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P-51D cockpit build


Raceguy

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Hello everyone

 

I have been following this forum for quite a while and appreciate the sharing of information to keep our hobby flying. I retired 2 years ago and we moved from Ohio to Florida since we were tired of the Midwest winters. We do have heat and humidity in Fla and severe storms are a possibility but I don't miss shoveling snow.

 

I thought I would share what I have been working on for the last year. I will mainly use this for FSX but I do own DCS.

 

I put EVERYTHING in the pit today for a final check. This is the first time it has all been in the pit at one time and it felt really cool! I did find 3 things that I need to correct but that was the purpose of this test.

 

My wife has seen it in parts and pieces so I brought her out for a look and even got her in the pit! She has been a great supporter of this project. Probably to keep me out of the house!

I still need to add the labels, run all of the wiring, do some final painting like the white area under the dash and install the skin but it feels like I am finally getting closer to completion.

 

Take care and have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Ed

 

IMG_2829a.jpg

 

 

IMG_2850a.jpg

 

IMG_2832a.jpg

 

IMG_2849a.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks JD

 

Yesterday I modified a Saitek AV8R stick I bought because the grip come close to the Mustang. Here are the details.

 

This is the stick in its original condition.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%201%20AV8Ra.jpg

 

I have unscrewed the grip and with 2 more screws out the wires are accessible.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%202%20AV8Ra.jpg

 

A made a quick trip to my favorite aviation parts store, Lowe's. Here are the pipe fittings I chose to make an adapter for the lower connection. In this pic you see a connector, pipe adapter and 1 inch pipe (shaft). The connector fit nicely over the threaded base connection but its original length interfered with the spring mechanism. I trimmed off ¾ inch and all is well.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%204a.jpg

 

With the adapter inserted into the connector I slipped the parts onto the base and drilled holes for bolts and nuts to hold the adapter to the base. These bolts went through the threads on the base. I then inserted the 1 inch pipe, checked the unit’s length in my pit and cut the shaft to length. I took everything apart, extended the wires from the base, through the new shaft to the grip and reconnected everything.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%205a.jpg

 

Here is the grip on the 1 inch pipe. The diameter was a nice fit but it could only be inserted 3/16 inch into the grip so I added bolts through the grip into the pipe.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%206a.jpg

 

Complete assembly

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%207a.jpg

 

And in the pit.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Stick%208a.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Thanks BRC! Sorry about the slow response.

 

I had been procrastinating on ordering small screens for the fuel gauges until I saw some 7 inch LCD's at Desktop Aviator for $35 so I bought the last 2 they had.

 

Here is a pic of a Mustang floor with red arrows pointing out the two wing tanks.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Mustang%20floor.jpg

 

 

I have started on the bezels for the gauges and here you can see one in place.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/LCD%20monitor%206.jpg

 

The display looks good when viewed directly but at any angle it "greys" out and becomes blurry. This is OK for the fuel gauges in the floor as I will be looking directly down at them just like in the pic above. For the O2 blinker and pressure gauge under the MIP they won't work since the gauges are below eye level and I will view them at an angle. I am considering tilting the screen just enough so it will be viewed from a more direct perspective or looking for a small screen that gives a better viewing angle. I'm considering tilting the screen since that should be easier and cheaper and will give me better access to the on/off button for the MIP screen.

 

Take care

Ed

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks John. I forget what 24 feels like!

 

I think I have this sim building thing figured out. When you start to get near the end of the project you see something new and say “Hey, I could add that to my pit.” Then you take the pit apart and figure out how to add the new part or feature. Oh well, as my wife keeps saying, at least I’m staying busy and out of her hair.

 

I played around a little more with the two 7 inch LCD displays I ordered for the floor fuel gauges and feel fairly comfortable with how they function. Thankfully they are easy to set up with Air Manager and Windows. So now it was time to install them in the floor.

 

I got the last 2 LCD units Desktop Aviator had for these fuel gauges. I wanted to make sure they work the way I want for my sim and they do. So, I contacted DTA and asked them to order another one for me and it should be here in 2-3 weeks. More about where that will go later.

