31/12/2012  Well I hope you had a great Christmas and you got all the 'Goodies' you wanted.   Well, look what Santa brought me.  

My mate Joe Lavery (of PCPilot Fame) is making 737 Chronographs and 'quite by chance' two ended up in our house Christmas morning.    These are NOT expensive when you compare them to other options out there.  I don't know exactly what the bride paid for them, but I seem to guess they were about £120 (about 145 euro) each.   Choice of two bezels, one to fit the Engravity MIP and one to fit the FDS.  Or choose the one you want for your home made MIP.    No point me going into 'in depth fitting' here because Jeremy did a how I fitted them thread on MyCockpit http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25431   Instructions and Bezel Size .pdf's are above.   Just click on the image for more information. Contact Joe HERE

I ended up with some Christmas Cash didn't I.  So I thought I'd make Mathias a little richer and went over to Aerosoft to spend some of it.   Ended up adding 3 new destinations to the route network.   Bought the EPKK2012 Krakow, LGIR X Heraklion and the BIKF Keflavik Scenery packages.   EPKK & BIKF are AES compatible so that's a plus :o)     By far the best of the three is the EPKK scenery, very detailed and 'busy'.    Dont know what all the hype is about Heraklion, dont get me wrong, it's OK, but just seems a bit 'Grey' lacking colour and traffic.   I prefer the Keflavik because you never know visibility and wind speed going in there :o)
Just doing the 'end of year' round up, so hope to have that uploaded sometime next week.

20/12/2012  Ok I know, i'm behind with things.  Well just want to thank everybody for making it another busy and enjoyable year.  So can I take this opportunity to wish you all and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2013.

16/12/2012  Managed to get the Digits in Colin Batson's Overhead - I'm stunned !    SIMWORLD have changed the 7 segment displays and now supply a 'smoked glass' faceplate.   The effect is fabulous, the picture doesn't do it justice believe me.
And on top of building panels, doing development work and all the other 'bits and bob's', still had time to fit in visitors.   2012 saw my first Israeli visitor Uri Tevel who thoroughly enjoyed himself, then Friday Derek Leather was here from Chorley.  A very motivated and interested sort of chap who really knew his way around a 737 :o)

14/12/2012  There's a SIMWORLD Rear Overhead on the go now, but with the Christmas Holiday fast approaching, I guess this is as far as I'm going to get with it until the New Year Arrives

13/12/2012  Well No.2 Overhead is ready to go to Jan Willem.  What started out as a sad looking piece of metal is now cleaned, wired up and working in Prosim.  All that needs to be done is to fit the Lightplates and the last few remaining annunciator legends and it's a nice piece of kit.   I originally was also going to fit the Opencockpits gauges, but I came across a problem with the OC verus Engravity fixing holes, so i was going to glue them in, but Jan Willem didn't want to play that game, so Eren is going to fit them.             This is how it progressed over a three week period.  Good experience, because you are governed by what you can hide in a forward overhead, but doing this I have discovered a way to double the in's and out's in the same area. Stack the cards using standoffs.         So, it then becomes possible to 1. Hide upto 6 cards in the forward overhead and 2. connect up all switches & LED's.

08/12/2012  Well the First SIMWORLD Forward Overhead Panel for Colin Batson is complete and ready to go.  While I was building it, I kept a Diary of how it progressed throughout the build.
This is a 'Lite' version having 1 x BU0836X card, 1 x BBI-32 card for inputs and a Phidgets LED64 for outputs.  64 ins and 64 outs.  Configured and connected to Prosim.  It works very well.
I'm also 're-vamping' an Engravity Forward Overhead for JWS which is nearing completion and i'll be uploading pictures of that shortly.   The SIMWORLD Build Diary is HERE or just click on the image on the left to get there.

07/12/2012  Just spent the last three weeks building two overhead panels (the third i haven't even looked at yet).   I also have two rear overheads to build as well. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY AN OVERHEAD, GET A SIMWORLD PANEL !!   I know i go on about it, but the quality just is amazingly brilliant and that's a fact.  Colin Batson's is just about complete, just got to fit the 7 segment displays and the gauges.  Here's some shots of it as it was being built.   It's up and running and configured in Prosim and all is exactly as expected which is always a bonus :o)
I've also got an Engravity Panel here for re-vamp and the same technique is being applied to that.   Pictures soon as i get time, but with Christmas coming Madame is diverting my time and attentions elsewhere :o)  More Build pics HERE (not finished yet - but will be soon)

02/12/2012  Alan Watson has a set of CH Rudder Pedals up for grabs.  He tells me they are 'As New' and still in the original box.   He's looking for £50 (under half price) for them plus shipping (or you can collect from him in Crawley).  Contact Alan HERE if you are interested at all.

