Donation to Save the Children Done !

I have opened the donation box at my sim and found 370.- € that have been donated by my kind fellow pilots. A big thank you to all of you who have donated !

As promised, I have doubled and rounded up the amount. So  800.- € has been transferred to Save the Children today for there project to help children at Jemen.

A big thank you to my fellow pilots !

As the box is empty, from now on I want to support the WWF organization for there "ghost net removal" project.
As my wife Martina and me have sailed many miles through the seas, we know by experience that especially in Northatlantic and Europe, lost and drifting fishing gear is one of the most dangerous hazards to sea life and mammals. WWF has started an ambitious  project at the german baltic coast. The goal is to  recover as many lost fishing nets from the sea floor as possible. Here is the link to the project:
Click here for english version, or here for german.

So I would appreciate to see everyone who is flying and having fun in my sim, be it for training or pleasure only, to donate again. I ask for the following minimum donations, don´t hesitate if you would like to donate more :):

2 or 3 hours:       5.- €
Half a day:        10.- €
Full day:            20.- €

At the end of the year I will double it again.

Click here for more information

Cockpit update: New FDS chronometers

Latest installations are 2 nice FDS chronometers. They come with a small screen. Prosim Display module for each screen brings the clock there. The connection is made via HDMI. I didn´t have any HDMI outputs available on the PC´s, so I used 2 USB-HDMI converters. This was straight forward.The clock buttons are all fully functional. I connected them to two of the 8-pin slots on my FDS syscard. The connectors are already mounted by FDS. Of course it is no problem to connect them to any interface card in the sim, that is able to receive inputs. 
In addition, also the bumper clock switch was connected  in parallel to the affiliated wire.

There are 2 things I have added:

Screen brightness and contrast:
The screens are very bright and the black isn´t black, instead it is grey, because of the brightness. Adjustment via graphic card driver wasn´t possible, because of the USB cards used. To adapt contrast and brightness to all other displays in the cockpit I had to use a 1.2 ND filter foil between screen and the acrylic glass front.

1.2 ND filter foil

Simulation of printed clock scale:
In the real aircraft, the clock scale seems to be printed onto the clocks and can also be seen, when the cockpit is in cold and dark state. The clocks themselves both start up, when battery power is on. Prosim does not simulate this. As soon, as the display modules are started, the clock scale comes up unrealistic fully bright. So I delayed the start of clock display modules by making a LUA, that starts a batch as soon, as the battery power is on.To have a scale already shown in cold and dark state, together with sim startup an Opera Browser window is started that has its position at the clock screens. It loads a picture of the clock scale that is very dark. Later the Prosim display modules just cover it. The opposite happens, when the battery switch is selected to off.

Actual state of the cockpit

SOP, QRH and Procedure Cards now organized

A booklet of the Standart Operational Procedures that we follow here in my sim, as well as procedure cards are now at my briefing table in brochure holders. Removable holders for the procedure cards are also mounted in the cockpit.

The 2 very nice  QRH are now also complete and go into the holders aside of the throttle.

See pictures below:

Procedure cards in the cockpit

Good software: Immersive Designer Pro

I recently purchased the software Immersive Designer Pro, by Fly Elise. My calibration and also the warping software for the 3 projectors and the 210° screen are also from Fly Elise, Immersive Calibration and Immersive Display Pro. The designer software is meant as the first step to plan the visual setup.

As the sharpness of my visual didn´t satisfy me, I was looking for a solution to bring the projectors closer to the screen but still have a 210° visual and avoid shadows from the cockpit shell.

The software first needed a 3D file of the shell. As this was not available through FDS, I had to make one myself. Immersive Designer does support many CAD files, including .stl and .dae. These can be exported with sketchup, which I used for drawing the shell. The shell has no rounded surfaces, so it was quite easy to measure the corner points. I did that for half of the shell then mirrored and flipped it to get a drawing that covers the whole shell.

After having entered screen and projector datas into the software and imported the CAD I first reproduced my quite complicated extisting setup to see if the software is able to reproduce this. And indeed, it did - it met reality by 100%. The blending area is a bit small, but that hasn´t been better before due to a screen radius of 1,91m.

Then it was just a matter of playing arround with different projector positions until I finally found the optimum setup. Then I just had to mount the projectors at a different place. And again, everything was as the software has predicted. A fantastic product, I should have had that earlier !

