Building a jet cockpit

[jawskk]

Hi
Im just wondering whether anyone could tell me whether it would be possible to build a jet cockpit, maybe a f16 or f19 ( preferably)
Ive just won Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog + MFD Cougar Pack of virtual red arrows which has pleased me so much, and i was thinking whether i could maybe use these and build a cockpit,
But being 15 i dont have a clue what to do!!,
Where do i start?
Thanks
Mike

[sgofferj]

The F19 never existed, it was a fictional fighter for a computer game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-19_Stealth_Fighter), so it might be hard to build this cockpit ;). For F-16 there is a specialized forum at www.viperpits.org. Those guys build F-16 and other fighter pits in perfection and some of them make stuff, like panels or so.
However, if you want any decent home cockpit, your investment will pretty quickly go into thousands of pounds and not much less hours of work. And having good knowledge of electronics might not be necessary (you can buy almost everything plug'n'play) but it certainly helps to save at least a little bit of money.

I really don't want to discourage you but I think you should be aware of what you are getting yourself into ;) :).

[notgotaclue]

Hi
Im just wondering whether anyone could tell me whether it would be possible to build a jet cockpit, maybe a f16 or f19 ( preferably)
Ive just won Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog + MFD Cougar Pack of virtual red arrows which has pleased me so much, and i was thinking whether i could maybe use these and build a cockpit,
But being 15 i dont have a clue what to do!!,
Where do i start?
Thanks
Mike

Mike,
Of course it is possible, it can be as simple as a wooden frame with a few monitors behind to as complex as every switch and knob fully working.
It can get costly and dont expect to be finished this time next week.
You have started in the right place and I am sure that someone with a lit more knowledge than me will chip in soon.
Whereabouts in the uk are you?
Allan

[jawskk]

Thanks,
and im in Spalding, Lincolnshire
Im thinking to build the cockpit shape out of plywood and maybe build the canopy out of some bendy sheets of clear plastic, not fully sure yet, might have to look through our engineering lab at school today :L
Thanks
Mike

[notgotaclue]

Thanks,
and im in Spalding, Lincolnshire
Im thinking to build the cockpit shape out of plywood and maybe build the canopy out of some bendy sheets of clear plastic, not fully sure yet, might have to look through our engineering lab at school today :L
Thanks
Mike

Hi, A few more things to consider.
Dont build a thing for a few weeks, do loads of research and get a picture in your mind of what you want to achieve. This will save you time in the long run.
I doubt there is a single person here who is fully happy with there first build, I am on my second but I think I am on the right track.
You have also chosen a beast of a project. Most of us old farts build a boeing 737 or cessna because parts are readily available.
Also dont be overwhelmed by some of the projects you see on here. I was at first but now, after a years build, I am very happy with my sim.
Cant you do it as a technology project in school, that way maybe the school will give you the materials for free.
Allan.

[Mike.Powell]

Mike,
Here's some "Getting started" material with a lot of links to useful information: http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/getting_started/starting.html

[jawskk]

thats seems a good idea about the project, i was wondering whether you could tell me about the screens,
I was thinking during school about whether i could get a view that goes all the way around? or can i only have one screen infront?
Thanks
Mike

[notgotaclue]

Mike,
At your stage I wouldn't even think about a wrap around screen, that is a whole new project in itself.
Many people use 3 projectors with Wideview- but for that you need 3 computers, obviously 3 projectors and an expensive piece of software to stitch it together seemlessly. So if you have £5,000 under the pillow then go for it. :-)
At the moment I use 3 x 24" monitors for my forward view - set up using eyefinity. I am going to upgrade to 3 lcd tvs in the next few weeks when my build is complete.
Just concentrate on the build, using a single monitor for the forward view at present and worry about the "proper" visuals later.
It is a long road and although it is good to think ahead - if you think too far ahead you will get fed up with how much time and money it is going to cost.
Allan.

[No Longer Active]

Personally If I was you building this, I would save up and buy a racing seat or bucket seat and then build around that. It would be cheap to build and would look really impressive given time and thought.

Here's a bucket seat on ebay for under £100

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzAwWDMwMA==/$(KGrHqF,!ksE6G)KwqBbBOsElH7zRw~~60_1.JPG

I would then build some sort of column where you would mount your control stick in front of you and then mount the throttle to the side. Maybe a local welder could weld you a frame to mount the seat and controls too. Then just add pedals and away you go. Maybe add a triple screen visual using small 17" lcd monitors using a triplehead2go. Or just use an 32" lcd telly which you can bag cheap these days.

Infact our very own WestOzy has already done this:

http://www.mycockpit.org/photopost/data/611/Saitek-sim-seat.jpg

Think small, then get bigger, add more parts, then rip some out, its how a home build sim evolves!

Good luck!

[jawskk]

thats a brilliant idea!!! might well do that :)
any chance of a motion plate aswell?? i jk lol ,
way to expensive thinking i know ;)
thanks alot!! gunna do this!!
Mike

[notgotaclue]

thats a brilliant idea!!! might well do that :)
any chance of a motion plate aswell?? i jk lol ,
way to expensive thinking i know ;)
thanks alot!! gunna do this!!
Mike

Mike,
That is the exact reason I told you to slow down and take your time.
We have all been there - got excited about one thing and then gone off in a completely different direction :-)
This hobby is not cheap and it is a pain in the rear to build something and then change your ideas.
Been there - done that, stopped short of buying the t-shirt..
I spent a few months building my MIP, decided I didn't like it so bought one.
The one I spent months building was taken apart in a hour and most of my hard work was binned BUT I knew I wasnt happy so just bit the bullet.
I dont want you to make the same mistakes.
This hobby is a marathon - not the 100 metres.
Allan.

