Simulator parts

[Shawn]

The main reason for me getting involved with machining was another hobby of mine, flight simulation and making simulator cockpits, controls etc. I know, weird hobby Machining quickly grew into a hobby of its own but I really appreciate the ability of being able to make pretty much whatever I want to now. The one issue is that anything I built previously doesn't make the grade now so I have a lot of parts to rebuild.

This is a photo of the last full simulator I built



This is a bad pic of some helicopter flight controls I built from scratch, lots of fun to fly with proper feeling controls. The pedals provide some fairly realistic resistance via a set of hydraulic steering dampness made for pocket bikes.



Same controls just a few modifications earlier.



Shawn

[TomG]

Pretty cool Shawn. How many monitors are in that first pic and how the heck are they all synched? Or does the software support multiple monitors?

Tom

[Shawn]

There are 10 monitors total in that sim, two of them are not shown in the photo (the 90 degree left and right windows). The 10 monitors are running on 6 computers with a software package providing the ability for them to communicate across a network. When I'm ready to take a hammer to a computer that's when I retreat to the relative tranquility of my shop

If anyone is interested in seeing the simulator in action, here is a video. This sim is used as part of a training program within the Provincial Air Tanker Centre in Kamloops. The fellow in the right side seat is undergoing air attack training, the guy flying the sim is a tanker pilot who works out of Kamloops. I'm the one flying the tanker, you can here me talking to Randy and see the drop I make near the end of the video.