cwoav8r Posted August 30, 2024 Posted August 30, 2024 It is finally time to get back in the game… I have been a Hornet fan forever and have owned and flown probably every F/A-18 simulator ever released including Janes, Hornet Korea, and MSFS etc… but DCS has always been the favorite. In the beginning (1999) I hated flying a desk, and I really wanted some kind of “cockpit”. We were living in a rental with limited space so I wound up building the “Akers-Barnes Cockpit Mark 1” which I found plans for on the 62nd Fighting Falcons site. Served its purpose well, but less than a year later we bought a house and now I had the best thing ever… room to build bigger! At the time, the most detailed information I could find were CAD files for a Hornet cockpit, but I can’t remember where they came from… Hornetpits.org maybe? Anyway, I finally got started on my pit in 2001 and got to a point where the cockpit shell was complete and painted, Suncom SFS Talon stick and throttle (which I still have somewhere) installed, and the old 17” CRT Monitor up front. The original plan back then was three monitors with Fresnel lenses to give a false big screen view, three Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs (with a DIY LCD retrofit), and I even bought a first surface mirror and started working on a live HUD. As far as the panels were to go, I installed Dzus rails along the length of the left and right consoled to make installing and maintaining the panels easier. At the time there were a handful of places on the internet that I could find prefab panels but the thought of wiring, programming, and the software interface seemed a little daunting so I was content with making blank aluminum panels and gluing printouts of the panels on them. Spent quite a bit of time in that rig but before I could devote time to all that work… life, work, and lack of funds took over. I started flying again a few years ago, upgraded from my Thrustmaster Cougar to the Warthog (never was a big F-16 guy) and I decided I was going to buy a 3D printer and start making pit parts. Fast forward to today and becoming aware of Open Hornet, A Hornet's Nest, the Warthog Project and many others… and the ability to source parts way easier than ever, it’s time for pit “resurrection”! The final goal is as much fidelity as I can afford, DIY 270 deg screen with a three-projector set up (nod to the WH project) and if all goes well a functioning HUD. I’ll post progress for those that care to see and welcome comments and suggestions. As time goes on, I am sure you all will be a tremendous help when I start interfacing with DCS. Actually, you already have been, and I can’t thank you enough for your dedication to the flight sim community! And here we go… Cheers! Ed 4
cwoav8r Posted August 30, 2024 Author Posted August 30, 2024 (edited) The fidelity factor was, and still is close enough for me. I just want to get to the point that the important switches are in a realistic place, The UIP and LIP are fully modeled and functioning, and I can fly without using a mouse or keyboard. This is how it all started with the rough finish of the cockpit shell. The only plans I had for a seat were for the ACES II, so that's what I built, but I altered the recline position to match the NACES as much as I could. The left and right consoles lift off the base as well as the "nose" section. I just used strategically positioned blocks on the base to keep them in the correct position. I will have to completely redo the base, because I made it out of MDF and since it would not fit in the attic it got wet in the garage when I forgot to close the door during a thunderstorm. The plan is to mount castors on the base, so I would have to remake it any way with stronger material. I'm really looking at the Winwing MIP and the PTO2 Panel to get started and build on from there. Probably just a really big single monitor or HDTV to start and see what happens. I hope to have it back in the garage in a few weeks, new paint job, and then get to the real work. If anyone is interested in a lower fidelity pit, I still have all the original CAD files for this one. Thanks for reading! Cheers!! Ed Edited August 31, 2024 by cwoav8r Spelling 5
cwoav8r Posted September 1, 2024 Author Posted September 1, 2024 Just upgraded the"Deskpit"with new HOTAS mounts from SB21. These are AWESOME!!! Will definitely be spending time in here tomorrow... along with my puppy as usual 2
cwoav8r Posted September 9, 2024 Author Posted September 9, 2024 (edited) So, I was hoping to have everything set up to fly yesterday, but I am at the mercy of Amazon and waiting on parts to finish the build. Some of what you see is temporary just for fitment and trying to figure out what needs to go where. And yes, there is a LOT of cable management to be done. First thoughts on the Winwing equipment... the build quality is great, the software is a little bit of a struggle but it is not to hard to work through. I was very happy to see that they are paying attention to community reviews... all the gripes with the PTO2 seem to have been adressed (wing fold lever loose etc.) and I am totally staisfied with the panel. It is only a place holder for the Deskpit and will not see it's way to the official pit project. And a huge shout out to @LooseCannon for my Warthog Panel! https://forum.dcs.world/topic/275207-custom-warthog-throttle-faceplate/page/2/#comment-5289570 So, the UFC, center DDI, PTO2, and pedals are in place... it's a little cluttered, but it works for testing. I still have a lot ot garage clean up to do before I can pull the real pit down from the attic... but hopefully soon... Edited September 9, 2024 by cwoav8r Grammar 1
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