I hadn't thought about a touch screen, but that seems a good solution, especially where you can swipe a tuning knob up, down or sideways rather than rotate it (or perhaps you can indeed use a touch screen for a circular swipe?). Finger marks aside maybe a touch screen is the best compromise. I agree that using the mouse can be frustrating, especially given the FSX bug of slowed frame rates when the mouse is active.

^{Several years ago I had a full size hardware 747 cockpit with 2 projectors for outside view.}

^{I recognise the preperation before flying. It could take up to 10 minutes before all pc's where up and running.}

^{And then another 10 minutes before I could start my flight.}

 

^{The last coupl eof years I have use 3  26"screesn as one wide outside view and I liked that a lot.}

^{Much sharper than with projectors.}

 

^{At this moment I am building a 2/3  737 NGX hardware cockpit with just 2 pc's. One for FSX / weather programs / ATC and the other for the instruments. Very basic.}

^{And again with the 3  26"monitors as my outside view.}

 

^{Setting this up for a flight will take not much longer than now with one pc.}

 

 

 

 

  

What an amazing post ................ !!!

 

Because this completely echoes my own experiences! ........In the last week, I have replied to some questions about the Project Magenta software, and the AST (Airbus) software; the reason being that in 2007 I built an Engravity 737NG single place cockpit, with full MCP, 4 screens, CDU, EFIS controller, etc, etc (+ a lot of home made stuff), and in 2008 I sold it all and built a A320 home bit !

 

But ....... I sold the lot in late 2008 (to a guy in Ireland who may well be on here!), for th exact reason and sentiments that the OP has said here.    No matter how much clever expensive equipment you have, if you have a 737NG cockpit, you can only really fly a 737NG! .......  I used to really miss 'seat of the pants' and low and slow flying, and I ultimately sold up, bought a 26" monitor, the Saitey throttles, yokes and Quads, TrackIR, and have never been happier since.

 

If I was ever to build a sim pit in the future, it would be as a standalone addition to a full high end PC desktop set up anyway.   Otherwise the variety that FS gives us (to fly a ultralight one day and a 747 the next) is lost.

Interesting! Im trying for the opposite, trying to get away from the mouse and keyboard.

Couldn't agree more with the KISS approach. No matter the truckload of available peripherals we'll never get off the ground anyway, do we. Sure i bought a few Yoke/Throttle systems and rudder pedals but the're all stashed away upstairs.... ( mainly also because i cannot have them setup permanently, i use my puter for more things than 'flying' only ( designing stuff, driving a train, truck, bus or race car, sailing a boat (including submarine), flying RC models, playing Anno 2070, you get the picture.. )

 

Already long time ago i found that one big as possible monitor (currently 30" ) close to my nose as possible, and one simple joystick with rudder twist and throttle slider (currently Thrustmaster Flightstick X, very satisfactory) is more than enough for me to enjoy FSX. Together with the extraordinairy beauty of most of the VC's and scenery outside nowadays it often makes for a breathtaking experience.

 

Nontheless...... i always longed to know what it's like 'on the other side'... i.e. a fully enclosed, as realistic as possible, fully functional home cockpit. Awefully mouthwatering these things that are often displayed at FS shows. So, i suppose typically flying a reciprocal course to that of the OP, here's what i'm working on now :

 

 

Hey, we only live once, don't we. B)

 

cheers,

jan

 

NO - No -NO!  You have it all wrong.

 

You say...

 

End of flight :

- Stop flying

- Exit FSX

- Push back monitor (3 sec)

- Leave the room

 

It should be...

 

End of flight :

- Stop flying

- Exit FSX

- Push wifey into closet (3 sec)

- Leave the room (FSX set intact)  :lol:

 

Clutch

My setup is FSX on a 19" monitor @ 1280x1024 resolution, with a CH Flightstick Pro joystick as the controller. In other words......

 

* Button 1 (front) for the brakes

* Button 2 to activate the thrust reversers (if the aircraft has them)

* Button 3 to activate/deactivate the spoilers (unless they deploy automatically, like the 737NGX)

* Button 4 to shut down the engines

* Throttle wheel on the left side of the joystick to control thrust

 

Whilst I love flicking switches and going through entire checklists in my Space Shuttle simulator, I don't want to waste time doing this in an aircraft. I just want to pushback, and go flying!

 No matter how much clever expensive equipment you have, if you have a 737NG cockpit, you can only really fly a 737NG! .......

 

Hmmm, not necessarely....? I could never do without my virtual propliners, spitfires, vintage GA, etc. so i'm building my 737NG home pit next to my 'normal' FSX setup. Makes you feel like a real pilot coming home, mow the lawn and play FSX. :smile2:

 

cheers,

jan

Hmmm, not necessarely....? I could never do without my virtual propliners, spitfires, vintage GA, etc. so i'm building my 737NG home pit next to my 'normal' FSX setup. Makes you feel like a real pilot coming home, mow the lawn and play FSX. :smile2:

 

cheers,

jan

 

Thats one way of doing it lol having both

 

 

To make things often worse, one sits down at these contraptions to see in front a facsimile of half complete banks of gauges but then you look up and see the entire lovingly designed original virtual cockpit and aircraft superimposed in front of the chaotic hardware and then the eventual view of the outside world. This hotch potch is then supposed to convince you that it is a step towards "authenticity"! In fact all this does is confuse your focus. You are looking at a bank of poorly matched hardware gauges which then operate other software gauges on the screen, when you could have just looked at the screen in the first place.

 

Absolutely agree! Absolutely!

Several good points here.

 

Yes as pointed by some I do have three main contraints to revert to single PC.

- Time

- Conveniance, the cockpit was a 7 minutes setup but still this makes you lazy to set it up

- Wife (so not able to keep the cockpit in permanent operation)

 

But the concept is pretty clever, the non fixed base was indeed a prerequisite from design, as it folds well and extended it is a full single captain side 737 with MCP, FMC, front panel, pedestal, semi enclosed but no overhead. Driven by Project Magenta and a stripped down external view only PMDG 737NGX.

 

"To make things often worse, one sits down at these contraptions to see in front a facsimile of half complete banks of gauges but then you look up and see the entire lovingly designed original virtual cockpit and aircraft superimposed in front of the chaotic hardware and then the eventual view of the outside world."

 

Yes, totally agree. Full home cockpit or VC only for me. But this is personnal view again.

 

Yes having used a projector for some times, noting beat large wide screen LCD resolution. Ended with 3 LCDs and matrox 3go for external view.

 

Z06z33, no i'm not planning to sell parts, it would be a waste of money as you would not buy them what it cost me or even half, I'm planning to arrange my cockpit in fixed base one day if we move to a bigger house and i negociate a personal use room from wife

Yep totally...... that reminds me to ebay that BIP panel

For the record I have a separate pc for my flightsim

infact I am lucky enough to have a flightsim room / theater room (because I use my projector to watch movies (Air crash Investigations, mightyships, motorway patrol etc) so it has multiple uses, and when i am not using Flightsim i go to my other computer for browsing internet, emails etc.

Pedals, Yoke, throttles, trim wheel, touch screen for navigation and using it to turn buttons in VC things I use. Think full blown cockpit not needed for flying and just need basics get feel of flying in the sky. Track IR is great my neck does not like it and use hatrick instead on yoke.