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I've looked around at many people's variations of homemade cockpits, and I've noticed that all have a 'theme', if you will, that they follow. Fighter, light aircraft, airliner, etc. This adds realism, and gives the builder some idea of where to put the various parts. The basic design I'd like to follow is going to be multiple. Mainly, I'd like to recreate something like a C-130 (military transport), but I'd also like it to be able to be used as a light aircraft, something like a Cessna. So, I'll probably have two different setups, that shouldn't take long to switch between. As I said, I'm not an expert on these sort of things, but I'm learning. The reason I'd like to have the light aircraft is mainly because that's what I hope to fly soon. I'll [hopefully] be taking ground school around March (tentatively). And it'll be easier to simulate a small aircraft, I believe, than a fighter. It would be very difficult to 'pretend' that massive G-forces are acting on you. I know the effect will be perfect for neither the light aircraft nor the transport, but those are my best bets, I'd bet.
I'd like the unit to be portable, to some extent. I'd like to be able to disassemble it and load it in the back of a pickup truck without TOO much trouble. So the more sensitive parts (computer, optics, etc) will have to be removable. That will come into play later on, with switching between simulators. As for the dimensions of the unit, I'll finalize that when I get to the Carpentry section.
I intend to do some purchasing of premade materials, some modifications, and some creation of materials from scratch. I hope to utilize things that I can find around my folks' house, which I might add, is a veritable treasure trove of goodies (read: junkyard, but don't you dare tell my mom I said that). I'll be scrounging up seats from old cars (hondas, omnis, chevettes, we have a wide selection, and the smaller seats will be better for space constraints), parts from old computers, and whatever else I might find useful. If you have a junkyard that'll sell stuff cheap, it might be worth your time to check it out. Garage sales are another good place to look for salvageable rubbish. For harder to get items, consider online auctions, internet stores, electronics stores, as needed.
I won't be able to begin construction of any major sort until I get to a more permanent destination. Or back to my parents' basement, whichever comes first ;) . This will take at LEAST 10 months. So, until then, I will plan out as best I can every step of the construction. I can start making some of the smaller purchases now, though, like the computer and maybe some more time consuming projects (which will be determined later) that won't be difficult to have shipped. I'm looking to avoid a hastily done project, but I don't want this to drag on indefinately. The ultimate goal here is to create an immersive, yet cost-effective, flight simulator, in a reasonable amount of time.
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