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Steve and I had some friends over to try out the sim with our latest setup. This pic is dark but you can see the forward scenery view, Project Magenta, Lit up NOVA Glare parts etc.



PC lined up an beginning the take off roll. The inteface we are building is 1/3 installed and controlling the EFIS/FCU portions of the sim. LED displays are the next step followed by the rotary inputs. We will be bringing this to Frankfurt to show our fellow builder/friends our approach to this vital part of the project. See Achim's page or the www.flightdecksolutions.com page for more info.



I am slowly working on putting together some seriously accurate looking thrust levers for this project and will make them available to others in kit form soon. Keeping costs under control is the focus, second to making them look accurate. I used the white vinyl adhesive sheets along with some yellow to get the lettering correct. We even found some green material for the overhead. Looks great! See the tuturial on this in the BUILD TIPS section of the page.



The other important project we are working on is developing backlit keys that integrate with inexpensive momentary switches. I think we have it figured out. These will be available in kit form and you will be able to get all sections for your NOVA panels soon! Picture an MCDU with backlit keys!



Steve, RonW and I had the pleasure of meeting another local Sim builder a few weeks back. Alllow me to introduce Bruce D. Bruce and his son are building a B737NG setup utilizing many real aircraft parts. Some in fact came from one of the more well known builders in the community! ABove you can see Steve and Bruce in the sim with Magenta up and running.



Steve fell in love with the throttles and discusses the wiring and interface setup with Bruce. Bruce has done an amazing job on the real yokes that he is using. I have not had the chance to play with real ones before. These are incredible. I should get Bruce to do up a short story on "The pursuit of parts" some day!



One last shot of the setup with a clear view on scenery. This setup really inspired us to get moving I have to say!



Here are some AML series switches that I am finishing up for one of my builder/friends. These need one more cleaning and are ready to go. I usually locate used AML switches and then add new caps that I have engraved. This is one option for the many you will need. At the same time I am developing another approach for switches that is far more affordable. Not exactly the same look and feel as these AMLs or MIYAMAs that I like so much but certainly affordable. More on this soon. .


Here is another update shot of Nihad's B747 Throttle setup. This guy is really creative and is making incredible headway. Shows what some determination and passion can do. Fantastic.

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May 02 update pics from Nihad show some great progress. Throttle section taking shape. Lit up.
Front View.

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Quick overview shot of the NOVA series B747 Pedestal and Nihad's Meatal throttle housing.


! Top Down.
B747/777 CDU with LCD in place.. Another shot of the throtttles. Imagine when these are done. Audio Control Panel with Square MIYAMA switches.

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MPC PRODUCTS CHOOSES "NOVA"!


Last summer we had a phone call from some folks down in the Chicago area asking about our project and our panels. Darryl and Dan from MPC had been thinking about a way to demonstrate MPC's aircraft parts at trade shows and to prospective clients. They decided that a "Sim" would be the perfect way to achieve the desired result. Problem is that budget can climb to the clouds developing htis sort of thing. After some brwosing on teh internet they came across the A320 Project and the NOVA Series panels we make. Long story short, The challenge was to provide panels to fit a Chris B Shell (B737), A real B717 Pedestal base and create a cohesive layout to blend all of this in. The following pictures show the results of the folks at MPC Products. Steve and I worked on assembling as much as we could up here and many of you saw the NG updates that we had on the page. The rest details what happens when you put the panels and parts into capable hands... Boy are we proud!



The 3D MIPS and "Main/Glare package from the NG kit are highlighted here. You can also see the real B717 Throttles/Pedestal Base that holds Custom B717 Pedestal Panels. The CDUs are NOVA series, non functional but backlit for added effect.



Here is a Straight On shot showing the layout. The beauty here is the lack of Lower EICAS display that saved all kinds of trouble. In behind the 3D MIP is three LCD Panels! Wow! Nice to have some budget.



Here is the sim lit up at night. You can see the three part screen in front of the sim.



Here is the Overhead Section lit up and in place. All NOVA series parts as well as a decal kit that provides the Annunciators and Analog gauges. Steve did all the knobs and played a huge role in the assembly. Thanks Steve!i


Here is a lucky MPC Employee on approach with the three projector visual system. Wow!! Special thanks to Darryl and Dan at MPC for their patience and confidence in us. It is truly a pleasure to look at this project and see the NOVA panels in the sim. Thank You!

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The guys and I are pretty proud of this section lately. Hard to get the picture really with my camera but this Overhead is lit up with all the white backing sheet in place as well as some Green in the right areas. Looks like it should. I think if I could get the camera set properly I could show the lighting better. I will shortly.The Firewarning annunciators are shown with a bit of a glow. Those are available through the new page at www.flightdecksolutions.com. We are starting to add more parts over there and the newer accessories are available through that site.



We added a Glara top piece as well as some paint to close things in abit. The EFIS panel is functioning via theinterface and really adds a lot to the flying experience.



Again, I apologize for the quality. Has to be seen. We are starting to dial in the lighting up in this area. We took the same approach that Robert Fischer took with his Overhead. Rope Light. This is decorative light used on the exterior of your house at Christmas time typically. I think we paid $10us or so for the entire overhead! Worked very well.



Here is the RMP/ACP combination with some of the new KEYS I am starting to offer. These keys come unassembled, the builder glues together two or three layers of laser engraved parts and places them on inexpensive momentary switches. This is a VERY cost effective way to outfit your panels and they can be backlit! More on this soon at the www.flightdecksolutions.com page (Accessories). We will be able to supply in about a week. Sam V located some really nice Knobs that we will luse to replace these ones on the ACP.



Steve and I had some friends over to try out the sim with our latest setup. This pic is dark but you can see the forward scenery view, Project Magenta, Lit up NOVA Glare parts etc.



PC lined up an beginning the take off roll. The interface we are building is 1/3 installed and controlling the EFIS/FCU portions of the sim. LED displays are the next step followed by the rotary inputs. We will be bringing this to Frankfurt to show our fellow builder/friends our approach to this vital part of the project. See Achim's page or the www.flightdecksolutions.com page for more info.





Jonathan from Project Magenta sent us some update shots of his project. Looks fantastic. The NOVA Overhead, MAin/Glare and MIPS are combined with a PFC pedestal unit.



Closeup of the NOVA NG Overhead. Jonathan has done a stellar job on this. Nice to see it all lit up. I have a few new accessory parts to show off soon that might add to this! Jonathan's sim can be seen on the www.projectmagenta.com webpage. Worth looking around on this page. Tons of resources! Thanks Jonathan!



Here is a great shot (Quite artistic I thought!) showing a sim being put together in the US by my builder/friend JerryB. Jerry is building an A320 and moving along pretty quickly. Here he checks the backlighting capability of the NOVA panels.