Lee Elcocks still has his second overhead panel available.   He ended up with two.   This is a Brand New completely wired Poldragonet Overhead ready to work in PROSIM.  Lee tells me there's two Bodnar cards and 1 x LED64ADV cards in it and he's even got the config file if you want it.   He's dropped the price to £1100 plus shipping because he wants the money to put towards his TQ.   Now this has to be a bargain for somebody.
Contact Lee HERE if you are intertested.   Also available for collection from TELFORD

29/11/2012  What's wrong with me? There's F*****g Overhead Panels everywhere!  I've got 2 SIMWORLD Forward and Rear Panels to build.  One for Colin Batson and one for Tom McBennett and an Engravity one to completely re-vamp for Jan Willem.   Man this is keeping me busy.   Estimated Build Time from Unpacking a Simworld Forward Overhead to completion is about 80 Hours, so i've got my work cut out here.  I'm keeping a Diary of the Build (Not complete yet), so anybody embarking on this type of project may get some ideas.  I'll upload it soon.  Plan is to have Colin's Forward Overhead complete by end of next week and then I can crack on with Jan Willem's, but I'm waiting for some APEM switches from Eren for that.
All 3 Panels are going to be used inn Prosim, so making a common switch/connection plan is the way to go.  I'm using a BU0836 and a BBI-32 as the inputs and a Phidgets LED64ADV for the outputs.    Reason I used 1 x BU0836X is because there are analog inputs available on the Overhead in Prosim.   More soon as i crack on.

16/11/2012  More FSWeekend pics.   Just love the one of Rhys on the Bridge of The Enterprise :o)   And some more snippets of News into the Bargain.   Actually the Guys at Revolution have developed an Enhanced Version of the Instructor Station for Prosim.   It's actually very good indeed and the Plan is to make it available to Prosim Users.   No Pricing as of yet, but as soon as i know i'll advise.          We got a a chance to 'play' with it before Rhys was elected as the Controller.
Next Up Eren brought a half cockpit (sort of a Cabriolet version) to the show to demonstrate the Motorised Yokes and the NEW Adjustable Rudders.   Very nice too.

   Then I have to give Max at the Airport Hotel a mention.  He is one of the few people who I know who can insult you and make you laugh at the same time.    In fact what a lovely guy who is more than a host, he's your mate as well.         It's got to be the place to stay when attending the show.   And to top that what really impressed me was the 3 litre bottle of Jack Daniels they keep on the bar.   Got to try it out haven't you :o)
A thoroughly enjoyable weekend and my thanks to The Prosim Team, Rhys Betteridge, Alan Watson, John Perrin, Jan Willem and Pernelle Severijnen, Eren & Oral from Revolution Simproducts, Andras Kozma and everybody else who was there that made it such a great weekend.

05/11/2012  FSWeekend 2012, I was there !    Great weekend, we were VERY BUSY on the Revolution-Simproducts stand Saturday.  I just did not have time to draw breath.   Eren brought a half JETSTREAM COCKPIT to display and that really drew the crowds.    The Production version of the Cockpit Seat was there too, so I had to take some pics for my colleague Carlos Hermida.
And of course there were the mandatory THROTTLE QUADRANTS.
And it was a great pleasure to meet up with Hanne and Marty and the rest of  Team Prosim.   I'm getting heavily involved with Prosim and it's great fun.   I'll be doing a lot of work over the winter on Prosim 'How To's', so Watch This Space.  I'll be assembling a Prosim Page as well with lots of Tip's & Tricks.

Nice to see the Guys from SIMWORLD again.  They were showing their new 'Plug & Play' Overhead Panel.  They had a PRO Version on show which is fitted with all the APEM 'Pull To Release' switches which really add something (not just the cost) to the Panel.  These are available HERE

I've been VERY Busy this week after coming back from the show.   First up, I'm doing some work for Dieter Jakob at Routech, but that is an ongoing project over the winter.   Nice to see him and his wife again.  One of the most genuine and funny people I have ever come across in my experiences in the Flight Sim Community.

There's a new Sim In at Coventry Airport, Flight Simulator Midlands, so second job this week has been helping Capt. Chris RIGBY transition his sim from the Old Flightdeck Software over to Prosim.  And yesterday we managed to get him in the air using Prosim737.  He did actually say he was excited :o)    Dont know where i'd be without Teamviewer.   Superb remote control of PC's, a 'must have' for remote support and PC setup.      I have loads more pictures from Lelystad which i'll try and upload over the weekend.