My old setup in Immersive Designer Pro

the new setup

Bildunterschrift hinzufügen

Projector frustrums shown here

Mitflieger gesucht !

Hallo Leute,
 Mitflieger gesucht für meinen Boeing 737 800 Simulator! Der Sim ist zu über 90% funktionsfähig. Mehrere Piloten meinten, daß man ihn für ernsthaftes Training nutzen kann. Da es nun mal ein 2-Mann Cockpit ist, ist es bei weitem realistischer, wenn man zu zweit fliegt. Mir macht die Teamarbeit, das gemeinsame trainieren der Procedures bis hin zu Abnormals unheimlich viel Spaß.

Und genau dafür suche ich noch ein paar "Sparringspartner". Alter: 16-99. Du solltest aus der Region Bremen kommen, Zeit für regelmäßige Treffen haben. Idealerweise fliegst du schon die 737 am PC (z.B. PMDG), hast Spaß an komplexen Systemen und Procedures und am gemeinsamen Lernen. Es ist nicht entscheidend, daß du alles schon kannst, nur die Bereitschaft dazuzulernen und auch zuhause am PC das gleiche Muster regelmäßig zu fliegen. Kosten: Null, keine, nix... :)

Der Sim steht in Thedinghausen bei Bremen.

Du kannst dir hier noch weitere Eindrücke verschaffen: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlz9B ... tUf8ztDCUg.

Und das Video von meinem Freund Sebastian gibt vielleicht einen ganz guten Eindruck. Allerdings übertreibt er ("worlds best simulator") doch ganz schön, es gibt natürlich noch viele gute und bessere Sim:

Youtube Video of my Sim

Sebastian, who is flying from time to time in my Sim has made a youtube video of a Sim session this week. 

He himself works as an ATC controller and flies PPL. And he is one of the best planespotters I know (check out his website: https://www.atcpilot.com/).

The video is done in youtube style, with quite excited music. However, I hope you like the impression it gives. He states, that the Sim is one of the best home simulators in the world - sorry for that. Well that is definetely not the case, I know, there are quite a few more sophisticated ones ;)

Enjoy :

Training event

Since some month we have a group of serious cockpitbuilders, who meet from time to time for training to improve flying skills, crewresource management etc.

One of us, Brian, is an airline captain and building a fantastic 737 sim himself. With him we have a great instructor. Extensive standart operational procedures (SOP) and even abnormal procedures have been developed by him together with us. These procedures are optimized for our sims and are at the same time simple and safe as possible.

Here are a few impressions of the last event at Menorca. Airwork, extended traffic patterns and landing training was done. Everything flown rawdata.

New Prosim function: WX and Terrain brightness

With V2 Prosim has introduced WX and Terrain brightness dimming function. This works like in the real aircraft for both inboard DU´s and the lower DU.

I found this very useful, as approaching in heavy weather with WX-radar on, the WX was always so bright, that the ND datas could hardly been seen. Now the brightness can be finetuned.

I hade to mount 3 dual axis potis and new knobs. The knobs are from Sismo. They had to be painted with RAL 7001, as they where made for the radios and therefore to bright.

WX-brightness knobs on Captains side for Inbord DU and Lower DU.

New Cockpit setup with Simworld parts

Some weeks ago, I have upgraded my cockpit with parts from Simworld.
MCP, 2 EFIS, both CDU´s and the complete pedestal where installed. These parts give an experience, that is going as close as possible to OEM parts. At least compared to what is available in the sim-market today.

Simworld uses CANBUS technology, which makes the parts real plug and play. The most used part in the cockpit, the MCP, is a very fine peace of art. I don´t want to go further into details here, as there is already an excellent review at the flaps2approach website here.

Simworld MCP and EFIS

Simworld CDU´s

Simworld pedestal, the additional CDU is from FDS

3.rd CDU in Pedestal

After having changed the main CDU´s from FDS to Simworld, I sold one of the FDS-CDU´s. The other is now mounted in the pedestal. This ofcourse is a very unusual setup for a B737-800. Maybe some B737 businessjets have it for longe range cruising . However, it turned out to be very useful together with Vatsim´s Vpilot. Vpilot can be controlled with the CDU via Humbertos Prosim Utils.

