Learjet 45 Simulator Project

…took longer than expected, but the Bondo finally cured, and I was able to fill the shell wall voids with foam. It was more than a little surprising that it took so many cans to get it done- 12 in all. The clerks at the local hardware store where I was buying all this spray foam were, not surprisingly,  giving me the twenty questions routine. I’ve learned that telling the truth in these situations is not always the best policy.

It needs to stabilize for a few days before I can start trimming and sanding it down.

Learjet 45 Simulator Cockpit Shell with Foam

Smelly and messy is all I can say about that stuff. Make sure you get some ventilation and/or wear a respirator when working with it.

In preparation for the foaming process, I am filling the grooves (fluting) I made in the outside of the hardboard wall pieces with Bondo to help strengthen and keep their shape if  things ever need to be disassembled. The filler foam will be sprayed on top of that and then shaped with hand tools and automotive finishing sanding blocks (used for body fenders and such).

Learjet 45 Shell (Now with Bondo!)

In my ‘pit, I will be using the Jet 45 Advance Avionics Suite by FlightDeckSoft. A 15-day demo is available and they are having a pre-release discount for a limited time.

If you’re building or flying anything that uses the Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics suite, this may be the package you’ve been looking for!

So far I’ve got my E8600 (3.3 GHz) processor up to 3.9 GHz with no problems. FSX is running great.

Sorry all. It has been too long.

I’ve been enjoying the remaining good weather up here in the northern U.S..

I haven’t made too much progress on the shell, however I have been playing with my PCs trying to figure out what is the best setup for my ‘pit.

Although I love FS9, I also love eye candy. That said, I have decided to take the leap back into FSX. After some reading, and some purchasing, I think I’ve come up with a very strong FSX system that will last for awhile, or at least until the i7 processors come down in price.

FSX seems to be CPU bound, so given a great graphics card, check, fast memory, check, and a fast hard drive, check, the biggest item is the fastest CPU you can find. I won’t get into any of the debate over quad or dual core. I have come to the personal conclusion that quad cores won’t do me any good on a machine that’s only running FSX. Yes, SP2 does take advantage of multi cores, but not enough in my opinion to make a difference.

I purchased a Intel E8600 Dual Core processor (3.33 GHz). This is the new 45nm chip that runs cooler and is more energy efficient than the older 65nm chips (Be sure that your motherboard supports the 45nm chips! My old board did not, even though it supported the older dual cores).

The board I have allows overclocking and it appears that you can get this thing up to 4.0 GHz with no voltage modifications at all and just simple air cooling.

So far, so good. I’m getting good framerates at the default processor settings, so it will be fun to push this processor to se what it can do.

It appears that I can get FSX to run at least as well as FS9 did on my previous dual core chip. Plus, FSX has some features that I have been really missing with FS9.

It’s time for some fun!

This project would be nowhere were it not for the Internet. The explosion of social networking and the ease with which anyone can collaborate and share knowledge, with people next door, or across the world, has made this hobby what it is today.

It has been amazing (and sometimes frustrating) to see how decommissioned aircraft parts have become such a commodity. My persistence and never-ending search for the extremely unique or difficult-to-make parts for this simulator has paid off again.

Thanks to those who have made this community what it is today.

Luminator Map Light, Wemac Air Vents, Wemac Swivel Cockpit Lights

I decided to take a break from the interior for now. I’m just getting over a nasty virus and I need something to do where I don’t have to think too hard about it.

I’m attaching cardboard to the frame voids so the spray foam doesn’t stick to it. The foam sticks to the panels installed on the inside and they are removable.

I feel like I’m back in art class playing with toothpicks and glue.

Learjet 45 Simulator, Shell

Well, I’ve managed to fit my existing main instrument panel (MIP) skeleton in the shell. It’s good that I’m making progress, but bad that I won’t be able to fly for some time, since everything is torn apart. I had a flyable MIP outside the shell until now.

Now, I need to verify that my measurements are good and modify/create attach points and support pieces. I also need to modify the current glareshield structure. I’ve got new dimensional info and it’s not quite correct as it is.

Here I have both pedal floors in for a test fit. Just for fun, I decided to put the pedestal in too. It fits in-between like a glove! The pedestal sits up from the floor a bit higher in its final configuration, so I’ll eventually have to add a riser on the bottom. Considering I built it from plans I got elsewhere and months before I got the shell, it is a good sign that the dimensions of the shell are spot on.