My home cockpits over the years

[captflyby]

I've seen so may great cockpits on this thread.

 

These are my cockpits over the years.

MUCH work.

Lot of fun learning.

But got to the point where it was like working on a real plane, to keep it flying.

About a year ago I discovered VR, and have never looked back.

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1. My first cockpit was the Boeing 737-800. It was a 2 seater that flew well.

Most of the buttons were non-functional at this stage in my learning process.

 

2. A few months later came the single engine plane with glass cockpit.

No tough screen at this time, only point & click with mouse. Single seat.

 

3. Then a year later came the C-182 with touch screen glass cockpit G1000.

All glass cockpit functional. Added fore-flight with live moving weather map.

 

4. Then came the finished project. 2 years later the C-182. I made my own G1000 panels, with pro software. All functioning as in the real aircraft. Added real aircraft backup instruments. This was as accurate a C-182 representation as I could make it with my skill level (low).

 

5. Finally, was working on my Phenom 300 jet. All glass cockpit Garmin G1000 programmable. All functional. Took 3 years to build this one. 14 computer control boards. 9 software control programs. 200" HD visual FOV. Surround Sound system. Tactile transducer system - that let you "feel" the flight. Cockpit air ventilation system. This one was a LOT of hard work to build and to keep flying.

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Now in VR, I can switch planes quickly and easily. I have depth perception and situational awareness that IMHO is far greater that in my cockpits.

 

With new PIMAX coming out, hopefully the FOV and clarity issues will be addressed.

 

Thanks for letting me share an experience down memory lane.

[Stang]

Awesome work Captflyby!

 

Were the visuals in your cockpits from dedicated screens or projectors?

 

Stang out

[hansangb]

Awesome work Captflyby!

 

Were the visuals in your cockpits from dedicated screens or projectors?

 

Stang out

 

 

 

 

He mentioned 200" HD so it must have been multiple projectors.

 

 

 

 

And very nice work Captflyby. I do agree with your VR statement. It's the next generation of sim'ing. But I look at this thread as more of a passion and art work more than anything else. The amount of dedication by the usuals here (Hans, Deadman, Warhog, RomeoKilo and others - and your cockpit) is simply breathtaking.

[captflyby]

Awesome work Captflyby!

 

Were the visuals in your cockpits from dedicated screens or projectors?

 

Stang out

 

 

Started with small monitor, then 2, etc up to multiple 55" led displays

[captflyby]

Don't get me wrong, the FA-18C cockpit bug is beginning to hit me.

 

I thought I'd look into making a physical cockpit with all the switches etc, just to have something to grab hold of while in the VR.

 

Sounds kinda strange I know, but I like the solid feel. I don't think I could ever get used to virtual stick and throttle.

 

I need to grab hold and use something solid.

 

I see the VR as the "visual" aspect of the sim.

 

But VR also has the advantage of an exact replica, and working model, of the cockpit. Plus you can change these cockpits in seconds.

[hansangb]

Don't get me wrong, the FA-18C cockpit bug is beginning to hit me.

 

I thought I'd look into making a physical cockpit with all the switches etc, just to have something to grab hold of while in the VR.

 

Sounds kinda strange I know, but I like the solid feel. I don't think I could ever get used to virtual stick and throttle.

 

I need to grab hold and use something solid.

 

I see the VR as the "visual" aspect of the sim.

 

But VR also has the advantage of an exact replica, and working model, of the cockpit. Plus you can change these cockpits in seconds.

 

 

Yup, not sure physical HOTAS could ever be replaced. The good news is, the latest Beta seems to have some (as yet undetermined) support for Captoglove. That could really be interesting for interacting with the cockpit. For those of us that can't replicate everything with hardware.