Beginner for home building cockpit

[Guest EHAM]

Hello fellow cockpit builders,I just visited the FDS site and man :-eek do they have great stuff!!I would like maybe in the future to make my own B737NG cockpit.But besides ordering the items that you need from FDS you have to build the frame for your cockpit and setup everything to let it work for 100%.Does anybody have some experience with building a 737NG frame?Is there something, a drawing, that i can use for building my frame? And also for the electrics and that kind of stuff?Hope to get some reactions from you guys!Regards and thanks!Guy Haalebos

[Guest MikePowell]

Hello Guy,Each cockpit is different, depending upon the builder's skills and resources. What you might do is browse the sites of builders and find some that look appealing to you. If the sites don't provide enough detail, you could contact the builder.There is a list of URLs of simpits on my site that will give you a start on browsing.As for the electronics, look for Roland van Roy's document: "DIY Cockpit" here in the Avsim library. Also read Kevin Saker's series over at FlightSim.com "how to build Kev' Cockpit" in the "How-To" section. Finally, my site provides an overview you might find useful.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comInfo for simpit builders.

[Guest EHAM]

Hello,>As for the electronics, look for Roland van Roy's document:>"DIY Cockpit" here in the Avsim library. Also read Kevin>Saker's series over at FlightSim.com "how to build Kev'>Cockpit" in the "How-To" section. About the DIY Cockpit I saw that is for building a light cockpit.And I would like to build a 737 NG cockpit. Isn't it that that document from DIY Cockpit doesn't fit in my picture of building an 737? Or doesn't it matter?Well for my frame i've seen a beauty. Look at this one.http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/12589.gifCan anyone help me for how to build such frame (in words) and what i have to need for this? Regards,Guy

[Guest MikePowell]

Guy,"DIY Cockpit" illustrates some of the approaches that can be taken on a simpit project of any size. I am not aware of any detailed plans or instructions for a 737 cockpit. Perhaps someone else is...Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comInfo for simpit builders

[Guest dakenskys]

Hi Guy,If you are handy, you could start by roughing out a frame work of wood. Some good woods to use are poplar and maple which tend to be a bit stronger than fir or pine.If you have access to a plastics supply house, you can ask them about a material called Celtek, which is a type of closed cell rigid foam PVC plastic. Others may have a different trade name but it is basically the same material. It comes in many thicknesses and colors so it can save some time in painting. It is specified in mm for the thickness, and 3mm (.118") would probably work well. It can be screwed to the wood as general background panel material to which you would then add the aircraft panels, switches etc.Also, the Celtec can be glued very well with pvc cement found in the plumbing section of hardware stores. If you wanted to cantilever an overhead panel, such as in your picture, you should use steel angle iron for strength.Hope that gives you a starter....Best regards,Ken