Why there can't be a detailed passenger cabin in the B-314

[ibanez737 3]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I too would very much like to see an improved model of the cabin.  I just bought the aircraft after a hiatus from FS, and frankly was a bit let down that not even a basic attempt was made to model it correctly.

Unlike the systems, it's not that hard to do; a competent modeler could knock this out in a few days (and I know, because I am a competent modeler).  Between the Foynes replica, THIS color Pan Am B314 model from 1938, and photos, it's plain to see that there is sufficient reference material to create a reasonably accurate interior model.  You don't need to model the china to it's exact proportions or give the tablecloths the perfect pattern...  That's letting perfectionism get in the way of progress.  As a previous poster said, "A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing..."

Cabin models for payware aircraft are no longer considered a bonus or extra, they're expected, especially for a product like this marketing itself as "study level".  And especially for an aircraft like the B314, the cabin is a big part of the legacy of this iconic aircraft.  Seeing as there are no living examples left on earth, the only way we'll ever get to explore the interior is virtually (unless you're able to make the trip to Foynes, but last I saw the museum was "temporarily closed".)  And I disagree with the notion that only "arcade simmers" want to see the interior modeled...  I'm a professional pilot who flies a modern Boeing for a living.  Yes, I want the major systems to work reasonably accurately (while also keeping in mind that this aircraft was meant to be flown by a crew of 6, so a simmer of 1 will never be able to recreate the real experience anyways).  But as a lover of aviation, history, and this aircraft in particular, the cabin is a part of the overall aircraft experience and it should be included.

All that being said, I applaud Pilot's for the work they've already done on this product and bringing it into a modern sim.  I realize there's probably a smaller market for historic aircraft like these, and it's a wonderful thing that we can now recreate flights in this iconic aircraft, so thank you for the hard work you've done.

Edited May 12 by ibanez737

[dragonflightdesign 100]

This has to be my last response to this thread. For background; just for my own interest I continued to research the B-314 for many months after release and still do on occasion, so I've gathered a lot more info since release.

The cutaway model you refer to effectively only shows one side of the cabin. I have a much, much larger version of that picture obtained from the Smithsonian and it's not of much help. These are some of the things that do not appear in the model or in any easily-available pictures, or if they do, do not contain sufficient information to make modeling possible:

- the mail room

- the anchor room

- the galley

- the astrogation space (under the astrogation dome)

- the passenger restrooms

- the crew rest room (although this one could possibly be done with some educated guesswork)

- wing spaces (tanks, engines, cables etc.)

- the baggage hold (actually, three of them).

The colours of the passenger cabins in the cutaway match with the DuPont descriptions in the Maintenance Manual. So does the green cockpit (I had to say that, didn't I? 🤣). The final, irrevocable nail in the coffin is that SimWorks have moved on to other projects and will not revisit this one except for far more money than it's worth. That's a fact, not a dig at Alex. As it was, he went above and beyond while we were working together on the B-314. It was my decision to skip the interior because of all the above reasons.

The Foynes Flying Boat Museum (https://flyingboatmuseum.com/) is open and has been for months. It underwent a major refurbishment and expansion over the winter and was opened by the Taoiseach ('tee-shock' - the Irish Prime Minister) back in March. As I've been working with the museum I had an invite to that event but skipped it because I'm not one for either wearing suits or talking to politicians. Showing the Taoiseach how to fly a B-314 was not high on my list of priorities. One thing I can tell you is that their B-314 simulators are about to be replaced with a new museum-only version, hopefully by the end of this month. Literally just today I sent the package down for acceptance testing and I'm still working on modifying the control hardware to make it less breakable in hard use. However, for all of the refurbishment, Foynes' replica B-314 is not accurate and is unusable as a reference.