18/10/2012  Really got to grips with the IFly 737 Cockpit Builders Edition.   I now have to download and install the Full PRO version and get to grips with that, but i'm off to Greece for a Week 23rd of October and then it's the Lelystad show.

09/10/2012  IFly737 Cockpit Builders Edition.  Well i managed to get a 'development' copy of this software and i've been setting this up in my workshop as a favour for a colleague and this is where we are at right now. 
The copy I had was all in separate installation files.  Bit of a ballache getting it all in, installed and activated.   However, Steve Masson tells me the end product will be an 'all in one' package. That is going to be a bonus believe me.     So, the first thing to do is get the aircraft installed in FSX.    Piece of cake.     I wanted to do this to check PC performance and FPS (average 35-40 with highly detailed Aerosoft and UK2000 Xtreme addons) which is good.
Next up i needed to get the displays working.  The image on the right shows how i set it up.   PC1 visuals and CPFlight MCP.  PC2 Cpt. PFD/ND & Upper Eicas.  PC3 Lower DU & F/O PFD/ND.    Setting up the displays takes some understanding, but once I realised the concept, a walk in the park.   There's a very good manual on doing this that comes with the package, but you have to go looking for it, it's not included in the menu items.     So, that's the setup.     Today I'm going to be testing it all out with some Autopilot functions and hand flying.      

05/10/2012  Lee Elcock's mailed me today, He's got a Brand New UNUSED Forward Overhead FOR SALE.
In his own words "A brand new Symulatory FWD overhead panel for sale. Fitted with three of the new BBI32 cards from Leo Bodnar, and one Phidgets LED64 ADV card. Not all of the switches are simulated, but all switches that are essential for fight sim are available and working. Unit fully tested with prosim, config file available if you request. USB lead and power supply for Phidgets supplied. USB leads for bodnar cards are not. There are spare ports if you would like to add more "working switches"
Lee is asking £1300 + shipping or if you want you can collect it from TELFORD.   He's even got the config file if you want to use it.   Mail him HERE if you are interested

And Then some.   I have been invited to check out the iFly 737 Cockpit Builders Edition to see what we can do with it, so i need to setup a network running FSX to load it on.   Main machine is good to go but i'm short of a PC to run the hardware/software on.  Bits ordered from Novatech Friday so hopefully will arrive Monday/Tuesday for assembly.   I've been talking to Steve Masson (really pleasant chap and the Main Man on this Product) and hopefully next week we'll have it running. so watch this space :o)
    
Andrew Bosworth was here from Reading for a look at the sim and a chat about Prosim.   Very enthusiastic chap and really interested in how it all works.  And like Stephen Balmer, i dont think we've seen the last of Andy :o)
Ok, what with being on holiday in September (i have to go again in October :o)  ) and with other things happening, i'm so busy.

02/10/2012  Fair Play, Lockheed Martin refunded me, so I'm a Happy Chappie :o)   So I did the decent thing and donated the money to the BLOODHOUNDSSC attempt on the Land Speed Record.  Going to get my name on the tail.

21/09/2012  Asked for a Refund on Prepar3D, just cant get it to run at a reasonable frame rate with Add On Scenery.   Fine with 'stock' scenery, but it's just not 'up there' enough.  At High Settings in Palma and Budapest rates were down as low as 8.   UK2000 Xtreme scenery fared better with averages of about 15-18 fps. But not good enough.  And it's an i5 machine with a real cool video card.      Let's see if they part with the money as easily as they take it...Watch this space.

10/09/2012  My thanks again for another successful year for visitors.  Over 164,000 distinct visits to 31/08/2012.   Also brought in lots of interesting emails and new contacts.
Prosim Sounds .pdf is done. click the link or on the image below.   That's it, have a great week, i'm off to Greece and back home 18th Sptember where I have a plan :o)

09/09/2012  Well with the introduction of the Academic Licence for PREPAR3D, I decided to give it a trial. Downloading it is a feat in itself at 10.5gb, but hey you have to give it a go.
Based around FSX there's a few enhancements, but no stock 737.   Getting scenery in was relatively easy because I used the FSX to Prepar3d Migration Tool from Simmarket which made migration painless.  It fools your installers into thinking that Prepar3d is FSX so all installations go into Prepar3d - Easy :o)   BUT, performance wise, out of the box with stock scenery it runs fine.  As soon as I put payware UK2000 and Aerosoft scenery and weather in, frame rates dropped to as low as 8, not good.  Test machine was a clean install W7 64bit PC with Quad core Intel at 3.2Ghz and 4mb Ram.   So it appears if you want to run Prepar3d, think big processor (I7) 8mb Ram and a very high end video card.   So in conclusion, $49.95 for the program - a bargain, but you need to spend 1500 euro's on a machine to run it    Hmmmmm.