J

Jerry's monitor can be seen in behind the 3D MIPs. The sideways monitor in the middle is great. Achim is doing this as well and I will follow suit shortly. I think this is the best option. Stanby Gauges are possible in this setup. Typically they are a real challenge.



Jerry's overhead section taking shape. The plexi backers are in plave and some of the NOVA panels are bolted in. Need to get some hardware going on . Soon enough! Thanks Jerry! We will put a page up for Jerry's project so that we can keep folks updated on his progress.

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Here is a great shot of the work Steve is doing on the Knobs. I have asked Steve to start creating some of these (and other styles) for the FDS page as we are getting alot of requests for these to go with our panels. We are starting to offer hardware to those that are concerned about finding locally. Email us if you need anything.



In case you have not seen the Frankfurt Report on the FDS page, here is a shot of the Prototype Throttle Kits we are producing. We are on target for costs and will be able to provide a very cost effective approach to this for A320 Builders. Once the A320 setup is done we move on to the B747/777 and A340 versions.



Steve and Ron begin the mounting process. We are going to focus our energy on the Pedestal right now and see if we can finalize most of the element there. We want to have this wired and functional asap.



Not exactly in focus but you can see the Throttles positioned for testing clearances.



The forward section of the Pedestal starting to take shape. Sam has found us some excellent knobs for the Radio Management panel and they should be arriving soon. Some small trimming issues wil get us further along on the TCAS and WX Panel.



Forward section of the Pedestal. On teh right hand side we have one of my illustrations in place for the FO side MCDU. Hopefully I can track down another unit like I have on the CAPT side!



Another view.



The AFT section comes together.





An overview shot of where we stand right now. As always, thanks to Steve and Ron for the hard work and passion. We are getting back into building again after finally having a chance to get back together.

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I need to work on this "Dark" pics. The lighting is very dim compared to what we see here. I will try to figure this out. Steve and I were really happy with how the Throttles lit up.



Here you can see the pededatal with one of the new MCDU Kits. This is the first Prototype unit and so far it has worked as I wanted. It will be availalbe at the FDS page next month. We still have the original throttles in place. Steve and I were working on the second version last night.



Here is a close up of the MCDU bezel from the MCDU kit. I altered the first clear plexi layer in bend this piece so that it now acts as a protective layer for your LCD monitor.



Another shot of the MCDUI kit. Ass the switches and its all set. We have to get a second in so that we can finish the pedestal here.



Steve and I are really proud of the new grips and grip "Tracks". Part of what we wanted was to hid the internal workings as well as creating a realistic look. The grips are now black material and do not need any finishing. Steve and I will be adding the Detente steps and potentiometers next. Once that is done we try her out and freeze the design.



Better view of the new tracks/Grip assembly.



It is my pleasure to introduce Lambis from Greece to everyone. Lambis is working on a B777 kit and so far he is making excellent progress. Besides being a great guy he is really showing his building skills as you can see!



Second shot showing a very smart way to do Yokes. Thanks Lambis!

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Fast becoming one of the best builders out here is Sam V.. Sam unveiled his NG pedestal at the FDS show in frankfurt and left a great impression of his skills. Here is the MCP from Sam's setup. Really nice! No wonder he is the NG expert at FDS now!



Here is a second shot showing the EFIS panel.

H


Quite a rework last week on the new FDS Throttle kits. Part of what is being shown is the inside
track parts of setup. This is something that was not shown in version one. New grips are made, corrected
for size and new material sourced. One of the nice things with the tracks is they create alot of
resistance when you move the levers. This is perfect as you move the levers between positions.

This second shot shows the tracks again. the screws are there to line things up and will be removed
in the next few steps.

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Quick update with a shot of my good friend Brent. Brent has been working hard on the interface system for our sim. Here is is demonstrating the LED outputs for the FCU. He is tied into FSUIPC and able to interact with FS. The interface is about 75% done now and simply requires some production. We will be updating folks on this more over the next month or so. Brent is eager to get the first unit into the sim. So are we! On our end we are working on several goodies that will be available at the FDS site of course! Special thanks to RickS for offering to help me on the A320 throttles. I have some real world job issues that are taking all of my spare time right nwo and he is helping with the missing elements. Several other builders have been shipped Trim wheel parts to get started. If you rae interested email me and I can fill you in!



Thanks to RonW for his help in prototyping our Flightdeck Solutions (FDS) MCDU Kit. Ron reports that it went together quite easily.



Here is the FDS MCDU with some lighting applied. Naturally you will want to block the light leakage around the sides. For a low cost approach to getting something like this in your sim its a great option. Ron's page has been updated recently and can be seen here.



Picked up this Nose Wheel Steering Tiller from an A300 the other day. Steve will paint it and we are looking to mount it on the F/O side.. Must find a similar unit for the Capt side. Steve is looking into how to configure this unit. We have been steering with the rudder pedals and that is like a workout by the time you are lined up ready for takeoff!



We bought a great deal of L1011 parts out of several dismantled Delta Tristars. Mr. Prather tipped us off on this and we bought them to outfit the switches on our sim. We have 50 extra Korry switches available.



Steve test fits the top throttle plate on teh 2nd version A320 throttles. These will be available at our commercial site later this month in kit form ( www.flightdecksolutions.com ). You can see that we changed alot over version one. New grips, New tracks etc. They are coming along very well. We are not rushing this design as we want to put out a unit that looks realistic, functions as close as we can get it and hits a target price that everyone will be happy about.



If I talk alot about Steve its because he is the talent that takes my designs and brings them to life. I can see them in my head, I can lay them out, I can get the parts made.... Steve makes them work. Backing up Steve is Ron (not over last night) who is a very key person around here as well. We are focusing on getting the sim back together right now and flyable. Thank you Steve and Ron.



One last shot for this update showinf the motion of the Levers. The tracks add a great deal of stiffness to the design and might just be enough to avoid springs and other expensive hardware. We'll see! I have to work through the detentes with Steve next time he is over and get two more parts made up. I get many questions from the FDS page about reverse thrust and yes it will have. The A320 setup is not like Boeing in that you unlock the grips and move them back into the reverse range. We will have ALL the detente steps in place: TOGO/FLX/CLIMB/IDLE/REVERSE IDLE/FULL REVERSE. We are making provisions on the flip up levers to allow for adding the lock system. We would do it now but it will take awhile to sor that out and we need these unit to fly!

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Had the good fortune of being asked to assist in the creation of a Flightdeck for a major motion picture being shot in my area. Working with the pros has been a serious "Eye Opener" for sure. The past week I have had to focus on this project as shooting starts in a few days and there is alot to be done. Here, Kirk (Head Production Person) checks on some of the fittings.

