Worn out vs New cockpit

[SKEWR 364]

I go into airliner flight decks daily. I have never seen a extremely dirty cockpit. Have seen fingerprints, come coffee stains in the coffee holder, and left over notes (ATIS, clearances, etc...) On the outside of the ACs, the newer lanes (777, newly made 767s) there is rarely dirt. What dirt there is usually accumulates near the doors. On the older planes, (MD10s A310s A300s) they can actually have accumulated black dirt. Especially the MDs. For the GA I've flown (152s and 172s), there is a way higher chance of wear but again, not dirt. I didn't even see fingerprints on the glass dials of those aircraft. (Disclaimer: where I work they employ cleaners who have been trained on what they can touch and cannot touch when cleaning).

I totally agree about the sliders. It seems like some folks want the flight deck to look like a pigpen; a flying derelict. While others, me included, like a more clean look as it looks like what I see on a daily basis. Sliders would satisfy both camps. IF they do implement sliders, the 727 cockpits were really worn. While I would not expect a 2 year old 777 to have the same amount of wear that a 40 year aircraft (MD11, MD10) would accumulate. So the sliders taking into account the aircraft age would be a nice touch as well.

 

[signmanbob 592]

One of the things that I really like about the PMDG NGXu is that it's so clean and new looking compared to the NGX.  It's interesting when they develop an aircraft with a worn/dirty VC, but it kind of gets old after a while. I like the new look of the NGXu, 747-8 and the 787 from QW.

I install advertising graphic wraps on business service vans and trucks and some of the ones that I get to wrap you have to kick the soda cans a side and move garbage out of the way just so it can be pulled into the shop. Then they have about six christmas tree deodorizers hanging from the mirror. These people work in these trucks like that all day!

Of course others that I get are so clean and organized it's amazing.  Everything perfectly in its place. I guess I'm somewhere in between.

[Doug47 574]

I hate over the top, dirty, scratched look developers give. Although a choice of 3 different cockpits would be nice. New, ever so slightly worn and very worn look. 
It’s nice to have options. 

[BaronKen 144]

I like my windows clean; I'm one of those guys on trips who cleans his windshield at gas stops. It "bugs" me to see splotches, dirt and bug marks while driving, as it gets annoying after a while to have things in my line of vision.

 

So, I prefer the new, clean look. Perhaps there should be an option with choices for those so inclined, but if I had to choose it would be clean. 😊

[royalwin 22]

14 hours ago, G550flyer said:

 The C-141B was the oldest jet I operated.

Rick     

Nice to see someone else on here with some seat time in the mighty Starlifter!

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Just something to remember.........the clean and shiny VC that comes with a brand new plane is just as realistic as the dirty and worn one you get after 25 years of service.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Christopher Low

[highflyer2020 607]

3 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

Just something to remember.........the clean and shiny VC that comes with a brand new plane is just as realistic as the dirty and worn one you get after 25 years of service.

 

yeah but you always have the option to clean that dirty old one in real life to get rid of the scuffs and marks - but you don't in current simulators 

[Nedo68 533]

i would welcome natural wear and tear, aircraft exterior & interior, over the days, weeks and months...
similar to what A2A simulation does they even simulate corrosion from sitting too long and not flying!

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Nedo68

[FishermanIvan 110]

Aircraft can be worn without being dirty.  Not too many planes get their interiors repainted often....

[vortex681 806]

19 hours ago, FishermanIvan said:

Aircraft can be worn without being dirty.  Not too many planes get their interiors repainted often....

This! Even if you owned an aircraft from new, after not too much use there will be signs of wear - knobs that are operated frequently and controls (yoke, joystick, throttles, pedals), for example. Even if you keep your cockpit transparencies spotlessly clean, the very act of doing so tends to cause a slight haze to appear over time. That’s realistic. Cockpits don’t have to be dirty, but they will eventually show signs of wear.

[Nedo68 533]

THIS is what a real used cockpit looks like 😁
I sat in there today and took that picture,
who guesses what kind of plane it is? 🙂

[G550flyer 1,013]

6 hours ago, vortex681 said:

This! Even if you owned an aircraft from new, after not too much use there will be signs of wear - knobs that are operated frequently and controls (yoke, joystick, throttles, pedals), for example. Even if you keep your cockpit transparencies spotlessly clean, the very act of doing so tends to cause a slight haze to appear over time. That’s realistic. Cockpits don’t have to be dirty, but they will eventually show signs of wear.

This is true, but it also depends on your type of operation and who owns the jet. I can only speak from my experience and don't know what others have have seen. I started off as a jet mechanic on B-52s before commissioning and pilot training. Though that B-52H is old, when ever it went down for heavy Mx, things were repainted and the upholstery/floor runners were replaced. When the whole jet is broken down and taken apart, everything from instrument panels, seats to circuit breaker panels were re-painted. Between heavy Mx, things would get touch up paint. The smell in the cockpit was refreshing when it returned from heavy Mx. Even the old urine smell from the navigator/bombardier level where the pee jug was held smelled clean. They would pull up those panels and clean the residue from the ducting.

Even our C141s well kept and painted to minimize wear and tear. I loved when KC10s came back from heavy Mx with fresh paint inside and out.

Gulfstreams are a different discussion all together. During heavy Mx, the African Mahogany vaneer wood is changed and the carpets are redone. The leather is replaced giving that fresh smell. Those planes return looking like new. The carpet is usually pulled and replaced yearly, twice a year if it's that cream color or while alpaca. When you go into a depot Mx facility, everything is taken apart which gives you the ability to change things out as you go.

Again, depends on the operation and owner. Most take care of their airplanes and operators will set money aside for those purposes of upkeep. Not only are they doing heavy Mx, they also take care of the minor things. Now if the operation is barely a float, they may skimp and only take care of the mandatory items. I have seen this with peeps who didn't realize what they were getting into when they purchased an aircraft. They tend to just gas and go, which leads to issue down the road. Taking good care of your aircraft highly maintains the re-sale value. Don't think of your aircraft like a rental or family car. Think of it as a major investment, like a home which people tend to keep updated to help the value. 

Rick

[carmined 132]

7 hours ago, Nedo68 said:

THIS is what a real used cockpit looks like 😁
I sat in there today and took that picture,
who guesses what kind of plane it is? 🙂

That's in the deHavilland DH115 Mk55 Vampire at the Flieger Flab Museum.

[JonP01 104]

A properly maintained aircraft would (or should) have the windshield maintained for clear vision. If that means polishing or other maintenance, so be it. I would not want to fly an improperly maintained aircraft in real life or a sim!

[EBanalian 19]

Yes, I agree. A Clear, and clean windshield for a clear vision is a must for any aircraft I would fly.

 

Evan