02/09/2012  Right then, we've got the Trim Up and Trim Down wave file working both on the Manual Trim Switch and using the internal Trim Motor Up and Trim Motor Down Gates in Prosim.   Great News.

The Sound files are creating a mountain of fun, not just for me, but I have been talking to several people about adding sound effects.   It is quite complicated to do if you've never done it before as i've been experiencing with a couple of colleagues, so i am working on a 'How To' document to try to make life a little easier for mates who are just starting out on this road.
I hope to have it done by the weekend.

Sad to see Project Opensky has closed.   I remember playing with several of their models when i started using Prosim.   I have three models available.   An Air Europa 737-600, a Thomson 737-800 and a Boeing House colours 737-800 which I'll make available on the Downloads page later in the week.

23/08/2012  Look what i've got on my desk :o)   These are the new BBI-32 Interfaces from Leo Bodnar.   This chap is truly amazing.  Very high quality 32 Button Interface allows you to connect upto 32 switches, 16 encoders and now 11 rotary's.   I haven't quite worked out the rotary's yet, but the brides away at a wedding in Sardinia, so I've got some time to play and find out.    And the Price - Jaw Droppingly low at GB£29.95.    Check them out here http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BBI-32/ 

Then, two days this week I had Tom McBennett here. Tom is an ex-Aer Lingus Captain with 39,000 flying hours logged. He's flown everything from a kite to a 747.     Tom is building his cockpit at home and wanted an insight into how he could tweak Prosim to get the best out of it.   So we had quite a few hours to explore the program and get a couple of sectors in as well.  Great stories from his flying career and a real character.

17/08/2012  More Goodies Up For Grabs !   Norman Bartlett has the following Items FOR SALE - Details Below
 
 

First Up, there's his Home Made TQ.  All built and wired, just needs connecting up to a Bodnar Card. This is full scale with working throttles, reversers, parking brake,fuel cutoffs and flaps.  The construction is mdf shell with all top covers made in Aluminium! it looks as good as any off the shelf but is not motorised  £360
Next there's an Opencockpits MCP, the type without the box and 2 x EFIS Units. All are in very good condition the MCP is unmarked! He will sell the Efis units for £100 each and the MCP for £225 or £400 the lot.
And Finally he's got an unused Symulatory Steering Tiller at £50
Prices are Plus Shipping or can be picked up from TAMWORTH.       If any thing is of Interest, you can contact Norman HERE

12/08/2012 Been putting in a new Cockpit Computer this week because not to put too fine a point on it, the old one was F****d.  

 I'm sure you know what i mean :o) Using SanDisk SSD's.  What a performance increase.  Load time drastically reduced and saved flights are loading in the blink of an eye :o)    So while i was doing that I got toying around with new sound files for use in Prosim.  Some i have adapted from the old PMDG Files, but they still sound good.   The cockpit of a 737 is not a quiet environment and the more 'ambience' that we have the better it is for me.    So here's the result of this weeks fun and games.   Click on an image to hear the file or right click and save it.   All the files are enclosed in the .zip file if that makes life easier.   The APdisconnect was recorded in a real 737.     I'm going to be experimenting today with the trim wave file because i want to see if i can get it working with the Trim Motor gate and also on the manual trim switch on the yokes.  Watch this space.

BY THE WAY there's going to be some more kit for sale.  Norman Bartlett has an Opencockpits MCP, 2 x EFIS and a TQ for sale.
I'll be uploading pictures, prices and contact details this week

04/08/2012   Steve Mitchell and I both send our thanks.  Everything and I mean everything from his cockpit sold.   I cant believe it.  These items were only uploaded Tuesday Morning and by close of play Friday, all that was left was the dust.   All we got to do now is distribute it around the UK & Europe.
Right, some interest in more sound files to use with Prosim.  I've emailed these to several people over the week, so i thought i'd upload them for easy access.   These are the three 'V' speed callouts which you can trigger with a Gate in Prosim. Click on an image to hear the file and then download the VSpeeds .zip file - easy :o) More Coming.

31/07/2012   Well I was over at Steve Mitchell's yesterday.  He's moving and his sim has to go.  So, he has lots of kit available for sale.   Have a look at the For Sale page HERE.  Some nice kit available from CPFlight, Simworld, Engravity, there's a TQ, a yoke an Aluminium Centre Pedestal and some other 'trinkets'.