This way, the normal flow for the main CDU´s can be kept, while all Vpilot, but also other ACARS information is going through the 3 rd CDU. It is configured as standalone. I noticed, it is therefore not switched off in cold and dark.
I now managed to make a lua, that starts a batch for starting and closing this CDU depending on AC-power state. That works even when power is switched between AC-power sources. The CDU goes off for 2 sec. and comes back then. 

Vatsim at LSZH

Briefing whiteboard and display

For more profoundly and clear briefing I now have mounted a whiteboard and cockpitdisplay in my simroom:

RMI and ISFD unit installed

Recently I installed a Flightillusion RMI. Before, the RMI was simulated by Prosim-Display. There has been one physical display covering the ISFD, RMI and upper EICAS. To have room for the RMI I also had to change the display to a smaller one, that now covers only the upper EICAS area.

Also a new, 7´´ display was set in place for the already existing ISFD frame.

These things are definetely not necessary for a functional sim, but nice to have. And they make a little more realistic cockpit feeling.

Connecting everything was straightforward. The Flightillusion RMI works out of the box with Prosim without calibrating anything. The displays could easily be connected via VGA and HDMI to existing outputs on my grafic cards.

The only drawback I can see so far is the fact, that the small ISFD display had to be turned by 90°. So the sideviews left and right are different. Left has much more contrast, while right has much less. This effect was expected and is acceptable for me. I didn´t find a display that fits in place and has symmetric viewing angles.

New video: Skiathos to Samos

Installed P3D addon airports

Donation for "save the children" please

Here at the sim I now have a donation-box for the organization "save the children".

Flying in my sim is free and it will stay like that. However,  everybody who is flying here is now asked  to tuck in a donation of 10.- € in the box. I will not prevent anybody to give more than that ;)

Finally I promise to add the same amount myself to double it at the end.

https://www.savethechildren.de/

Cool pictures of a Norwegian Boeing 737-800

I like to share some cool pictures of a real 737-800. Sebastian, who is flying in my Sim from time to time, had just sent them over.

Sebastian is an ATC-controller and in part-time also working as a ramp agent. Besides being a private pilot he is an outstanding planespotter. You should check his website: atcpilot.com.

My sim has a norwegian registration, because the seats where originally removed from the Norwegian 737-800 LN-KKN. So I really appreciate these pictures:

 

Fantastic planespotting

Visit Sebastian´s website to see his high quality and exceptional pictures and videos:

www.atcpilot.com

Steering tiller from FSC mounted

A new steering tiller from FSC (Flight Simulator Center) just replaced the existing one from FDS (Flightdecksolutions).

The resaon for this is not, that the FDS tiller wasn´t good. It did it´s work reliably.
However, the steering forces were to low and because they are simulated by a spring,  are not linear as in the real thing. The other, for me even more important issue is, that the angle of rotation to both sides was much less then 90 degrees. So, although steering was possible, it was by far not like in the real aircraft.


FSC has newly developed a tiller system, which simulates realistic linear forces. The strength of the reaction forces and also the return to zero speed can be adjusted by the user, but come already calibrated almost to the real aircraft feeling by factory. I personally can only compare it to my experiences in highend, level D simulators. It feels very much like the tiller in these. Also now the groundsteering is much more precise and gives a feeling of handling a heavy aircraft already on the ground.

The quality of this excellent part of machinery in my eyes can´t be topped. It should do it´s job for many years. The only drawback is the poor finish of the handle. Probably an issue of the first production series. I am in contact with FSC about that and am sure, they will solve this. My experience with product quality and service of FSC is very good, as I use there throttle since more then 2 years.

Link to product page: FSC steering tiller

A short video of tiller installation from Nico: https://youtu.be/BAf2fhvMQP4

Approaches at Frankfurt - EDDF

3 approaches in Frankfurt with Aerosoft V2 evolution scenery. The first in IMC, Cat 2. Young captain Tobias followed the ILS manually very precise down to 100ft. Then the flair and landing was a bit long, but no problem with the long runway.

After that you see an approach in 15-20 kn crosswind in good visibility followed by a nightapproach. The night lighting comes from Aerosoft nightenvironment.

Video 7 Approaches at St. Maarten

In the Video you see also a scud running approach. We tried to reproduce the approach of a Westjet B737on 03/07/17 at St. Maarten, which ended up in a goaround. Looks like we have been maybe 20-30 ft lower finally then Westjet before goaround.

See the Video of the original approach here:

https://youtu.be/yNhAYKM-7LQ