Here is are a few Flightdeck Solutions created panels designed to mimic the Gulfstream. Our end was to provide the Panels for the Overhead, Pedestal, Glare, Sides etc.. In the background on the table you can see the Pedestal section. We used alot of real aircraft parts to outfit these pieces. Special thanks to Steve for all his help on this. As usual, Steve rolled up his sleeves and made this come together.

Here is the lower Overhead section.

This is Peter C. This gentleman is the one I am working directly with to fabricate the panels he needs. Peter has been working on the Main Instrument Panels (MIPs) as well as all the details. Peter has done a great deal of work for Hollywood. The most recent example is in the new Harrison Ford film "K-19". Peter created numerous props seen in that film.

Peter checks the fit on the FDS Center Pedestal.

Trial fitting the overhead sections.

Peter with the MIP section. This is a work of art. He has created analog gauges for the entire layout and they are operated by himself via remote control.

The MIP section staring to take shape. All aluminum design.

More of the MIP.

The front view. Interesting in that they have to make numerous sections removable in order to film different angles. They also want to be able to change this aircraft appearance to look like a Lear.

The cabin section is raised into the air in order to shoot with proper background. (clouds and sky)
l
The interior.

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Part of the building process is planniong out layout. Peter, Steve and I go over the Glare section..



Here is the overhead on "paper" with the hardware plan in place.



Me mounting some of the blank panels.



=Steve and I working on the pedestal.



Steve mounitng some of the Korrys.



The pedestal unit ready to go to Peter who is in charge of the overall project.



The Ovehead ready to go.



Closeup of the Overhead.


Second closeup.

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My Builder/Friend Angel A from Spain sent in some updates of his project to share with everyone. Here is the Captain's view!





Project Magenta Software running like clockwork!



Angel made his own keys prior to the NOVA Key kits becoming available. Add the trim parts and paint the knob, all done! The FDS/Tekworx Interface will be launched shortly and it will have the capability of delivering LED displays as you see above!





Lit up at night!





Thanks to Angel for the update!

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Who says Aerospace is all fun and games!? At our office we had the front section of a Northwest DC-9 in our production area for a few years. This hull was originally slated to be converted into a FTD for a European Airline. That particular deal fell through and they decided to dispose of the unit. Here we have a Fork Lift in behind and a few daring guys in front pulling.



You don't realize how big these things are until you have one almost roll over on you!



'Ole 9176 sees the sun again for the first time in ages.



Resting on her side waiting for Tom (builder/friend) to come pick her up. I wil try to update when this happens next month.

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Here is an update shot fresh from Lambis who is working with me on the B777 Throttle Housing Kit for Flightdeck Solutions (FDS). Having Lambis working on this with me has been such a pleasure as he is an excellent builder and has brought a great deal to this particular project. Lambis has already trial fitted the Toggle guards and Fuel Toggles. The entire top surface is made up of NOVA parts including hte Vertical Guards on either side of the Fuel toggles.



A close up of Lambis' handiwork on the aft end of the setup.



A top view showing the overall look. Naturally the internal mechanics are going to be a challenge but Lambis and I a working on the B777 Throttle Handles (Grips) and should have something to show on that in the next few weeks. You can expect to see Throttle Housing kits like this for the B777/747/737 over the next few months. Sam is all set to work on the B737 setup and Nihad has already shown the B747! Being surrounded by talented builders makes this alot easier than I thought. Thanks guys!



You can expect to see Throttle Housing kits like this for the B777/747/737 over the next few months. Sam is all set to work on the B737 setup and Nihad has already shown the B747! Being surrounded by talented builders makes this alot easier than I thought. Thanks guys!

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One of the biggest challenges the builders face is locating the correct hardware. Many folks have asked me to suply and frankly I found very little in the way of parts that were decent for what we needed. Logical step forward was to create our own. A few months back I experimented with some Glare panel parts alongside some simple momentary switches and liked teh result. A bit after that we released the CDU/MCDU kits and managed to create a setup that did not require an expensive PC Board. Many builders have displayed their results with the CDU Kits and we realized that this had merit for other parts. One of my builder/friends pushed me to look into this (Thanks Sal!) and out now is the new Key Kit holder parts that will start appearing in the new Key kits slowly over the next month or so.



Here is a sample of one of the "Holders" for the A320 EFIS Panel. Tricky part with five switches in very close proximity. Good example of how they work though. Various holes have various jobs as outlined in the next pics.



Step one is to mount the supplied momentary switches to the holder. These should be glued into place. The leads from the switches are poking out the back. Its tight getting a soldering iron in there but it can be done.



These are the correct key shapes with different labels ( I did not have the EFIS parts handy so I used the CDU keys for example). The keys are glued together in three parts. The top part is the "Legend" and is rear engraved. The Second layer is clear plexi and is a "Spacer" to raise the key up to the right height. The bottom layer is larger and offers a square cut out the attached to the momentary switch. You can glue these as well if you wish.



Here you can see that I mounted "Indication" Leds. These will be wired to the InterfaceIT unit that is about to ship to a small Beta team for a quick test. ( An FAQ page will go up on the FDS site shortly I promise). The LEDs are glues into place and can be "Masked" to push the light into the key as opposed to shining all over. One of the advantages of this system is that we are using clear plexi again and not blocking much backlight.


Another angle. Several holes are placed strategically across the panel so that you can bolt it into the Plexi Backer panel.

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Matthias W's A320 Glare Assembly

Building in your head is one thing, Getting the thoughts and approaches out and into reality is another thing entirely! MW's approach on the Glare construction using the NOVA parts is excellent insight into making this section with a great deal of structural integrity.

The Glare structure is built from various thicknesses of Medium density Fibreboard (MDF). The metal parts are "Standoffs" and align the Nova glare parts correctly as well as add strength.

MW mounts the Plexi backer panels to the standoffs, then the NOVA panels. One of the clear advantages in this approach is the incredible amount of space in behind the panels. This becomes a huge factor later when hardware goes in and things need to get wired!

The FCU and EFIS panels are now in place and the top section can be started.

Matthias adds some angle brackets to the assembly for bolting down the Glare Top Pieces.

Matthias took the time to saw numerous cutouts into the bottom section of the Glare top. This is a very clever way to get the top plate to form correctly to that unique A320 Glare shape. Pretty clever!

Once cut and ready the top Glare Plate is painted dark blue.

The glare section is test fitted on top of the main structure. Very clean work.

Very special thank you to Matthias for his construction insight! Very inspirational!

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Building Your Overhead Assembly (PART 2)

By P Cos

In the first installment of the Ovehead tutorial Section we showed our approach to making the frame assembly that would be used to hold al of the overhead parts. In this tutorial we want to show you some of the steps involved in preparing the NOVA panels. One of the biggest issues we face is legibility of the panels in all conditions. In daylight, we need to be able to see the lettering clearly. In dark conditions even more challenging. Backlighting the NOVA series panels is no problem at all. Viewing in daylight takes abit of work.

