Quick update with a shot of my good friend Brent. Brent has been working hard on the interface system for our sim. Here is is demonstrating the LED outputs for the FCU. He is tied into FSUIPC and able to interact with FS. The interface is about 75% done now and simply requires some production. We will be updating folks on this more over the next month or so. Brent is eager to get the first unit into the sim. So are we! On our end we are working on several goodies that will be available at the FDS site of course! Special thanks to RickS for offering to help me on the A320 throttles. I have some real world job issues that are taking all of my spare time right nwo and he is helping with the missing elements. Several other builders have been shipped Trim wheel parts to get started. If you rae interested email me and I can fill you in!

Thanks to RonW for his help in prototyping our Flightdeck Solutions (FDS) MCDU Kit. Ron reports that it went together quite easily.

Here is the FDS MCDU with some lighting applied. Naturally you will want to block the light leakage around the sides. For a low cost approach to getting something like this in your sim its a great option. Ron's page has been updated recently and can be seen here.

Picked up this Nose Wheel Steering Tiller from an A300 the other day. Steve will paint it and we are looking to mount it on the F/O side.. Must find a similar unit for the Capt side. Steve is looking into how to configure this unit. We have been steering with the rudder pedals and that is like a workout by the time you are lined up ready for takeoff!

We bought a great deal of L1011 parts out of several dismantled Delta Tristars. Mr. Prather tipped us off on this and we bought them to outfit the switches on our sim. We have 50 extra Korry switches available.

Steve test fits the top throttle plate on teh 2nd version A320 throttles. These will be available at our commercial site later this month in kit form ( www.flightdecksolutions.com ). You can see that we changed alot over version one. New grips, New tracks etc. They are coming along very well. We are not rushing this design as we want to put out a unit that looks realistic, functions as close as we can get it and hits a target price that everyone will be happy about.

If I talk alot about Steve its because he is the talent that takes my designs and brings them to life. I can see them in my head, I can lay them out, I can get the parts made.... Steve makes them work. Backing up Steve is Ron (not over last night) who is a very key person around here as well. We are focusing on getting the sim back together right now and flyable. Thank you Steve and Ron.

One last shot for this update showinf the motion of the Levers. The tracks add a great deal of stiffness to the design and might just be enough to avoid springs and other expensive hardware. We'll see! I have to work through the detentes with Steve next time he is over and get two more parts made up. I get many questions from the FDS page about reverse thrust and yes it will have. The A320 setup is not like Boeing in that you unlock the grips and move them back into the reverse range. We will have ALL the detente steps in place: TOGO/FLX/CLIMB/IDLE/REVERSE IDLE/FULL REVERSE. We are making provisions on the flip up levers to allow for adding the lock system. We would do it now but it will take awhile to sor that out and we need these unit to fly!