I will explain the mess of wires in the section on hardware. Here is the instrument panel from the back showing how the monitors are connected: Note that the clock/timer in the upper left was made out of 7-segment LED displays and some buttons connected to an Arduino. Finally, the gas gauges, oil temp/pressure, and vacuum gauge are covered by a 5″ panel. The tachometer and ammeter are covered by a 7″ panel on the bottom left. There is a 13″ panel that almost perfectly fits the 2×4 array of gauges above the yoke (6-pack plus two VORs). I could have used one big monitor to cover everything, but I didn’t like the idea of the yoke being below all the instruments. The 3D-printed panel has holes in it where the gauges are, and the gauges were created by mounting three LCD panel monitors behind them. And, let’s face it, most C172s you will fly are pretty beat up anyway. You can see some artifacts where the pieces were joined together on the right, but again when you are flying, you will not notice. The photo below shows a closeup of the main part of the instrument panel. You would be better off using some type of CNC arrangement. Looking back, I probably would not try to 3D print them again. The three panels were sanded to obtain a smooth finish and then plastic welded together using a soldering iron and extra filament. The instrument panel was designed in Fusion360 and 3D printed in 3 pieces with PLA using a large 3D printer from Cultivate3D (“The Beast”) that has an 18″ x 18″ print area. Probably it would have been better to get taller monitors. I already had the 22″ monitors, so I used what I had to save money. Being able to look sideways out the front cockpit window is really helpful. In a real GA plane, before you taxi across a runway, you really should look to make sure no one is on final who will run into you. You might wonder why I bothered with the small monitors on the front left and front right. 32″ TVs for the windows in the left and right doors.Vertically mounted 22″ monitors for the left and right front.Displaysįor the windows, I used 5 total displays: They are uncomfortable, though, and will eventually be upgraded. Note that I could not afford nice C172 seats, and opted for cheap $40 boat seats. I know that it kind of looks like a covered wagon, but mostly you just want to feel enclosed, and when you’re flying the plane, you don’t look so closely at the covering. The figure below gives you an idea of the result: The PVC frame and sides of the box without monitors were then covered with fabric. To cover the top, I made a frame out of PVC pipe by heating it up and bending it to conform to a drawn pattern. Also, separate pieces were welded for the TV mount and vertical monitors on the sides. So, it comes apart into 4 main pieces: bottom, left and right sides, and the holder for the computer. The steel frame is not one solid piece, because I wanted to be able to take it apart and move it (like to campus where I would be teaching the class). The frame was basically a rectangular box, where a floor and seats were mounted on the bottom, doors were mounted on the side walls, and monitors were mounted on the sides and front. Luckily, there are good steel suppliers in the Lehigh Valley Area, and I purchased 96 ft of 1″ square tube and 20 ft of 1″ steel angle for $90 from Orkin Steel. What I came up with was to weld a metal frame using steel stock (square tube and angle) using a stick welder. Also, being able to see other people or objects in the room destroys the realism, so I needed some type of enclosure. One thing I feel is important for a flight simulator is that you feel like you’re inside of something and it probably should even feel a bit cramped if you’re simulating a small GA-type airplane like the C172. This page documents the result of that effort, and I hope it can be a source of inspiration for others who are looking to take their flight simulators to new heights. It wasn’t until I was slated to teach a freshman writing course at Lafayette College Fall of 2017 on the topic of aviation that I decided to make my simulator as realistic as possible, allowing students to use it as part of the course. After obtaining my private pilot’s license in 2014, I realized how my simulator setup felt like a game played at a desk and nothing like a real aircraft. In 2012 I became interested in general aviation and in flight simulation, and I purchased X-Plane 10 and Saitek yoke and rudder pedals.
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