The above pic shows; The "Lighting" Overhead Nova panel, an exacto knife blade, White Vinyl adhesive sheets (AVERY Brand, available from your local Sign/Graphics store) as well as one of the Plexi backers from the overhead with AML switches and engraved caps!

First step is to cover the back of the NOVA panel with the White Avery Sheet. This can be done in several large pieces or in smaller sections. Depends really on how much of the lettering you ned to cover. Using the Exacto knife you will trim out the openings carefully from the front of the back. An exacto knife with a "Fine" point might be best for this job.

Here is a close up of of the panel after one side has been treated. The beauty of this AVERY material is that it works as a "Difuser". Meaning, it passes light evenly. Light does not have to be directly behind it in order for it to work. Originally we used a light coat of white paint. This works but is not as consistent as this material. Much easir to work with as well. When painting you spent more time covering the openings and protecting the panel!

Above, I have added one more large piece of vinyl and then used small bits to get the various lettering.

Here is the "treated" panel.

Here is the left side of the Overhead Panel section of the sim. The plexi backere is housing numerous AML type switches ( I am working on creating something to replace these, watch the page for that) also showing the rotary selector openings. Steve will do up the knobs and then we will mount those as well.

Here you can see the panel resting in its place on top of the plexi backer. The AMLs appear flush mounted just like in the real aircraft. More on this process soon! Watch for Part 3 as we add more hardware and mount on our overhead frame.

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Planning Your Monitor Configuration

By Peter Cos

One of the biggest decisions that has to be made when planning out your sim is
the monitor configuration and the layout. One of the things we have been
seeing is that compromises have to be made. In a real B777 or A320 you typically have
excact sized displays, for us builders we are typically using 17 or 19 inch CRT type
monitors and that changes things alot.
Lets take a look at a few of the preliminary things involved.


Here is the standard A320 MIP layout. We currently make these in the new "3D NOVA"
format. This allows for the Display overhang shapes and other items that help
to better represent the real aircraft. With regards to monitor sizing, the 320
builders can use 17" monitors with a minimum of 12.75" viewable width. In order to achieve
this we had to slightly scale down the displays and move them closer together. The above
picture shows actual scale representation. For the middle ECAM section it
can get very tight. We designed the ECAM display openings to accomodate one
17" monitor tilted on its side (or a single 15" doing the top ECAM display only).
While we are able to cover top and bottom displays we
run into trouble with the Standby guages. Same holds true for the Landing Gear setup.
This is also very tight and in some cases we can shift it slightly to make room. I find alot of
builders get very focused on teh Standby gauges and often ( In my opinion) jump through
unneccessary "hoops" in order to get these functional. In the FTDs that we manufacture
at my office the most expensive ones don't have functional Standbys. Its pure eye candy.
Try to prioritize the requirements you have in this area. I have spent numerous hours shifting
and adjusting custom MIP setups for builders and by the time I am done compromises
had to be made. Be prepared for that. We all don't have the luxury of 8" LCD Displays
to maintain pure scale!

When looking at the B777 for a project here is a sample fo how things should appear if
following true scale:

The B777 setup has much larger display area and will require a minimum of 14+ inches
of viewable width. Most 19" monitors fall into this range. Issues do pop up with
regards to the center EICAS display though. Typically a 17" in the middle
can cover you for the Standbys and the EICAS itself. Landing Gear assemblies
will often times be shifted to the right a slight bit.



Above you can see the B737NG MIP section. This setup is virtually the same as the B777.
19" monitors are required to get even close to scale. Some of the other challenges can be
seen above the PFD/ND/EICAS displays with the numerous small panels. these panels require
switches and selector knobs. Keep in mind that right behind the MIP is the monitor! Again,
compromises have to be made.

Part of this tutorial is for those of you planning your flightdecks and now looking at monitor
configurations.. the other motive is for the other builders that "Aim too high..." Its a tough thing
but getting a decent Sim built will require many steps. .Planning and accepting the realities
that exist in hardware and software will get you there alot faster. Feel free to email if you have
questions on configurations. PC

(The above illustrations were drawn by myself and are not for duplication or use in any manner,
please respect my rights)

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Finishing your Pedestal

By Joe Ozegovich

Well, we have come a long way; this next session will be the most creative. This is because you can choose many different approaches. Do want the chart holder? (Figure 1&2) Do you want the area cut out for the floor lights/carpet slot (Figure 5)? Are you going to simulate the foot rest area for the Observer (Figure 6)? We will assume that you have assembled the pedestal per the "Building your Pedestal" section. You should add support strips (not illustrated here) in the center areas. Make sure to fill and sand all imperfections! Even though we made our pedestals with a lip around the inner perimeter, all it would take is one, whoops and the whole thing caves in. Peter Dikenmanns' A340 pedestal illustrates the center support pieces (Cockpit 6). I want to add a hinge to the forward inside vertical piece, so that I can simply open and close the instrument panels from the aft end, I like the idea of easy access. If you add a latch by the Alternate Gear extend handle, it would be like opening the hood of your car

I will explain the chart holder section first (Figure 1), in case you make a mistake. I would hold off gluing any parts until you are sure of the final product. I took the approach of only making a chart holder for the Captains side, because it involves a lot of work and would not be used much on the FO side. If you would like to make a First Officers chart holder the dimensions are the same. The approach I used required using a Router to cut in layers. I wanted to have the chart

holder almost flush with the side of the pedestal. I used the ¼ inch hardboard material I am using for the Glareshield top. I needed to have a 3/16-inch cut that would cover the entire area. You will need to think this out, start at the bottom and work your way up, moving left to right. Then I needed to cut the inside layer 3/8" more for the chart area, you can see that area outlined in the figure on the right. Plan this part out because you won't have too much of an area to support the Router for this cut, especially at the lower right hand side. I recommend cutting the light area out after the chart holder. If you decide to cut the area for the floor lights then it will be difficult to be precise. As you can see by all the little mistakes with the router. I then sanded the top area until the area was flush.

I used three screws on the L/H and R/H sides and two on the bottom. Two of the screws on left I used to secure the pedestal vertical front. I primed and painted the inside of the chart holder area before installing the cover. Scuff up the exterior of the hardboard material to get a good surface for the primer. Don't forget to clean up the surface real good, a good paint job is mostly prep work.

