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The Ultimate Homebrewed Cockpit
by Gene Buckle

This entire adventure started 6 years ago when Robbi Hommel introduced me to the fine people at Simulator Training, Inc. They're a small simulator shop that does training on the 737-200, the 727, and recurrent training on the Lockheed Electra. You can learn more about what they've got by clicking here. After I'd had a chance to take a hop in the 737-200 simulator they had, I was given the grand tour. I discovered much to my delight, a Beechcraft Bonanza fuselage sitting in the back corner of the warehouse covered in what looked like at least an inch of dust.

After some inquiries---ok, *pointed* inquiries---I was told the name and phone number of the current owner. I tracked this poor old man down like a cheetah on crank going after some hapless gazelle. He really didn't have a chance. I offered up the kingly sum of $250 for it and he accepted! I was amazed! I had the beginnings of my full up flight simulator. Muahahaha! (What price absolute power?)

My friend Robbi and I finagled a mutual friend into pinching a liftgate truck from his employer so we could get our prize back to my house. Our goal was to turn this innocent little Beech into a virtual spitter of screaming death - an F-15. After some studious research* on the F-15 we began the attempt to refit the interior of the Beech to make it more like an F-15. (* About our studious research: what really happened is we bothered people until they gave us info just to make us go away.)

Unfortunately, turning a Beech into an F-15 is basically an impossible task given the size constraints and other factors. I'd spent the previous six years collecting any bit of avionics I could get my greedly little paws on, no matter the condition. I'd even managed to nail down an A7 HUD and the throttle quadrant from an A-10 because I knew that the A-10 and F-15 use the same upper grips; but the frustration level had risen to such a point that I just threw up my hands and decided to take a break. This was a VERY hard decision to make, however. I was into this so hardcore, I'd even constructed a 24 by 42 foot workshop to make this project easier to accomplish. I'd bought all the right tools and everything else that I'd need.

I had pretty much given up hope until this amazing thing happened...[on the way to the forum...]

Before we get into this journal proper, I have a very important bit of advice for you potential cockpit builders out there: If you're going to start with a real aircraft fuselage, make damn sure your simulator is going to be of THAT type. Otherwise, you're going to have more problems and frustrations than you can shake a stick at. You'll get mean, grumpy, and you'll attempt to bite small children.
It's not a pretty sight, trust me on this.

Oh! Almost forgot. After many back-and-forth email exchanges with my F-15E pilot buddy, I'm supposed to declare "Eagles Rule and Vipers Drool". There. *ducks*

 

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