28/07/2012   Another GLB Flight Products Gear Lever arrived for wiring up this week.  I am really impressed with these at the money.
You can not only connect it up via a Bodnar Card, but you can light it up as well.   Simple connection.  See the doc on the right.
This one was for Colin Batson in Norfolk.

Right, another visitor this week.  Steve Cozens (LarryLynx) was here and we were discussing all sorts of things, especially sounds in the cockpit.   I was showing Steve what I had got working and I guess he was suitably impressed.   

There is going to be more kit for sale.   Coming Up is an Engravity CDU, a full set of CPFlight Radios, a Symulatory TQ (non motorised), some home made yokes and an MIP.  A CPFlight Full Size 737EL MCP with 2 x EFIS and a CPFlight MCPEX expansion board.  There's also a SIMWORLD overhead which is wired up on 2 x Bodnar Cards and a Phidgets LED64 card.        I've got the MCPEX1 board HERE.  Expands the USB 737MCP and the Old style RS232 type MCP.  Connects over a 40 pin Data Cable.  Allows 64 configurable digital inputs, 6 analog (pots) inputs.  Has 10 assignable Relay outputs and 2 x digital outputs.    
£30 + shipping.
The rest of the kit will be here this week, so i'll photograph it and give more details when i've spoken to Steve Mitchell tomorrow.

21/07/2012   Cockpit performance is now back upto standard, it's running like a watch.  Did a couple of flights yesterday to fine tune the controls and add some sound effects, talking of which......   I was playing around with some wave files for the APU Start, Run & Shutdown which I can trigger from gates in Prosim.   Great effect.   Click on a Wave Image to hear the sounds and the right  image contains them in a .zip file..    More sound files coming.
It's taken me 5 weeks to do the transition to Prosim, but it's been well worth it because raising the bar on system performance and realism has certainly been worth the effort, I'm really pleased with the results.

Two new destinations now for us to Fly To.   Spent my pocket money this week on the New Sharm el Sheik (HESH) and Nice Cote de Zur (LFMN) scenery packages from Aerosoft.    Going to install them today, so i'll get some screenshots.

And a day out this week again, Stephen Balmer was here from Glasgow having a spin and discussing interfacing.   Now here's a man with ambition.    I suspect we will be seeing a lot more of Stephen.

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14/07/2012   Thanks chaps, everything sold except the speakers, but what have they got to do with cockpit building, they'll have to go on ebay.  Well Lelystad is up again this year and I've been talking to Eren and we're showing again.   So, if you didn't book, then now's the time. Call MAX at the Airport Hotel, he's got space.   Here's the No. +31 (0)320 216286 or info@lelyhotel.nl .   I've just booked Friday & Saturday Night.   So, I'll see you there then :o)

A few people have asked me about getting my overhead working with Prosim and I have one arriving shortly to build for Colin Batson.  So, I've written the switchmap document which will help you sort out which switch you need to use with which function.   Here's the first draft.

10/07/2012   Had a terrible week with the TQ, just can't get it working right in Prosim.  Erroneous behaviour.  But my compliments to Oral who has been bouncing scripts back and forth to me to try to get it right.   I've disabled the auto's at the moment because I want to get the cockpit flying and flying well.

02/07/2012 Happy to advise the Overhead is back in and running with Prosim 100%.
Been test flying it. Went into Corfu on VATSIM yesterday and who's there - well Sean Nixon.
What i've got to do now is get the TQ working.  I have been talking to Oral who is going to sort the script for me - then all it needs is a f*****g good clean :o)
Ok, here's the kit I have FOR SALE. A CPFlight 85% Scale USB MCP.      My Home Made EFIS Units.        A Pokeys 55USB Card.     A BU0836 Card on a Breakout Board. 
A CPFlight Metal Desktop MCP & EFIS Frame.       And 2 Sets of BOSE Speakers.
Just click on the FOR SALE Sign or one of the images above for more info & price.
There is some interest already in the Pokeys card an the EFIS Units.   Thanks chaps.

26/06/2012 The Glare Wing Switches & Warning Annunciators are In and Working :o)   Pics by the weekend because I've got the Overhead Out for re-wiring and the cockpit looks like something out of Aircrash Investigations.     I've done a bit more on the Prosim Overhead Switchmap document and when I finish the Wiring on the Overhead and tested it, i'll be able to finish that.
 I'm Having a Hanger Sale soon.  Items will include a Pokeys55 card, a CPFlight MCP/EFIS Frame, two Homemade EFIS Units, 2 Sets of BOSE Speakers 1 x 100watts and 1 x 150watts and some other stuff that i have no use for anymore so they can go to a good home.   Details soon.