Figure 3 & 4

On to the next area: I cut the area for the floor lighting, I find this adds to the realism considerably. I just cut the 2 ½ " wider area (Figure 5) of the forward section 3 3/4" high and 12 3/4" long. I took the 2 1/2" left over piece and used it to fill the gap (Look at Figure 4). I rounded the edges with a ¼ " Round Router bit and that makes for clean consistent edge. I didn't cut the aft end as in the real aircraft because I felt that the stability of the pedestal might be compromised. The pedestal on the aircraft is layered, and that would be challenging and I don't believe that I would want to make the extra effort for that small detail. Figure 5

For the cushion area around the pedestal top, I used a 3/16" Vein Router bit and made the adjustment so that the least amount of cut would be made. I wanted to give the appearance of a separate piece, without adding any layers (Figure 5). Make sure you line everything up, the height of the cushion is 3" on the sides and will be longer on the back end if you add ¾" for the Observers footrest (Figure 6). The cushion at the top forward left and right hand sides is rounded significantly, and is taller than the inside vertical piece. Refer to the Real aircraft pics for a good shot of this feature. My goal is to add the crackle paint to this area. I using a different approach this time. The spray can method didn't work as well as I thought. You have to be at the correct length; or else the paint will dry before it reaches the wood. The local Sears had a big sale, due reconstruction and I picked up a whole bunch of the McCloskey brand. This is applied with a brush or roller. Look for a sale! If you try this method, wait a full week before adding the topcoat. Prime and paint, use two coats for a good looking finish. Figures 8 and 14 shows the General painting completed. I still have the Crackle paint and the seal around the Chart holder to do.

[نواف]

Building Your Overhead Assembly

By P Cos

As your project starts to take shape you will undoubtedly begin to look over your head and dream of the day that you can fire up the APU or setup the ADIRS panel during a "Cold Start" scenario! I know I do!

For the A320 there are two key parts of the overhead section. I will refer to them as the "Primary Overhead Section" (POS) and the "Overhead Circuit Breaker Section" (OCB).

The POS is made up of 16 different panels. For the most part functionality is "self determined" based on how far into it you want to go. Ideally you have the complete setup working like the actual aircraft but that might be a bit too much to ask for!

One the approaches we are taking is to use actual AML type switches in places where we have functionality and "Caps" where we do not. In other words, a $3 dollar cap is likely a better idea if the switch does not do anything! Later if you can add some function to a switch then you add the switch at that time.

Another key area to watch for is the way that the outboard panels are sloped inwards. If you look at the dimensional images below you will see that the middle larger panels are lower than the Outoboard ones. The outboard ones start at the same height as the middle row but angle upwards as shown. Take a look at the Airbus webpage or on www.airliners.net for actual aircraft images and you will see this more clearly.

This section is going to be available for builders soon. There are a few items of interest in this area like the lighting. That is something Steve and I want to incorporate into the sim. the Actual Circuit Breakers we will have to think about as there are quite a few of them to replicate!

Below I have mapped out the frame dimensions that Ron and Steve made up for our Overhead asssembly. If you are using our Panel kits then these dimensions apply.

If everything goes as planned you should be able to look up and see this! If you have any questions email me! Link above..

[نواف]

Applying Lettering To A320 Project Panels

By P Cos

For those of you who are planning on going forward with A320 Project panels for your construction (or still pondering!) this tutorial details some of the things that you will need to think about when it comes time for lettering your panels. Speaking from personal experience, this part of the assembly is best left to those with very stable hands! While the lettering decal sheets are capable of being adjusted, once they are in place its not that easy to change without stretching them. Plan ahead is the game.. Oh.. and wash your hands!!

First thing to point out here is that this tutorial shows application of decals directly on the laminate panel parts. Two things to remember

1). Laminate should be bonded to the wood parts prior to lettering. The wood parts need to be painted around the edges as well as the whole gluing process.

2) We are showing the "Switch" lettering here and in the lettering kits these stickers are seperate in the file so they will not be as shown here. This was done so that entire panel sheets could be applied in one shot for those brave enough to try that.

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the three basic elements that make up our panel kits. On the far right you have the CNC Cut Panel (This one is from the overhead). The second part is the identical piece in laminate cut with CNC. The third element is the lettering kits and in this case we trimmed the section from the master lettering roll (Which is three meters/nine feet long when done!)

Figure 2

In the image above we have pretrimmed this particular panel in three sections in order to make this alittle simpler.

Scary part one..! Carefully peel the sticker from the sheet being careful not to pull and stretch things as that will only lead to bublbling and misalignment. This is also where clean hands are a must as it is very easy to deposit dirt or oils on the underside of the sticker and have it appear on the panel.

Super carefully you position and slowly lay the sticker on the panel. (as I mentioned the switch part of the stickers will not be there so you line things up with the actual lettering or in this case the white horizintal lines.

This shot shows me smoothing the sticker over the surface of the panel. The laminate is not 100% smooth so you have to press down firmly to get the sticker to look correct.

Here you can see the panel finished. In our case will cut the switch positions out for later as well as glue the laminate to the wood panel. On to the next panel.

This picture shows about an hours work. Three primary components of the Overhead completed. Starting to really look like the real thing. All I have to do is pass the "Joe" test and mission accomplished!

Another half an hour and a few more panels are done. Take your time though as reprint are costly. We will try and help folks out on that should an accident occur.

[نواف]

Planning Your Flightdeck & Setting Realistic Goals

It is my distinct pleasure to be able to post a Tutorial written by one of the planets best sim builders. Ron Wiens. While I have been working on various projects involving illustrating for a large airline, working on kits and getting the "Nova" Series panel sets together Ron has made huge strides and kept alot of momentum going around here. I have learnt so much from this person and I asked him to share with everyone some of his thinking. His work speaks for itself. Take it away Ron!

TUTORIAL #1

By Ron Wiens

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING YOUR COCKPIT
Questions:
If you're even thinking about building a cockpit you are probably already the type of flight
simmer who wants a more realistic experience. Often when glancing through the various
web sites looking at pictures of those who have built their own, you come to a few realizations
and questions:

1. How much money you will need
2. What tools this will take to build
3. The space it will take to build the parts and assemble the subassemblies
4. The space it will take to actually put it all together - where will you put it
5. How much do you know about woodworking or metalworking
6. How much do you know about electronics or wiring
7. How capable are you of connecting the computer software and hardware
8. How much time is this going to require - will I ever fly again, soon
9. What kind of airplane do I want to fly

Currently the opportunity for building your own cockpit has never been better.
Computer equipment has dropped dramatically in price, there are many different
hardware control products (yokes, throttles, rudders, etc) to choose from,
ready made panels with and without hardware are available, keyboard emulators
which allow you to use actual switches just like the real thing. Custom made
software designed to simulate all the actual functions of a real Boeing or
Airbus.
If you're still reading this, then perhaps most of those 9 items above aren't
going to stop you from building your dream. That's good because there are lots
of ways to build that dream cockpit that only involve a few of those items or
maybe just some of each.

Which aircraft should I choose?

When deciding on aircraft type you should consider the following:

1. With a cockpit, you can fly Microsoft Flight Simulator using the scenery and
aircraft and many of the utilities and add-ons but likely won't want the cockpit
layouts and views.

