September 21, 200520 yr What would interest me is how to achieve the variety in my home cockpit that I enjoy with my desktop - I buy hundred pound hamburgers for real so have no need of a Cessna or Piper shaped panel on my desktop, but do fly them in the sim, alongside other small and medium-sized props and the occasional single-seater WWII vintage fighter or modern jet.The trouble with cockpit building seems to me to be once you've got it your're stuck with it, so far from enhancing realism you've only enhanced realism for one small sector or aircraft - or even one particular plane. That custom-purchased, home-modified throttle taken from a real 737-200 may work wonders for a Boeing, but its no use for a four engined prop.If I had the opportunity, I'd build in my study an adaptable frame capable of being modified easily to a variety of configurations - never come across a cockpit builder with that frame of reference though, they seem to be single plane-centric! This just does not interest me, but for the purposes of selling books, I'd concentrate not only on the home cockpit builder, but also the crossover point with current system simulators for real world flying training. More than one sim-developer is now taking what they've learned to real flying training, and a focus on the hardware to suit might be an interesting slant on the story.The new generation of LCD display screens in GA require a dramatically increased learning curve to get the most from the systems (in some cases, a full day just to learn how to switch them on!) and they are currently under-represented in sim-dom.Good luck with the book!Allcott
September 22, 200520 yr Donny AKA ShalomarFly 2 ROCKS!!!I was gonna say something, but it's quicker to say "I'm with Alcott".I would go even further with flexibility, since I am dabbling with helicopters along with many aircraft types.I want to stick with a stick then, no yokes. Maybe special throttle quadrants/colectives that can be interchanged. It is not realistic, but most joysticks seemed to be optimised for flying with the right hand, and being comfy with that, my quadrant would be on the left. I would be willing to forgo 707s and 747s, I enjoy piston twins and if profiles can be saved and switched between a standard twin piston would do me fine. I could just map 2 engines to 1 axis, couldn't I? Jets don't have to be feathered...What I want my cockpit to have:TRIM, elevator definitely but three wheels for apropriate types would be nice.A radio stack and autopilot, though not all the functions would work in all planes of course.Gear and flaps three position switches, the flaps if possible having LEDs indicating how many notches of flaps my aircraft has, and a different color for the notch I am at.Landing and taxi lights would be nice to have as switches, but almost everything else I'm happy to mouse around for to preserve flexibitity (and economy).More configurable buttons would be nice, but I'd be happy with 10 actually. I have less than that now. Profiles would be realy nice, the TR800 has need for two switches to be activated to pressurise the cabin after takeoff but before climbing any signifigant distance. Proper technique is to separate them by a few seconds- yeah, I love panning up to the ceiling just then!!!Heck, write the thing, I'll buy it...Best Regards, Donny:-wave
September 22, 200520 yr Hi Mike,I would like to see some chapters about:1. Detailed and precise "how-to" instructions to build a cockpit from the scratch for people that doesn't have experience.2. List of parts with estimated prices and tools needed.3. A DVD showing the progressGood luck !
September 23, 200520 yr Thank you all for your input.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comwww.mikesflightdeckbooks.com
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