The desktop sim (2015 onwards)
First steps in multi-channel P3D
Post-blend startup
The completed console with lighting
The host PC in its new case
My newly-completed office, with desktop PC and lots of lovely shelving. And a 3d printer.
The mini-pit in its current state.
The 3rd generation shell
On the inside, it’s a lot more even and solid than before
With a base screwed on to keep everything in line, the seat is done… for now
Height extension blocks bolted to the rails
The mounting rack on the bottom of the Galaxy seat
The captain’s side seat, roughly in place, with footwell
The shell is finally demolished
The 2nd generation shell
The shell is now down to the MIP
The underfloor frame is visible here
Getting down to the basic frame now
The shroud came off in one piece
Where did all the walls go?
Panels starting to disappear
My lovely new fretsaw
Just look at the organisation…
Pillow block bearings slung underneath the sliders
Underneath the slider
The two yoke sliders are connected horizontally
The left hand shroud with trim in place
The right hand shroud with trim in place
The trimmed left shroud before painting
The final front window post
The left-hand shroud seen from outside
The right-hand shroud
The left-hand shroud
The front awning in place – rear to be installed
The glareshield has now acquired a central box for the MCP and an awning
The glareshield frame begins to take shape
The MIP frame starts coming together
The whole enchilada in place, albeit without linkage
The right-hand yoke-holder assembly
The yoke at maximum outward deflection
Yoke rod in place and at maximum inward deflection
Note the drawer rails sandwiched between wood batons
The yoke-holder assembly in place on the frame
The potentiometers connect via 3.5mm stereo jack plugs
The PCBs from both CH yokes are glued into a plastic utility box
Once soldered, the board is covered in glue to protect the wiring
A bridge board used to connect cables with very thin wires
My lovely new temp-controlled solder-station
Steel tube and wood joined, with exit plates and bearings
My variable-size hole cutter
Electrical blanking plates with 30mm holes cut
The electical blanking plates before drilling
Retaining bolts fixed and glued into the wooden rods
Both yoke handles attached to their tubes
The bolt assembly inside the steel tube
The yoke handle bolted to the steel tube
All the button tops and control hats were sprayed too
The yoke handles after two coats of black satin
The disassembled handles ready for spraying
The main circuit board for the yoke
The electronics for the levers on top of the yoke
The buttons come out nicely as a unit
The wiring inside the yoke handle
The yoke and shaft assembly
The exposed guts of the CH yoke
I had to rout open the holes here to get at the screw stands inside
The beginning of the MIP frame goes on
Footwell frames in approximate place
My new inspection lamp lights up the void
The pilot’s footwell
Stick a handle on it, it’s done
The magnetic door catch (1 of 2)
The door in place on its hinges
Oops! The door doesn’t quite fit the hole
First hinge in place – note the floating hinge pin
First panel goes in
The completed door on its own
The door frame under construction in place
The completed rear bulkhead
A small plywood shim to fill a gap
Two thirds of the rear bulkhead complete
The middle section in place
The frame for the read bulkhead in place
The new, simpler window posts in place
…but my patented wood-shaving filling technique will fix that
Sadly, the fit is not 100% perfect…
The new lower frame in place without window posts
Each half of the frame is glued and screwed together for strength
Woodworm? No, just lots of bodging. The old window frame.
The joints are all flush, no gaps or holes
New upper frame installed, lower frame removed
Two halves of a window post, with grooves for the perspex
The hideously useful Dremel plunge router attachment
My first attempt at routing a straight groove
…compared with the old, straight one
The newly-slanted post…
The approximate seating position for the pilot
Various complex shapes needed to be cut for the skin
The window posts were moved back a few millimeters
The full (and slanted) glory that is the skin
Underside of the bulkhead – cool, huh?
The rear is kinda messy, but will be covered up…
Current state of play from the outside
Outside framing for the ceiling
There are a few gaps here and there
The interior surface of the main bulkhead
Shell frame with bulkhead and stringers attached
The story so far…
The pilot’s main window view
The window post, freshly glued
The Dremel circular saw attachment
Ceiling frame with panels in place
The nearly-complete frame with added filling
Window frames, take 2
A-frames, Take 1
Metal supports are used to keep the frame in place
A-frames, Take 2
Inaccurate joints require shims
Re-done A-frame bases
A-frames and front pillar in place
The finished base
The 1st generation console
The yoke handle re-attached to the rod
The finished yoke rod
Plastic and wood joined together
Flanges cut and ready to join
After drilling the hole through the middle
The broom handle section
The classic CH Yoke
Two power cords joined into one
Extension sockets in place inside the console
No, it’s not the Amityville Horror house…
It lives! Both PCs fired up and running.
PSU shelf, Take 2
PSU shelf, Take 1
Completed double-deck frame for PC1 and 2
Support pillars in place, with K7 motherboard in as a test
Pedestal end with new black detailing and moulding
Pedestal frame, painted
Foam mini-roller for that burnished-metal effect
Filled-in holes where screws were moved
An example of a screw splitting an MDF sheet from the side
A wood block positioned so all screws go through MDF faces
The pedestal structure, pre-painting
A backlit portion of the test panel
First panel test article
Angle structure at the glareshield ends, freshly detailed
Glareshield baffle structure with vinyl trim visible
The finished-off glareshield frame needed a paint first
Glareshield frame, Take 1
Put it together with some 6mm MDF panelling and… FAIL
I ended up with four of these
A support piece being prepared for chiselling
Bracing structures are added to support the weight of the LCD screen
Top panel goes on in the same manner, and the basic structure is done
Dowels and angle brackets are used to secure the joins, Ikea-style
The first cuts are made