2. The instruments, if "Glass Cockpit" style, will be displayed on pc monitors, one o
r more instruments per. You might want to display the analog instruments separately
if it's important to you or your aircraft model. Some custom software has both analog
and digital already supplied. The best examples are Project Magenta and FreeFD.

3. You will need a decent size monitor or LCD projector to display the outside front view.

4. You may need a monitor for the navigation and flight management instruments
depending on how elaborate or realistic you want it to be.

5. Typically you should plan on 1 PC for every Monitor. A typical setup as the one
I just described is 3 pc's and 3 monitors. You'll need at least one more pc and monitor
if you want to build a first officer (right) side as well as the Capt' (left) side of the cockpit.

6. The main PC holding your flight sim program needs to be the workhorse and you
already know what that means. A Pentium 3 or similar running at a minimum 800 MHz
with lots of RAM, a high-end video card and lots of hard drive space for scenery is a must.
You can use Win98 or ME but you should use the same operating systems on each of
your pc's just to keep the troubleshooting simple.

7. From this main pc you will network (not a dirty word ….. you will not believe how
easy this is to accomplish) the other pc's which are running your various cockpit
instrument images.

8. These other instrument pc's can be much less powerful; Pentium 2 - 300 MHz is
plenty for most applications. Much less money is needed for ram, video cards and
hard drives and you don't need soundcards.

9. Will you use your existing control yokes, sticks, rudders, etc or will you build you
r own? Most commercial products are easily adapted to or can be modified to work
very nicely on your project.

10. Will you be using the switches, knobs, levers, etc to emulate keyboard strokes or
will they be there just for looks? Nothing neater than a cockpit with lots of switches.

11. Emulating keyboard strokes will require hardware such as the EPIC card system.
You should budget approximately $1,400 US to manage all the functions you will need
for a typical cockpit. This does not include the switches which are separate and whose
cost will vary depending on the style, type, quality and source. You will also need
LED's both digits and lights for radios, autopilot, warnings, etc. All of this involves
lot's of wiring, soldering and considerable although simple programming which is
explained in the hardware documentation. I built my first cockpit using the EPIC
system not having any programming experience and survived. Believe me, nothing
is as satisfying or thrilling as pushing and pulling those switches and knobs and seeing
your cockpit come to life!

12. If due to budget, time, or both, you want to add these functioning switches later y
ou can still build the cockpit, keeping in mind that you will need to use the keyboard;
incorporate possibly an add on such as the PAL or ACP Compact unit; or simply keep
some of the current flight sim cockpit images in your front view and use the mouse
just like you did before.

Among many things I've learned building these things, the most important was
to get the project to the stage where I could get Flight Sim up and running.
It will serve to "dry run" some of the monitor, instrument locations and
setups you have, allow you to make better decisions on how you will control
FS, both switches and controls, provide insight into what additional software
you want to use, and most important; it provides the motivation to keep
building and improving. Too much time between flying dulls the enthusiasm.
Our next tutorial will look at the subject of how to start constructing.


Ron Wiens

[نواف]

Planning Your Flightdeck & Setting Realistic Goals

The A320 Project started out as two brothers who as "Aviation Nuts" decided to follow in the footsteps of the likes of James Price & Kevin Saker. These two gentlemen are truly Pioneers in this field. While their projects were not exactly what Steve and I had in mind we found a great deal of inspiration and decided to take the plunge. Once we decided to go forward we began a year long planning stage. The two of us went about our normal daily routines but found that life had alot more passion all of a sudden. This has been the driving force behind the project. This is what was constantly running through our minds while driving somewhere, working and pretending to listen to the wife. . (oops!)
Halfway into this project we had the great fortune of meeting up with Joe O. Joe has been a big help to the A320 Project and Joe's technical understanding of the A320, its systems as well as his access to the actual aircraft made our lives alot easier.
Since Joe's arrival we have made another new friend in the way of Scott McMillan. Scott is a FS Panel/Scenery designer with an abundance of talent and a heart of gold. He has been working away dillegently on a "Glass Flightdeck" approach to panels which is truly custom designed for the A320 and the Flightdeck Builder. Scott's input to date has been amazing and we are getting weekly updates on his new "ND" interface.
In addition to Scott, we also had the good fortune of meeting with Don Lafontaine who is developing some Heavyweight Glass Flightdeck Software. We are likely to be using this software in our sim. (See the links page)
So that makes a small bunch of us. Equally motivated individuals with a pretty clear goal. Enhancing our Flight Sim experience, going beyond the limitations of a single monitor layout and truly "Entering" the simulation. With that in mind, lets talk about getting started and mapping out a plan for building one of these devices shall we?
I am often amazed at the topics of conversation that come up in the various Builders Forums (including our own!). Sometimes I wonder if some of the builders are being realistic at all. Talking about 14 monitors running from seven computers networked to the main IBM server in San Fernando Valley is not a realistic goal in my humble opinion. Thinking about the new Matrox G400 video card with dual output and a second card allowing three dedicated video feeds is. Think about it, one output for the front scenery, one for the Captains side PFD/ND (split for the First Officers side) and the third for the center ECAM area. That makes sense, for starters anyway. Adding monitors and new views later is easy, only takes the money and nerve to tackle the network portion of the system. If you are not in a position to obtain a LCD Data Projector then think that over from the start. Locating an inexpensive Fresnel Lense might be the way to go and no it is not going to cover the entire windshield but that is ok. It will give you a solid visual representation"out the window" and that is what you need. Keep in mind one main thing... REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM... Remember always that you started Simming with a 15" monitor, a keyboard and a joystick as your entire interface into the environment. Building a Flightdeck is a quantum leap forward. Nothing to cry about if you have a truly respectable looking Flightdeck and for starters a 17" monitor with a fresnel for front view.
Another common topic that we see pop up is backlighting. At the A320 Project we have started selling Panel/Lettering kits for others to build their own Flightdecks with. One of the most common questions we are asked is about backlighting. Steve and I would love to have every single panel in our sim backlit. No question. Trouble is reality. Building backlit panels is not easy, building them 100% accurate is another issue. Steve and I lucked out with the new parts we obtained (FCU and 2 x EFIS) these are all fully backlit with a simple 5volt supply. Great! What about the rest of the sim? Well, our sim is a multi generation sim. The first generation is the basis in which to grow. Our belief is simple, "Aim too high, never fly". Sounds funny I know ( I just made that up!).. but true. If your goals are so far out and so incredibly unrealistic then you may run out of time, resources or even spousal approval! Think realistic. Back to backlighting. Steve and I have established that for the first generation sim we are not going to backlight. Multi faceted reasoning behind that position. First and foremost we need to build the actual sim first. The overal structural elements are not a problem. The actual panels will be CNC cut from our files and easily put together. Once that is done we have "Lettering Kits" that are also available. These lettering kits are as accurate as I can get them. Once they are in place, the overhead and under glare lighting in place, we are confident the flightdeck will look all "Airbus". That is the goal. This approach is not 100% perfect with regards to emulating the actual aircraft but we are two guys and not spending 40 million US either! That is the point. Making it work and work well, then improving. We want to be flying in this thing in 2000.
Last of the areas we get alot of questions on.. Motion. Building a full scale A320 Flightdeck in my basement was a pretty tough sell in this household.. Picture that one,
HUSBAND: "Honey, I want to build a simulator in the basement ok?"
WIFE: Sure hun, Cessna or something?
HUSBAND: Something like that babe, thanks!!
Then comes laundry day or what have you and the chalk lines you drew are encroaching onto the linoleum you so lovingly applied down there prior to realizing that your $5,000 LCD Projector might need a few more feet to get the image size where you want it...
Now come the motion part, lets not even discuss the costs.
HUSBAND: "Honey, would you mind if I made this simulator with motion?
WIFE: Hmm... is it hard to do?
HUSBAND: Not really (mumbles something about hydraulics and a six foot pit for the mechanisms)
WIFE: *Sigh* well, if it makes you happy baby you do it...
This is where you should make sure that you utilize a real four point harness in your seat, if you think that last flight over the rockies was turbulent, you haven't seen anything yet!
(In case you are asking, I did not have the nerve to broach the "Pit" part, my Wife likes the basement floor all at one level)
So, in wrapping (If you are still reading at this point then I consider you a serious builder!)
1. Set realistic goals for the overall schedule of your construction.
2. Remember you are building this for YOUR enjoyment not the rest of the world.
3. There is no Flightdeck Builder award show on the FOX Network so suit yourself.
4. Think in stages, build with what is truly available to you today, not what you wish you had.
5. Think, think again, planning means not painting yourself into a corner later.
6. Use your resources, the A320 Project is merely one, Joe, Steve, Scott, Don and so many other talented people are around and often willing to help out in any way that they can. We are all as impassioned as you are so we understand the sense of urgency attached to all elements of your pursuit.
7. Remember... "Aim Too High, Never Fly". The realistic builder actually finishes and flies.
I hope this article is taken in the light it was meant to be. Our goal at the A320 Project is to build stellar Flightdecks to further our enjoyment of flight simulation. At the same time we are doing our part to assist the "Community" out here by offering whatever assistance we can. Above all though, we wish you the very best of luck in your endeavours. PC

