The simulator is loosely based on a Beechcraft Baron 58 GA aircraft, I wont be getting carried away with picture perfect duplication
It is 1700 long 1220 wide
and 1350 high (1900 with platform)
Constructed in wood the whole (movable) part is 155 KG's not including
pilots
Software I use is FS9 with add on 75 mesh New Zealand scenery and various
local airport refinement packages.
I intend to use FS Chatter which is a program for using com radio frequencies to change random chatter. It seems to be a good program but I want it to run out of another speaker, Esound by Pete Dowson moves sound to other sound cards and with FS 98 and a program called GPWS 98 you could direct sound and radio chatter anywhere you liked, unfortuanately GPWS only works in FS 98 because it is an adventure. I cannot program Esound to send an external programs (like FS Chatter) to another sound card, if any one is familiar with Esound programming I would like to hear from you. I am using Wideview for my side views and intend to put a dual head video card into the motion computer to run left and right views on LCD screens. I am using a laptop for instructor station, not because I'll do any instructing but it is the best way to change weather without stopping the sim.
My inputs come from 3 sound card game ports for the axis controls (elevator,aileron, rudder,pitch, mixture, throttles, trim) and the buttons for brakes etc. I am using PPjoy running from the parallel port I can program 60 buttons from it and it works with FSUIPC well, I am also using a homemade keyboard interface for everything else.
I have modified a few panel cfg files so I can fly the 737-400, beech baron 58, Kingair 350, C172 and the extra 300, I will include some kind of fighter and I want to put in removable controls for a helo as well, this gives me lots of variety.
I have V8 supercars 2 and need for speed so am going to sit in the right seat (Thats where us Kiwi's sit to drive!) and throw some micro switches onto the controls to see how a motion car sim goes.
I will be able to control motion from an overhead panel This will compensate for weight difference on each side (fat co-pilots) so the return to centre is the same and I can change roll and pitch speed to suit different aircraft.
The motion system is up and working and I have tweaked the software/hardware quite a bit and have got a really good, realistic result, it is a totally different feeling now than when I first got motion, my advice to anyone who builds a motion sim based on this idea is that the initial movement you get when you first get your sim moving is only the start and it takes alot of work to refine it to something you can use.