Successful sim-building is a matter of avoiding the idea of completing your sim at a specified point. Forget it! This is a hobby, not a work project that lands you a promotion!
Places like ebay, aircraft surplus stores, a shop hangar at your local airport, are all goldmines of old, unwanted aircraft parts. It's even easier if you're building a Cessna like me, since 152's and 172's are all over the place.
Some are cheap, some are free, some will cost you a premium, considering you're building a toy which will make people look at you weird.
I had a good jumpstart before I decided documenting this hobby in a blog. I've had several setup ideas and concepts. So here are old pictures of the lower panel of a Cessna 152 and some parts.
Above is a real Cessna 152 cockpit.
Up here, is my initial setup. All of this, except the bright white rocker switches are real Cessna parts. The red twin-rocker Master switch is such an integral part of achieving realism. The avionics master switch, the big white one next to the ignition switch, is also real. Though it may be in various locations in real aircraft.
The ignition switch is also a very important "as real as it gets" part. I have a mind concept on how to pull this off. It'll involve a cheap cabinet lock from a hardware store, as you can see, a 5 or 6-position rotary switch, and a licensed version of FSUIPC. My tests showed this combination is possible. I'll have a special post on this topic when I start working on it so watch out for that.
The centerpiece of any home sim is the Throttle Quadrant. Well, this isn't exactly a quadrant. But the giant throttle control knob is a genuine Cessna part. So is the carb heat knob on the left, and the red mixture knob on the right which, after I'm done, can be adjusted by corkscrewing it in or out and directly pulling it in or out with the center push button - like the real thing. And I've figured out how to do that already. Sweet!
This is the real Cessna 152 trim wheel that accidentally came off when I was setting up my final approach to Hooks Airport. Joke.
I bought this from a website for $40 or $50 I think. Hey, it looks great just sitting on my bookcase with all my aviation stuff! But it will have a new home in my sim. And I've thought of several ways to hook it up. Dedicated post on this one, too.
So, there you have it. All the important hardware I have so far. I also have the CH yoke and rudders that I plan to break apart.
Keep checking for updates!