22/06/2012 Well it's like saying Goodbye to an old friend.  The PMDG 737 gave me so much fun and threw challenges at me that taught me so much for which I will always be grateful.
But the PMDG is no more, it's dead, buried and done for.  R.I.P. :o)
I have been setting up a system running Prosim737 which I have been toying around with for about 6 months, then Monday I decided that it has to be installed in the cockpit.
So, off I went, wire cutters in hand and set about destroying my cockpit :o(
There's wires everywhere.    But by Wednesday Night I've got the displays in and working, the CPFlight MCP and CDU hooked up and it's flying.  Two test flights Manchester to Milan and Liverpool to Alicante.   Both flights successful.
Now comes the long road of completely re-wiring all the switches so they work with Prosim.   By the way, I like the new feature that makes the assignments easier where Prosim reads the action of a switch and then lets you automatically apply that switch to your given function.  And the program is now even auto updating itself which is going to save a lot of work.   Here's a few snaps of it working.    Today's job is to get the Captains Glare switches and Warning Annunciators wired up to the CPFlight MIP737 Board.

16/06/2012 No I'm not dead nor have i gone into hiding :o)   Just been so busy with stuff.   The New Truck arrived after waiting 16 weeks for delivery, but it's fabulous.   Then I've been decorating and moving my daughter to a new house, Madame wanted all the Gardening Equipment Serviced and Sharpened.  You know how it is :o(
Now onto the serious shit...... I haven't been doing nothing in my absence. I've been sorting out the switch map for the Prosim overhead and also the outputs for the annunciators from the PHIDGETS LED64ADV.  I'm in the process of writing it all up, so i'll upload it when i'm finished.

Also CARDIFF Xtreme from Gary Summons UK2000 is out, so I had to go buy it didn't I :o)   Me and Rhys BETTERIDGE just had to fly in when we did our 'Ryanair Day'.
Manchester to Lisbon, Lisbon to Milan and finally Milan to Cardiff all in one day - PHEW!
Sim performed beautifully, just one snag which meant he had to do a Raw Data 
Approach Into Cardiff, but that's what it's all about.

22/05/2012 Just had a 10 days in Greece, no worries, no issues with Euro's and everybody is still working in cash in their back pocket ... hmmmm :o)  :o)   But you have to love the Greeks don't you.
Right, before I get going on the Cockpit re-furb, here's something for you to think about.  My colleague Simon Lummis is going to ride a bicycle 900 miles from the farthest point in the west of England to the top of Scotland.  And he's going to do it in 9 days, that is ride a bike 100 miles a day (takes me all my time to ride mine 2 miles to the shop and back).
He's doing it for the Help For Heroes charity so if you can, please donate something even if it's only £1, 1 euro or $1.
Just click on the image to donate - Thanks Chaps :o)

05/05/2012 Couple of mails in about the digits. One in from Norman Bartlett who asked about them.   He attached some of his build pics for me. This is all hand made...... I stand in awe at people who have a skill with wood.  I was so impressed I just had to share them.   Well done Norm :o)

01/05/2012 Another set of digits :o) These are becoming another job I do.   These are destined for Alan Watson's Overhead Panel which I wired up for him recently.
I've also found time to fit the GLB Gear Lever.  What a f*****g job!   Had to re-model everything to make it fit.   But it's done and I'm really pleased with it.   Photo's coming.

Also a couple of visitors in over the last week so the sim has been flying full bore. My mate Rhys Bettridge (left) was here.  Rhys is ex Air Canada 767 Transatlantic pilot having a 'Gap Year'.   Always a pleasure to fly with Real World Pilots, you pick up little tricks off them.  One stop was Innsbruck because Rhys used to fly 757's into LOWI. To quote "Many thanks again for a great day flying, not only a great sim but great fun to share the flight deck with someone as kind and enjoyable as yourself"
Never had a visitor from South Africa until now.  Yesterday Gert De Beer (right) arrived from Johannesburg for some serious Simming and to learn how i do things.  He was 'gobsmacked' when he saw the sim and even more amazed when he actually got to fly it. :o)

23/04/2012 The Revolution - Jetstream Website has gone live.   Eren called me Friday so I could have a look round it.   The Yokes, the Liners and even the Cockpit shell is up there.   There's some suprise prices on TQ's and even a non motorised one again.  Check it out HERE or click the image

22/04/2012 The Digits have raised their head again.  I've got three sets to make for buddies.  This is a set I made for Richard Hutchinson (ok i know there's one digit missing, but he only sent me 12).    And Alan Watson is 'gagging' for a set as well.    It's not difficult to do so go on, have a go.  The doc on the right tells you how to do it.

