Neil Hewitt
06-27-2012, 05:54 PM
Hi all.
As some of you will know, my project has been going slower than a creeping glacier for about two years now, and I was in the middle of building a very rough and ready shell which I was kind of making up as I went along. Well, long story short I abandoned that shell a few months back and have been building a new one in the hopes of restarting my project - which is a fairly generic, fairly simple but fully enclosed pit.
For my first build I wanted to do something simple, and I have no particular attachment to a particular aircraft to want to build an exact replica, and I also wanted to fabricate as much as possible myself without buying off the shelf. I decided early on to go for a heavily glass cockpit and to do a lot of the heavy lifting in software, where I'm comfortable. Touch screens dominate the design. When pushed I say it's modelled after a vaguely futuristic business jet.
All well and good, but I never got beyond the fiddling-with-the-shell-and-not-knowing-what-to-do-next stage, and hence my project reset (actually my second - I started out building just a free-standing console + pedestal arrangement). I got much inspiration structurally from the FDS shell range, particularly the 737 shell, although with a smaller space I couldn't replicate it exactly. But it definitely has informed my design.
Compromise is the order of the day here. I'm not building a complete interior + exterior shell like many here - the exterior will be plain wood and unfinished, it's the inside that counts. Right now it's just plain wood too, but there's a lot of trim to make and fit - lots of foam and leather and acrylic! I've gone for straight and plain rather than curved and detailed - so straight side walls, simple window frames, etc. It has to be within my relatively limited DIY prowess to construct.
Without further ado, a few pics. More can be found on my blog (http://milehighgeek.wordpress.com) should you be so inclined.
I'll post some more updates as I go... hopefully this time I can actually get the shell built and get closer to a first flight :-)
6780 6781 6782 6783 6784
As some of you will know, my project has been going slower than a creeping glacier for about two years now, and I was in the middle of building a very rough and ready shell which I was kind of making up as I went along. Well, long story short I abandoned that shell a few months back and have been building a new one in the hopes of restarting my project - which is a fairly generic, fairly simple but fully enclosed pit.
For my first build I wanted to do something simple, and I have no particular attachment to a particular aircraft to want to build an exact replica, and I also wanted to fabricate as much as possible myself without buying off the shelf. I decided early on to go for a heavily glass cockpit and to do a lot of the heavy lifting in software, where I'm comfortable. Touch screens dominate the design. When pushed I say it's modelled after a vaguely futuristic business jet.
All well and good, but I never got beyond the fiddling-with-the-shell-and-not-knowing-what-to-do-next stage, and hence my project reset (actually my second - I started out building just a free-standing console + pedestal arrangement). I got much inspiration structurally from the FDS shell range, particularly the 737 shell, although with a smaller space I couldn't replicate it exactly. But it definitely has informed my design.
Compromise is the order of the day here. I'm not building a complete interior + exterior shell like many here - the exterior will be plain wood and unfinished, it's the inside that counts. Right now it's just plain wood too, but there's a lot of trim to make and fit - lots of foam and leather and acrylic! I've gone for straight and plain rather than curved and detailed - so straight side walls, simple window frames, etc. It has to be within my relatively limited DIY prowess to construct.
Without further ado, a few pics. More can be found on my blog (http://milehighgeek.wordpress.com) should you be so inclined.
I'll post some more updates as I go... hopefully this time I can actually get the shell built and get closer to a first flight :-)
6780 6781 6782 6783 6784