Alex Wierzbowsky’s FIP Customizer is one of the essential tools in my flightsim system. Lately, he got a 3D printer, thru which he created a number of control lever 
handles for his A320 and B737 setup.
He says he’s been dreaming of having those levers for many years but the prices of similar products available on the market are not competitive. So he printed his own.
Alex says the 3D printer plus 1kg of PLA filament cost him Continue reading
Dean Carlton in Australia has just sent me updated photos of his desk-based simulation setup from concept to completion, in which a number of techniques and methods I never thought of using before.
The photos posted below are only a few from 50 something images Dean sent over, including some very old Private Pilot’s License Course materials and copies of the early 80’s The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft magazine he collected.
To see them all, one could click on the Dropbox link Dean shares with us at the end of the post. Via the link, one can even download the drawings of his Main Instrument Panel (MIP) in pdf, skp and step formats, if interested.
Builder: Dean Carlton
Location: Merimbula, Australia
ICAO: YMER, Merimbula Airport
Followings are the Cessna cockpit by Cor Radmaker in The Netherlands, who designed the panel himself. The panel is made of metal, with flexible plywood and foam and imitation leather put together as the glare shield.
Edit: Cor has submitted additional pictures for the building of his panel, plus drawing files to share with those who are interested.
Builder: Cor Rademaker
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
ICAO: EHAM – Amsterdam Schiphol
Ever wanted to build your cockpit but have not a clue where to get started? Marcus from Marcuswald Air recently sent me his 737-800NG photos for the Cockpits section. In addition, he has included a photo-book about the building of his cockpit.
He said that the document didn’t have a great deal of text but thought it was best to go with photos and it was just meant to show the build in generic terms with a bit of humor.
The photo-book can be downloaded from here or by clicking the image of the book.
Thank you Marcus.
Van Vangyver of Computer Simulator Builder and Swedish Home Cockpit Builders groups just sent me information of his newly designed Rudder Pedals, aiming not only to share his concept among flightsimmers but also encourage people to reuse his work or to build upon theirs from his design with even further creative ideas. 
“Remember when your flight instructor told you to keep your heels on the floor for take offs and heels off the floor for taxing?” commented Van. “This keeps you from inadvertently hitting the brakes during the take off roll.”
“Not only were these pedals designed keeping that in mind but also the realistic movement of the pedal travel and feel.”
Brian McMullan who lives in Louisville, USA earlier sent me his measurements of a real C172M cockpit, from which he replicates his virtual one at home.
The sketch on the left below is the measurements (in centimeter; no distance of pedals from front to back) that he climbed in and measured it out from a real C172M that he usually flies. The one on the right is how he put the Saitek parts on the table top of his virtual cockpit. Even though no FIPs, Brian says that they should fit between instrument LCD and Saitek radio panel, if installed.
You can see the photo Continue reading
Van Vangyver, a member of the “Swedish Home Cockpit Builders” group, recently sent me some CAD files that he drew for the “Piper PA28 181 Archer II Simulator Project” run by Esko Haanpää on facebook.
Dimensions of the drawings are based on a real Cherokee PA28-140 and Esko’s project requirements. The files, in .dwg, .dxf and .pdf format, can be printed on 25 standard sheets of paper with cut marks so that they could taped together for a full-scale template.
For those Piper PA28 lovers wanting to build their own cockpits, the instrument panel files are great references.