18/04/2012 First, thanks to everybody who called, e-mailed and Facebook'd me on my Birthday (18th).   Do I know that many people :o)    I even got a few Birthday Cards in the mail.   Thank you!
The Sim has been extremely busy the last two weeks and consequently so have I.     Will Ngan (far left) all the way from San Jose California was here on the 13th and the 14th while he was in the UK.   Will is hoping to Join Cathay Pacific on their Simulator Team in Hong Kong shortly so I guess he came here to check out the competition :o)  :o)  :o)    Then 17th saw Cap'n Roger Harris (centre) here again for some more beating the crap out of the sim practising VOR/DME approaches into Alicante and Corfu.   Roger always goes away smiling.
Then Thursday saw Roy Brown from Spain in.  Roy lives near REUS and is building a 737 in one of his bedrooms.  What a life eh!  Sun, Sand and 737 into the bargain :o)

04/04/2012 Nothing to do with Cockpit Building, but I've been watching MOONSHINERS on the Discovery Channel (a subject very close to my heart) and this made me smile....  the 'dumb ass' Lawman said ' Moonshining is a money driven criminal activity' - well same can be said about Leehman Brothers, J P Morgan, Barclays, RBS and Citicorp I suppose :o))  If you haven't seen this series watch it, you'll love Tickle and Popcorn Sutton..........

Right, Simon Corish was on to me, he's got an OPENCOCKPITS MCP (uncased) and an EFIS for sale.  Simon tells me they are in excellent condition and he's looking at around 300 euro's for them.   So if anybody has an interest,  You can contact Simon HERE

 01/04/2012 Several things on the go.....First up i've been wiring some of Geremy's Gear Levers to the BU0836 card so he can offer a 'Plug & Play' solution.  The idea has worked very well and hopefully it'll help him sell a few more.     So I wired the one i bought off him ready to go in the pit this summer and i realised, you can also light the Knob LED from Leo's card as well because there is a 5v tap from the USB Bus on it which will drive the Knob LED thru a 330ohm resistor into the bargain.

Next, i've been playing around with the sound environment and started to collect all the ATC Chatter files i have around the place.    There's a collection of over 600 Ground, Tower, Approach and En Route files contained within this Zip File.
They are in wave format so you can use them in any program which can play Chatter Files like FDC or the newer Flight Deck Live Cockpit.

18/03/2012    EREN's been in contact again, they are ready to put v2 of the TQ into production, so he wants to clear the stock of v1.8 Throttle Quadrants.   He's offering these at 2999 euros + vat with a fixed shipping rate in Europe of 110 euros.   He tells me there are seven in the production phase, so if you want a TQ, here's your chance.
Click the Image to contact EREN or here's the link to his email address.

15/03/2012    EREN's just been on the phone and there's lots of news from Paris.
First up, I first saw this about 18 months ago.  What they have done is develop a full metal construction IPECO copy seat.    It's fully adjustable, exactly like the 'real deal'.      Development is now finished and you can expect to see this being made available soon.    I dont have any pricing information as of this time, but as soon as i do i'll post it.  Or mail EREN HERE for more information.

EASYJET First Officer Manesh Kumar was here from Belfast for a play.....He's on A319's but we thought we'd give him the opportunity to fly something that doesn't do all the work for you.     He said " This Sim is absolutely amazing ".  He must have had a good time, he wants to come back :o)

27/02/2012    Just had an e-mail from Chris Hodgson who was here last week prior to his Sim Check at Gatwick HE PASSED !  Chris said  "I passed the sim check with flying colours! The time spent in your simulator certainly helped me gain familiarity with the instrument layout and scan pattern."  JOB DONE THEN !

The workbench is clear for now, just waiting for two more overhead panels to arrive.  So in the mean time I've been flying the sim lots & lots :o))       Three more destinations added this week.   Upgraded the Athens LGAV scenery to the Fly Tampa version.   Very nice rendition of Venezelos indeed.   Also purchased Gary Summon's UK2000 EGNX East Midlands.   Again he's done a superb job as always.    And finally I bought Eiresim's EGGW London Luton.   Not quite upto Gary's standard, but still very good indeed.   Check them out for some new eye candy......
Two visitors coming tomorrow, so i'd better go and clean out the sim then :o))

21/02/2012    Three Visitors in the last 5 days, so the sim has been doing it's bit.  Very pleased to welcome our first Thomas Cook pilot Chris Hodgeson.   Chris is doing a sim check tomorrow at Gatwick on a 737. so he came for some practise on Raw Data Approaches, ILS to DH in Minima and one engine ops.   Great fun and a pleasure to see the sim used to it's fullest potential.
Wednesday saw Neil Heather & Norman Sutton over for a visit.  Neil (ex-First Choice & Jet2) has been before but this time he brought a colleague Norman Sutton.  Norman is ex SAAB 340 captain and is 82 years old which only goes to prove you're never too old to enjoy 'simming'.  They had a great time touring the taxiways at Gatwick, Manchester & East Mids.

