyway one of the biggest things to remember is to have fun and where possible try to keep flying the sim no matter what controls you have hooked up.

Best of luck on your build. Keep us posted.
Ron.

[zebtqb]

thanks for the help.and NH=new hampshire. but thanks for the ideas.



zach

[zebtqb]

but right now i think im going to save for flight lessons and then work on a simpit.

[fsaviator]

but right now i think im going to save for flight lessons and then work on a simpit.

That is a great idea. Here is some advice from one who got his PPL while flying a sim (my initial cessna 172 build):

First, save up to take a ground school at the same time you are taking the flying lessons. There is a big payoff in covering something in the ground school, then applying it when you fly. It helps you understand the systems, and how they work together. In teh sim you can simulate an engine failure... or you can turn off the fuel supply and see what happens.

Second, use the flight sim sparingly to gain understanding of how the instruments work and correlate. The goal is understanding what you are seeing when the compass rotates, the altimeter climbs, the DG turns, the slip/steer/ball etc. Don't get bogged down in the sim and realism as you can only model one aircraft, whereas with just FS, you can change the model to whatever plane you end up flying for training.

I say use the sim sparingly and don't get bogged down as the key thing to a PPL and learning to fly is instrument scan and head outside the cockpit. You are flying VFR and you have to keep your eyes outside and not on the instruments (other than your scan). While the sim is a good tool I found (and it was reinforced by my instructor, several times) that I constantly kept my head in the cockpit, flying by instruments alone, as I had grown up with FS. It took a lot of prodding to break me of that habit. On the other hand though... I was all over instrument procedures which is good, but... the best pilots learn to fly by feel and external reference, using the instruments during their scan to verify what they see outside the window.

Once you've earned your PPL, and you are flying solo, that is when the sim and a simpit really pays off. Now you have a frame of reference for what you want to build, and what is important to you. Then you use your simpit to prefly your flights and prep you for things you would not expect.

So, to wrap up, save the majority of your money for flight lessons... put some aside to buy a yoke (I would recommend the CH Yoke). Don't worry too much about rudders... yet. If you can spare the money buy 'em, if not, the yoke will be more than enough to fly in FS while flying in the real world.

Some ideas to help with the flying... look around for a Civil Air Patrol squadron... they always need people and they pick up the training tab too. There is a price to pay in service, but... it can't hurt and looks great on a resume if you have them time and means to participate.

Hope that all helps.

[zebtqb]

thanks for the tips fsaviator. i have the saitek pro flight yoke

[CuchoX]

This is what I want to do... How you build it? was it pretty hard? do you have a guide on how to do it... Dude that's a great setup!

[fsaviator]

This is what I want to do... How you build it? was it pretty hard? do you have a guide on how to do it... Dude that's a great setup!

There is no guide... but plenty of reading on this website. A lot of money put into it also, as well as time. There is no quick fix here, it is a hobby/passion and takes a lot of resources. In this case, this was my third build over a period of years. She's now retired and I'm working on another build.

[Ronson2k9]

In essence you are building a very large elaborate joystick. One that looks and feels like an aircraft cockpit. There are many ways to do this of course. One of the best ways I've found is look at someone who has built one and take a look at how they got there.

Sim Builders Database (http://www.fscockpit.com/linkstoothercockpitbuilders.html)

That is a fairly up to date listing of builders that have taken there projects online. You can learn loads from just looking at what others have done. I would 'have' started out pretty simple as that will get you where you want to do without to much work. The basics will teach you what you have to know to build a more elaborate sim.

Another place you can look is Flightsim.com's HOWTO (http://flightsim.com/main/m-howto.htm) section. This DIY Cockpit Controls (http://flightsim.com/main/howto/diy/index.htm) In it's pretty basic but will give you a pretty good start.

A few tips.

- Find an aircraft you love to fly. You will be working on a sim for sometime so the aircraft should be one you like. If not you can go with an or aircraft manufacturer (Boeing, Airbus, Cessna, Bell-Textron) Their systems are pretty close within there own design. A 757 and 767 are pretty close to each other. This will let you fly either one within your sim without to much if any change to the cockpit.

- Build a piece and test. Don't build an entire MIP (Main Instrument Panel) then find out that something won't fit and have to start over. Build a part then test then add to your simpit.

- Start with the basics but plan for the future. If you have a simple set of controls that will keep you flying through all other aspects of your building. So you don't get to bogged down and can still enjoy the sim while you continue to enhance it's controls.

From a guide standpoint you can find a few here from a Flight Sim Guru at Mike's Flight Deck (http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/) These are quite detailed but quite thorough as well. Guides can also be found here at Sim Samurai (http://www.simsamurai.net/Home_Page.php).

Best of all though if you want to do the work you can find a ton of info online. Here especially. All the challenges of building have been faced by those you will see here. So these guys and gals have been there got the T-shirt. We're a friendly bunch too. With that in mind

Welcome to the site. Find what you want to build and start gathering info. Search through the images and manuals and make some plans and ask questions. We're here to help.

Ron