Exterior Paint Scheme

After reviewing a number of different paint schemes for my simulator I have decided to use the same paint scheme as used on Boeing's Dreamliners as pictured above on a 737-700. Photo courtesy of Boeing Aircraft Corporation.

Flight Deck

The photo below is what I will try to duplicate in my simulator, however mine will not have a HUD. Perhaps that will be an option in the near future.

Special thanks to Yuxiaobin for the above photo of B-5146 (cn 34253/1866) The first B737-800 winglet for Xiamen Airline arrived ZSAM on February 14, 2006 at 12:20 pm as seen on Airliner.net

Progress to Date 11/22/09

It has been a long time since I have posted to my website. I apologize for my neglect in updating my site. I have been busy, however I have been doing some work on my sim. I added a few feet to the back of the FDS frame in order to be able to add my door and both jump seats. I have been able to add the circuit breaker panels as well.

I have located all but two of the circuit breaker panels for my sim. I am cleaning them up and will be refurbishing them to include new labels. 

My granddaughter really enjoys her jump seat. She cannot wait until her Papa takes her up for a flight.

I added a few extra inches behind the captains seat so my passengers in their jump seats will be a little more comfortable. This also allows me to slide the cockpit seats back a few more inches to make it easier to get seated in both the captain and first officer's seats.

I have also been working on refurbishing my seats. I have torn one down and repainted the frame shown above. I will be reupholstering them and adding headrests to make them just like the seats in the 737NG versions.

Progress to Date 08/02/07

I have been doing a lot of work on my simulator that does not show much progress in photos. I have been working on installing a servo motor that will control the roll of my sim. I had to make a modification to the FMC bay in order to accommodate the larger servo motor as well as two FDS CDU's and a 10.4 inch LCD. The FMC is now complete and has been installed. In addition, I have received the pedestal I ordered from Lausitz Aviation. Next I will be working on installing the throttle quadrant and attaching all of the cabling and servo and stepper motors to make my throttle quadrant fully functional.

Progress to Date 04/29/07

It has been a long time since I had my sim back together so I wanted to take a few shots with the throttle quadrant in place. I have finally finished installing all of the pots needed with the exception of the tiller pot. After almost two years of hard work I honestly believe I will be able to start some preliminary flying in my sim within the next few months. Stay tuned for more updates in the months to come.

Progress to Date 03/10/07

After over 5 months of hard work I have finished the first phase of refurbishing my 737-200 throttle quadrant and converting it to a 737NG quadrant. The next phase will be to add the necessary stepper motors, clutches and cabling to make the quadrant fully functional. Below are a few photos of the converted quadrant. For more detailed photos and information on how the throttle quadrant was refurbished and converted click on the photo below for a direct link to the throttle quadrant section of my website.

Progress to Date 07/21/06

Below are the latest photos of my sim after installing the interior linings from cockpitsonic. I have some additional work to do on them before they will be completed, however I am very happy with the results so far. Click on the photo below for a direct link to their website.

Progress to Date 07/05/06

Below is a photo of my sim after removing the ceiling. I made this modification to the FDS nose sectional to accommodate moving my sim in and out of my garage. This will enable me to move my simulator when we relocate after finishing graduate school.

I have finally finished installing my control columns and yokes. They took a lot longer than I thought they would due to the installation of the control loader, but it was well worth the effort.

Before I could install the control loader the platform had to be modified to accept the loader. Below is the forward section of the platform modified to accept the control loader.

Below is a photo of the control loader installed in the forward section of the platform.

Below is the cut I made in order to complete the modification to my FDS shell.

Progress to Date 04/24/06

Below are a few new photos of my flight deck with the MIP in place. Also note the new rudder pedal assembly below the MIP.

With the MIP in place it is really beginning to look like a real flight deck.

The rudder pedal assembly below is my latest attempt to redesign them to improve their feel and appearance. Click on the photo below for a direct link to my rudder pedal section for additional photos and information.

My 737 Nose Section from Flight Deck Solutions has come along very nicely. I made a platform out of plywood to reduce weight in the event I am able to eventually add motion. Be sure to check out the fabrication page and click on cockpit floor to view the construction of my platform. Or click on the photo below for a direct link to the fabrication page.

I am very proud of the Signature 737 NG Main Instrument Panel from Flight Deck Solutions. It is pictured below with 3 LCD's in place as well as an actual gear handle from a 727/737. Note the flap indicator gauge as well as the brake pressure gauge supplied by Flight Illusion. I am awaiting my order of an Elite CDU from Flight Deck Solutions and will add that as well as a lower EICAS LCD screen once the CDU arrives. For additional information and photos click on the link to panels above or click on the photo below.

Below is a picture of my instrument stand. I modified the plans slightly to accommodate the LCD's as well an actual gear handle. Go to the fabrication page and click on instrument stand or click on the photo below for more detailed photos as well as a link to the plans.

Below is a picture of my progress to date of my rudder pedal assembly. Now that my MIP is  almost complete, I am going back and redesigning my rudder pedal assemblies. I decided I wanted a more realistic feel than I was getting. Be sure to check out the flight control section of my website and click on rudder pedals or click on the photo below to see my latest design.