Just a few recent pics of the 727...

[Michael Carter]

After a practice flight a few times around Scott AFB, and then a full stop at Lambert Field after the 30L localizer approach:



From the Mother-in-law position:







Your Captain for this flight:

[Michael Carter]

That was the 12R ILS approach. The software wouldn't allow the edit.

[spitfire9]

I'm jealous !

Does it feel as immersive as it looks ?

[Michael Carter]

I've sort of grown into it over the months that it's been moved to this location, but the first flight with a working instrument panel was better than I ever imagined.

It would be a lot more immersive with a better visual system, but I'll get to that after I get the aircraft finished. It's as good as I could have hoped for with what I'm using.

I've gotten the 'leans' already, which my best description of that could be leaning toward the direction you want tha aircraft to go, but not getting there at the rate of turn you want. It's sort of hard to put into words unless you have really flown awhile in the real world. I don't know how else to put it.

It's a heck of a lot of fun though.

[David Rogers]

Great pics Mike.

There's just something magic about your sim. I don't think you'd need every exact knob or gauge, the fact that you're using a real 727 panel, etc, just elevates your set up to the major league in my book. As Spitfire said, it just looks so immersive.

Two questions for you;

1). Sorry you may have been asked many times but where did you get the real 727 panel from, eBay or somewhere more specialized ?

2). What are your initial thoughts for exterior display - projector or multi monitors ? I can heartily recommend a projector - I use a XGA projected onto a 100" diaganol motorized screen and it is quite literally the mut's n*ts! .... I just wish I had my MIP so I could start to get a 'cockpit' feel in my set-up. (come on Engravity!). I'm still essentially sitting in front of a 20.1" widescreen monitor with the FS panel on, and the projector screen beyond that. Great exterior perspective but no cockpit immersion yet!

[Michael Carter]

The 727 instrument panel came from one of my regular parts guys on e-bay. There are several guys there selling 727 parts, or something from Gables or Collins. Every now and then I run into something from someone I've never heard of before, like who I bought my trim knobs from.

Great item, but they're not regular parts people. She was selling a lot of doo-dads and I happen to catch this one item from her. Probably cleaning out some of hubbies junk, and they made it to e-bay.

For now, I'll have to use monitors due to space limitations. I'd like to move the entire sim to the opposite side of the room for better access for maintenance and wiring, but it would take up half of the room if I did that now. I'm rather undecided whether to move it or not.

I'd also have to bring my noisy computer back into the room if I moved it, and I'm enjoying the peace and quiet at least for now.

Thanks for looking, I think it's sort of magical too, but I'm not sure what makes it that. Maybe it's because it's a real instrument panel, or maybe because it does't look as sterile as a newer jet, I don't know.