[نواف]

Building Your Radio Management Panel (RMP)

Here are the primary components that we will be working with. These parts were drawn in 3D from the original files we are using for accuracy. Clockwise starting top left: Laminate RMP, Wood RMP, Laminate templates and the lettering graphic. Lettering is static so EPIC or "Snoop" getting LEDs to work on that!

"Exploded View" after you have all the parts prepped, this includes lightly sanding and painting all the wood edges (we went to Home Depot to have paint mixed to match the laminate and they got it perfect). Two parts added here: you can see behind the laminate RMP piece a thin sheet of clear plastic sheet. This is to keep the lettering from getting worn out. Also, in behind the wood RMP panel piece is the momentary micro switch assembly. This will end up pressed up against the lettering and the clear plastic sheet.

Prior to the switches being attached you would
1. Glue the template piece to the RMP laminate part.
2. Glue the clear plastic sheet and the lettering sheet to the back of the RMP laminate piece.
3. The RMP wood piece would be placed behind all of the above. Likely we would use the actual RMP screws to hold all of this together. The switches we are using in this area are tiny microswitches that we use on our Car Audio Radios. I work for Pioneer (Plug!) and we utilize very small micro switches for things like Radio Station Preset buttons. These parts are very reliable and low cost. Perfect! you may not need as many as we are showing here. It would all depend on functionality targets you have.

If you follow all the steps then you should end up with this! Bad news is that you need two! Actually, three if you build a backup in the overhead panel. As far as the rotary (Not shown) control for setting frequencies we are testing one this week. Fingers are crossed as it is very inexpensive and would be perfect for the job. We will update you on that as we progress. (Scott Napier has rotaries working with his KE72 keyboard encoder).
Functionality: The RMP is secondary to the MCDU in actual useage (Joe can correct me here!). The approach we will take is as follows:
VHF1: VOR1 Adjustments
VHF2: VOR2 Adjustments
VHF3: NDB Adjustments
Pressing the VHF1 button once would activate the VOR1 setting in FS and you would dial in the primary frequency (108 for example) , pressing the VHF1 buttom twice would allow you to select the fractional frequency (.70 for example)
VHF3: NDB adjustments would be made by using this button in conjunction with the rotary (As above). Pressing once allows you to select the first number, twice the second and three times the third.

[نواف]

Building Complex Parts of Your Flightdeck

At the risk of getting ahead of myself and the A320 Project I thought I would share an idea used in the Custom Car Audio field. Many times in custom applications it is necessary to build fairly complex shapes to mold speaker pods into doors or what have you. In the older days we would build entirely out of wood and sand for days! Someone with a clever mind came up with a way to avoid all of that and the idea lends itself perfectly to our pursuits in Flightdeck building.
As an example, lets take the Captains side window area of the airbus. The picture below gives you a rough idea of what the overall look is.

Now that we have a target we need to cut two pieces of wood, the front portion and the rear of the main structure. This next image (though crude) represents those pieces

The top piece would be the back while the smaller the front. We could sand the corners round if that is desired or leave till later. The next step involves setting the depth for the entire structure. Three or four strategically placed "props" will set the height and add some needed strength.

These "props" can be nailed or glued to the two pieces. Once that is accomplished you have the skeleton structure required to move ahead. At this point you will require some cloth material, large enough to cover the entire structure. Any local fabric store will have rather inexpensive stretchy cloth that you can wrap the structure in. Place the cloth on top of the structure and stretch it around to the back and either staple or glue in place. Once you have done all the sides it should look like this:

The next part is the only tricky part that may require some newfound skills... First and foremost though think safety here! Visit your local hardware store and pick up some fiberglass resin, liquid form of course. You will also need some "Bondo" or bodywork putty used to fill fenders or what have you. Make absolute sure that you are in a well ventilated area and if you are married or within range of a female nose work outside or in the garage!! (Trust me on that OK)
Read the instructions on the resin and be careful of your mixture with the catalyst needed to set the fiberglass, too much and things can get pretty hot (trust me on that too OK?) Using a paint brush, (not your wife's good one, you know.. Trust me on that too) you will brush on the resin and bondo mixture until it is soaked through the cloth.
Once you are done applying leave in a warm area and allow to set for a few hours. You'll be quite surprised at the strength of the entire structure once the glass dries and hardens. Simply sand out any ripples or bumps and you are one step away from being done.
The last phase requires you to have your finishing material at hand. In the A320 Project Steve and I will be using automotive vinyls to cover all the window and overhead areas. Using contact cement and a blowdryer we will warm and stretch the vinyl over the structure and glue in place. When we are done it should have this sort of look:

You can picture the possibilities and time savings when you go at this part of your sim. Any part can be built in this manner, for example the window pillars, overhead trim pieces etc. That's it for now, if you have any questions send me an e-mail. PC

[نواف]

Building Your Overhead Assembly

By P Cos

As your project starts to take shape you will undoubtedly begin to look over your head and dream of the day that you can fire up the APU or setup the ADIRS panel during a "Cold Start" scenario! I know I do!