[No Longer Active]

Agree with Allan....totally!

I am building a Cessna 152 sim and at the same time I was just a click away from ordering the CNC cutting of my Airbus A320 panels. It would of meant that I would have the whole MIP, the stand, the pedestal and control stick boxes left and right. It would of meant that I would have the basics of a great A320 sim. I even had the Airbus FCU panels plus EFIS panels, a joystick, monitor for MIP etc and had all the drawings to cut all the other panels (even the overhead)....

But the lesson is this....

I didn't go ahead, why? Because I would never of been able to afford all of the electronics, interfaces and computers to run even a basic sim. I cant justify paying £200 for an airbus radio, or £500-700 for the Airbus FCU or the £400 for the MCDU. Then there was the computer to run it, the expensive software, then there's the throttle, overhead, pedestal panels, wires, cables, electronic components, paints finishings, fixings, screws and the list goes on and on and on. I struggled to pay for my goflight radio, so how on earth would I fill an A320? The answer is...I wouldnt, I couldn't and the project would flop and fail and be the biggest waste of hard earn't money. I would have the obsolete cockpit sitting in my garage that does nothing (or could be a climbing frame for my son).

But I so wanted a jet cockpit, with fancy visuals, everyone else was building them, so why couldn't I? Because I am on minimum wage at a hotel with a family to look after...

But.....

Because I didn't go ahead with the A320, it meant that I could throw the money into a smaller project. I built a Cessna 152 sim instead. My sim is the full C152 instrument panel with LCD gauges, goflight avionics, flight yoke, switches and buttons etc and a dedicated pc to run it (well 2 actually). I thought a C152 would cost about £300-500, so was do-able (its actually cost me about £800 so far, because of the cost of computers, cnc work, wood, avionics etc)....But...the sim console is nearly done, and its close to being all hooked up now which is given me the enthusiasm and determination to build...and fly!

All these fancy cockpits with £1000's spent on them are really nice, and full respect to the builders, they have the money to do it, but I don't! Does it bother me? totally no! Why, coz I have built my own sim, okay its not a jet, but, my plane probably taught airline pilots to fly in the first place!

Just go with your ability and budget, temptation to grander projects will get you no where. Learn with what you have got and expand with your available resources, be inspired by others and keep your cockpit building passion alive!

Don't worry buddy, we are all here to help!

By the way I found this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flight-Simulator-Imitation-Ejection-Seats-Pair-of-Made-MDF-/220959855823?pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item33723bd4cf#ht_500wt_1076

Alex

[jawskk]

Thanks alot! makes so much sense!! gunna take it all on board and thanks for the link :)
Mike

[Karen2004]

Hi, I'm building an F16, but starting with gathering CAD files and learning about all the links I need to go to for different parts. I do a lot of searching on the net to see what others have done, what worked and what didn't.

I agree with everyone when they say you need to really take your time and do some homework first. It's easy to get caught up in all the glamour, but it's so worth it if you really take the time to know what you want. No one wants to sink hundreds of dollars into a hobby and then change their mind and sell the items for next to nothing.

This is not my first sim, I helped my husband build his B737 cockpit over the last 10 years or so and now it's my turn but wanted to go with something smaller and flies faster. Did I mention that I have a B727 cockpit sitting in my driveway? it's been there 2 years. A bigger building needs to go up inorder to work on that sim.

Placement of your sim might be another thing you need to look at. If you live in an apartment, how happy are your neighbors going to be when they think a Jet is going to land on them? Just a thought.

[sgofferj]

Mike, if you scroll a little but up to my other post, you will find a link to a forum which is specialized on F-16 cockpit builders. They have drawings, plans, lots of help with electronics, even realistic panels.
You might not have seen my post before because I'm a new user and as such, if I make a post with a link, this has to be checked by a moderator for SPAM, which took like 24h, so it just appeared without notice between all the others which were made in this 24h...

[jmig]

I have a fighter cockpit. (see my avatar photo) I spend two years researching before I started building.

[Jetpit]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread! But if you're one of the guys who's been researching how to build your own jet cockpit, google has likely led you here, and there's not much up-to-date stuff around on the subject. So, I'd like to share a new resource with you. It's geared towards the folks that don't have a big garage or a lot of power tools and want to get into the "home cockpit" club. With new technologies and peripherals now available, it's very simple and (relatively) http://www.flightsimworld.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif cheap to create the effect of a high-fidelity wrap-around simulator in your living room for a few hundred dollars, depending on what things you already own. The approach, which relies on VR or new large displays to generate the cockpit, allows the same setup to be an F 16 cockpit one day and an airliner flight deck the next. I'm sure what is presented won't be news to many here, but for the newbies looking to get into the hobby, who may have just arrived, it could be a valuable resource. I've been living in apartments and flight simming for years, so I'm fully invested in the approach as it were. The site is recently launched, and will grow with content and tips with time. Check it out if you're interested, and feel free to send feedback!

http://www.homejetcockpit.com

[Jetpit]

doublepost, sorry!