737NG Simulator Project

January 15, 2022 — My B737-800 Simulator Project has made some significant progress since first posting this page back in 2013.  The Sim is now almost completed, with the addition of a 6 degree of freedom (6dof) Motion Platform to actively interface with the Simulator movements.   I will be UPDATING this page soon with new content!

The Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to begin a new project, building a full-scale 737NG-800 simulator, which will be located in our home here in Las Cruces.  This project will begin around February 2013 timeframe.

Below is a photo of a real 737NG-800 cockpit.

The photos below show what a completed “Home Cockpit” 737NG simulator looks like –  built by Emilo Bettech and Steve Halpern (as posted on the Internet).  These are good examples of what a finished full-scale 737NG simulator might look like:

    

My strategy for building a 737NG-800 simulator is to initially use MicroSoft Flight Simulator (FSX) as the base simulator server running on its own high performance i7 4.5GHz overclocked computer.   Sim-Avionics will be the 737NG platform model running on a separate i7 computer system.   There will a fairly complex array of additional hardware/software interfacing requirements for this simulator as well.  The simulator cockpit hardware will be a combination of purchased parts/assemblies/systems primarily from Flight Deck Solutions (FDS).  Other parts and systems I plan to design and construct myself, such as the cockpit shell, Yoke and Rudder systems, etc.

Status:  October, 19, 2013

I received my FDS Main Instrument Panel (MIP) and Forward Overhead Kit.  The MIP has been setup and under flight testing with FSX and Sim-Avionics for a few months now.  I just finished assembling the Forward Overhead kit, which was a pleasure to build.   Below are a few photos showing these completed assemblies.

Basically, the Sim is flying and operating properly.  My next step is to work on the Yoke assemblies and build up the flight deck Base, and assemble the Nose Section, and finish up the overall systems packaging.  This should be a completed project by the middle of next year.

  

This photo of “Captain Mike and First Officer Carol” was taken around 1995 on a trip

to Hong Kong.   As we were exiting the 747 aircraft, I had an interest seeing the flight deck.

The Crew was nice enough to directing us to the “fron office”.  To our surprise, the Crew welcomed

us to “take command”, and placing their hats on our head and directing us to sit down,

at which time they snapped this photo.

Little did I know that in 2014, I would be building a full-scale 737-800 flight simulator!

MQ-1 Predator Drone Simulator – Hollowman AFB

Here is a link to a short video of a flight from KSFO to KLAX using PilotEdge ATC:

“httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmrdNdG1_M0”

Keep your airspeed up!

Mike