Hi,I'm researching building a Lear 45 cockpit. Has anyone come across good glass cockpit software, worthy of purchase? Are people using the project magenta software, and if so, what? I'e been perusing all of the sites I can find, but havn't seen a consensus as to what one should use for the Lear 45, or what works well....M

>Hi,>>I'm researching building a Lear 45 cockpit. Has anyone come>across good glass cockpit software, worthy of purchase? Are>people using the project magenta software, and if so, what?>I'e been perusing all of the sites I can find, but havn't seen>a consensus as to what one should use for the Lear 45, or what>works well....>>MThis: http://www.reality-xp.com/products/JL4/index.htmand this: http://www.reality-xp.com/products/GNS/index.htm ..as an FMC system might work? Toss in the WX500 gauge of theirs as well, and it looks like quite a convincing avionics system to me?Of course Project Mangenta is *made for* home cockpits and they have a FMC software too. But it costs more - which might be a lot or a little, depending on what your overall bugdget and commitment is.RealityXP software can be interfaced with keyboard shortcuts, which at least IOCards interface system is capable of producing, as well as many other electronics choices.Magenta has the "regional jet" software too that might suit nicely on a Learjet.//Tuomas

Hi "M" (any connection to 007?Anyway, I have been building a Lear 45 cockpit and after researching the market quite extensively, I have found that the best gauges are Reality-XP's Jet Line 4.In the past I have checked PM's stuff but they lack a crucial issue that I needed - the status annunciators on the EICAS - and several other very useful modes. I have waited for more than a year for more useful features to come (integrated TCAS and EICAS CAS being some of them) but nothing has moved ever since - including an integrated FMC. Add to that the obscenely price/performance ratio and going for reality-XP was a non brainer.Reality XP gauges aree not perfect (for teh Lear): they simulate Collins rather than Honeywell Primus 1000 Lear avionics, but they are very close to the display and functionality I was looking for.They are also not suitable for network connectivity - they are standard MSFS gauges - but for me that was not important. I wanted to use a one PC (with multiple monitors) topology anyway.If the above issues are not critical to you, RPXP gauges are so feature packed, so cost effective and so well supported that I recommend them 100% over any other current solution you may consider.You may want to visit my site to see my stuff. See my signature for the link.

Hi,Thanks for all of the information. I'm not sure what you mean about the RealityXP guages not being suitable for network connectivity. I think my plan calls for a single box running FS for the avionics, and another running FS and controlling the outside views. I'll be interfacing hardware controls into the FS avionics box, I would think. Of course the boxes would be networked, and I'm investigating WidevieW for that. I would think the RealityXP guages would be suitable in this scenario, no? I admit I'm confused as to the network issue.My plan, I think, calls for the following:1. Simulator Seat Systems Full Cockpit2. Multiple 19" Samsung 940N 8ms TFT Displays for avionics/outside views3. Possible 1024x768 LCD Projector for forward view4. Home-Crafted Rear projection screen5. CH Products or PFC Yokes to start6. VRAC Flight Yoke/Column and Pedals or PFC Yoke/Pedals7. RealityXP Jetline 4 Avionics with WX5008. PC Systems based on Athlon 64x2 4400+ with ASUS Mobo, homebuilt.9. Avionics Stack As Yet Undecided10. Lots of other junkOf course, I will NOT be doing this all at once, but using the principle of "Build in Flyable Stages", such that the sim will be flyable at all stages of fabrication. I'll start with the Cockpit Skeleton (Sim Seat Systems) and monitors, CH Products Yokes/pedals and RealityXP Avionics, as well as a couple of monitors, and a throttle quad and build from there. I do want to follow the Lear 45 as closely as possible, and to create as much of the hardware knobs, switches, and other hardware as possible. I'm also looking for some reasonable seats.Anyway, thanks for answering these further questions.Mark

Focus on aircraft systems, and decide what you want to model. That way you will end up with a functional cockpit - sure you can have procedural switches too, if you want, but it makes sense to look at this on the logical system level - fuel system, pressurisation, hydraulics, avionics - you will need to figure out the logic between those somehow, and for example the SIOC programming language that you can use with IOCards can be used to achieve this, but it takes learning and planning. So good background work and research pays off with this.//Tuomas