15/02/2012    I have been talking to Tom BYRNE from Galway.  Tom has a full flight sim situated at the Airport.   Sadly the airport is now closed and he has to find a new home for the sim.  It's an ex-Sabena Simulator refurb'd in NG configuration running FS9.   Tom is looking to sell it.  He tells me 'The asking price is Eu90K or nearest offer which I realise sounds a lot of money, but this is the real deal and when fully completed will be worth an awful
lot more.    This sim cost Sabena $1.1m when they purchased it.     I would really love to find a new owner who has the enthusiasm to see it reach its full potential'.    You can contact Tom HERE

11/02/2012 Well news this week is Eren has been in touch about  his latest product.    Look at these then.    Full 737 Shell Liner Set.   Just look at the attention to detail.   Very simple assembly, each side comes as 3 sections.  The Lower, Centre & Top.    9 Nuts & Bolts Per Side which means two guys can put this together in an hour.
Available as the Whole Shell at 2950 euro or just the Captains side at  1800 euro plus vat, plus shipping.   Check them out HERE

04/02/2012 Thanks chaps, the MITSUBISHI Sold and i didn't even have to haggle.
Having a brand new Toyota Hilux with the new 2012 registration  :o))  :o))  :o))
Well had a lot on lately and Cockpit Building has sort of taken a 'back seat' at the moment.   In fact I am ashamed to say, my sim has only been on once this year.   But my desk/workbench is getting clear and I'm eager to continue getting Prosim more Integrated in the Cockpit.   I know the CPFlight Kit and the Engravity CDU work with it, so i want to have the F/O station and the EICAS Screens running so i can keep it flyable while i sort the Captains side.   And with v1.3 we now have weather radar, so next time the Cockpit's on, i'll get some shots.
Well Gez from GLB Flight Products was onto me about the Gear Lever.  I did promise I would photograph it, but things don't always go to plan, do they.  With al the work I've been doing for everybody else, i actually haven't fitted it yet.   But over the weekend, i'll take some shots of it.
It really is a nice piece of kit for the money and coming from me, that's a compliment.
2011 News & Photo's moved to it's own page HERE

09/01/2012 'ere, anybody want to buy a MITSUBISHI L200?    I'm changing my motor and have For Sale my Truck.  Nov 2004 L200 pickup with Genuine 26,000 Miles which i've had from new. Full Service History, MOT'd until Mid Nov.2012 and Taxed till the end of October. Very Clean Inside and Out (yes it really is this clean).  New Cam Belt Fitted at 5 years old as recommended by the Manufacturer and New Battery Fitted last winter.  Sony Radio/CD Player.  Electric windows.  Electric heated Mirrors.  Towbar (i used to tow the Microlight with it).    A real good buy for somebody, drives like the day it came out of the factory.  A few little dinks on it which you have to expect from a vehicle like this, but overall in very nice condition for seven years old.   £4500  .... Mail me for more Info HERE or call me in the UK 0794 740 9394

OK, first things first on the News front.  David Bullock has been in touch with a nifty way to overcome the backlight issue with the Opencockpits MCP.   What he's done is use LED strip very cleverly and strategically placed behind the front plate on his unit.    Have a look at the document he wrote using a step by step guide and with photographs detailing how he did it.
Today, we had the first visitor of the year, Roger Harris.
Roger is a ships Captain and this is was his third visit over.    He loves learning all the tips and tricks I pick up from the real guys who come.  In Roger's own words 
My Hearty Thanks for such a great flight, I had a Ball and learned things I was unaware I didn't know.   JOB DONE :o))

my thanks to Bjorn Harlin for the image which i stole because it was the best one i received :o))

01/01/2012 Well the end of another very busy year :o))   I just want to thank everybody for being supportive, understanding and keeping me busy.  50 visitors this year, here's just a few, just look at all those happy faces.

And talking about visitors the final one in this year was Ben Weston from Durham who brought his lovely lady Sally along for a spin in the sim.  Ben is considering building a 100% replica 737 for hire, so we had a good chat about it all and did a full flight test on Prosim.   Worked flawlessly!
Plans for this year is to totally integrate Prosim into the cockpit and do some maintenance.
NEWS TODAY is Prosim is out of BETA.   v1 was officially released 31st December

So, it just remains for me to wish you all a very Happy New Year and here's to 2012.