For the A320 there are two key parts of the overhead section. I will refer to them as the "Primary Overhead Section" (POS) and the "Overhead Circuit Breaker Section" (OCB).

Original Illustration by P.Cos

The POS is made up of 16 different panels. For the most part functionality is "self determined" based on how far into it you want to go. Ideally you have the complete setup working like the actual aircraft but that might be a bit too much to ask for!

One the approaches we are taking is to use actual AML type switches in places where we have functionality and "Caps" where we do not. In other words, a $3 dollar cap is likely a better idea if the switch does not do anything! Later if you can add some function to a switch then you add the switch at that time.

Another key area to watch for is the way that the outboard panels are sloped inwards. If you look at the dimensional images below you will see that the middle larger panels are lower than the Outoboard ones. The outboard ones start at the same height as the middle row but angle upwards as shown. Take a look at the Airbus webpage or on www.airliners.net for actual aircraft images and you will see this more clearly.

Original Illustration by P.Cos

This section is going to be available for builders soon. There are a few items of interest in this area like the lighting. That is something Steve and I want to incorporate into the sim. the Actual Circuit Breakers we will have to think about as there are quite a few of them to replicate!

Below I have mapped out the frame dimensions that Ron and Steve made up for our Overhead asssembly. If you are using our Panel kits then these dimensions apply.

Original Illustration by P.Cos

Original Illustration by P.Cos

If everything goes as planned you should be able to look up and see this! If you have any questions email me! Link above..

[نواف]

Building Your Center Pedestal

Without a doubt the main "anchor" to your entire flightdeck is the Center Pedestal. In our opinion this is the place to start. Steve and I already constructed this area of the sim in the very early stages but after consulting with Joe O found out we were about .. ok.. way out of scale on the height! Not a problem really in that we can cut this down and go at it again. The original Center Pedestal was scaled from Joe Meriweathers drawings and "eyeing" numerous pictures we had located. As you will see later on in our dimensions below we were off a lot. This is fair warning to all those who are trying to determine scale by eye. Very difficult to get a proper frame of reference from a picture. I remember going into an A320 on a business trip and almost falling down when I saw how low it actually was!!! Oh well.. Our new partner Joe straightened me out there thankfully.
Ok. Onto construction. Joe advises us that the real Center Pedestal has a "Cushion" all the way around it. This is the dark blue ridge that you can see in pictures of the pedestal. This "Cushion" is 5/8". Know ding the Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is available at many wood suppliers we will build with that thickness of wood. All of the dimensions below are "outside" measurements.
First thing to notice (I was surprised!) is the incline towards the front (Center Instrument Panel). This incline makes things little tricky but if you want accurate you got it! (Joe, when you are talking to the Airbus people you might ask them to make this level as it would help speed up our respective construction huh?!) The vertical line near the middle is more detailed in the lower image that represents the top view. (Please not that this image as well as the sidestick dimension image was updated on March 23/00. Sorry for any inconveniences but we rechecked a few things afterwards and Joe felt we could get closer in accuracy)

Fairly straight forward construction in this area. Be mindful that 5/8" wood is somewhat thin so glue and predrilling the screws would be advised. Make sure you countersink them as you will likely be painting or applying some form of material over top and I am sure you'll want it smooth as silk.

Some other very key issues to consider would be things like the fact the actual pedestal is not actually one big side piece, seems there are two or three levels that make up the height. For simplicity we are showing a straight forward approach. Perhaps we'll bug Joe again and have him remeasure this area for us.

You have to consider that the panel pieces (Radio Management, TCAS etc are going to require something to hold them in place. I would suggest you hold off on that part of the construction until you have the panel pieces available since you really need to be mindful of switch positions that might not be accessible with a piece of wood directly underneath.

The last key thing to keep in mind here is pretty important. With our center pedestal we built the two main side pieces 24" longer to extend beyond the main panel. This approach will allow us to build portions of the Main panel structural elements as well as a "Shelf" to mount all the monitors and such. This is something that I can update later once we redo the Center Pedestal which should be soon.

I think that about covers it for now. If you have any questions on this topic please post in the forum so all can see and we will respond. If we have overlooked anything post that too!

[نواف]

Framing The Main/Pedestal Areas

Once you have your pedestal built and ready to go the next stage in construction should be framing in behind. This includes building the support structure that holds the Glare/Main panel parts in place as well as creating the shelf for your PFD/ND Monitor setup.
This pic shows the wood construction that will reside in behind the Pedestal/ECAM Panel area. The angles are important to have correct as the whole main panel will follow these lines. The top portion is also angled to accomodate the Glare Panel assembly once added.
The yellow circle is there to show how a second piece of wood is added on the outboard sides of these structures. Main purpose is to give you a groove to place the shelf unit that will support the PFD/ND monitor. The FO side would be the same and the shelves would extend all the way over to the Sidestick assembly areas.

Once the basic structure is in place you can slide the ped back up in front of it to recheck all your alignments. These two components are the foundation for the entire sim so be cautious as you proceed.

At this point you can start checking your ECAM Panel (hopefully a beautifully manufactured A320 Project Version, sorry! Had to plug the new kits!) up against the structure. Fixing the ECAM panel to the support pieces can be done in many ways. Joe was suggesting that we use Velcro. this makes alot of sense in that it makes the ECAM Panel easily removable for any changes that are required. "Dummy" screws can be installed to make it look "Hard Mounted".
Look closely at the left side of the ECAM Panel and you can see that we left room for the Main Instrument Panel to slide up next to the ECAM Panel. This wil make sure that we have a proper fit as we work left and right with the other panel parts.

If you follow all the steps then you should be able to have this setup with proper support in behind. This is pretty much the stage that we are at as on April 24/2000. Hopefully this helps all of you in your planning and construction. PC

NB: For an excellent view on this make a point of checking our friend Peter Dickenmann's A340 Page. He is at this stage of construction and the results are excellent. (Link on the link page)

[نواف]

انتهى التقرير ...........
والباقي عليكم نبي الترجمة .ههههههههههه

تحياتي

[نواف]

الله يسامحكم ......

119 زيارة ولافي رد من الاعضاء الباقي