 

 

Take care

Ed

 

Here you can see where I have identified the floor supports with masking tape and placed a drawing of the display and circuit board for measurement.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3177a.jpg

 

With the location determined I cut out the recessed areas with my router.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3178a.jpg

 

Then I dropped a unit in to make sure I had left enough room for the wires.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3179a.jpg

 

I had also marked the locations in the oak flooring and cut the round holes for the bezels. I trimmed them to the correct depth and HEY, they fit!!

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3182a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3183a.jpg

 

Today I painted the bezels and added screws to simulate the real units. The real gauges and bezels are below floor level but I chose NOT to complicate my life any more than I already have. I also started working on the defroster and hot air controls.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3196a.jpg

 

In the following pic you can also see the boot cover my wife made for the modified stick. She saw me struggling with the fabric and volunteered to make it for me. She is a keeper!

 

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3199a.jpg

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Thanks il88pp!

 

I was thinking about a cover for when I'm not flying to keep dust out but had not thought about spills. I think I'll drill a few holes at the edge of the recess for drainage and add a very thin acrylic sheet over the LCD before I put the wood floor in place. Thanks for the great idea!

 

Ed

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Hello everyone.

 

Well, the third 7 inch LCD screen hasn’t arrived yet but after confirming that it will be the exact size as the first two I decided to make its frame/holder. Since I have “confirmed things” in the past, and they were a different size upon arrival, I have a “plan B”. If the new one comes in a different size I can always use it for one of the floor fuel gauges eliminating more hair being pulled out.

 

I have decided not to use the real O2 flow indicator and pressure gauge that I had purchased. I had come up with a way to make the flow indicator work but not the pressure gauge. So I decided to go with another small screen to display the functioning gauges using L:Vars and Air Manager Gauges.

 

Details and pics below. Thanks for looking.

 

Take care

Ed

 

I started by making a holder for the LCD using ¼ inch MDF. Since the LCD is 1/8 inch thick I made a frame using 1/8 inch balsa wood. Strength will not be an issue since all of the parts will be screwed together.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/O2%20gauges%206a.jpg

 

I decided to use the plate I had made for the real O2 gauges but I had to make a larger face plate due to the LCD dimensions. I added 1/8 inch square styrene to form new bezels and a thin strip ¼ inch wide to fill the gap to the LCD screen.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/O2%20gauges%207a.jpg

 

One situation has bothered me since I installed the MIP LCD in its frame and that is access to its power buttons. With false O2 gauges I could have reached up under the gauge frame to hit the button but the real gauges stuck out too far blocking them. Using an LCD for the O2 gauges causes the same problem plus it is taller. And, a new issue popped up with the viewing angle of the LCD. From straight ahead the picture is clear but from an angle the screen is not readable.

 

As a work around I installed a PanaVise mount that I had previously used to hold a MFD controller in my old simpit. By using the articulating mount I can tilt the LCD to see the screen and by placing the LCD a little farther back I will have access to the MIP LCD buttons.

 

Here you can see the ball part of the mount secured to the back plate. I added the LCD button strip below the frame and connected the screen ribbon cable.

 

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/O2%20gauges%2014a.jpg

 

Sorry about the blurry pic but you can see the new gauges in place.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/O2%20gauges%2018a.jpg

 

And from the back you can see the support. I had to make a new connector rod for the PanaVise as the original was too short for this project.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/O2%20gauges%2019a.jpg

 

And finally the gauges running in Air Manager.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/O2%20gauges%2020a.jpg

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Ed, You are a true craftsman. A pit is "always" a work in progress. I started my first pit fifteen years ago. I still haven't finished one. However, they all flew and gave me hours and hours of enjoyment and suspense of disbelief.

 

I even got a little real world refresher training along the way as a bonus. :)

 

John

John

 

*******************************************

My first SIM was a Link Trainer. My last was a T-6 II

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  • 3 months later...

@raceguy Beautiful work, thanks for posting! I'm just about to get started on building a P-51D pit but struggling with dimensions. I bought a subscription to get access to the original drawings but they are not at all easy to use for what I want.

 

Where did you get your dimensions, and/or do you have any notes or anything you can post to save some of us many hours of digging through and trying to figure out original P-51 drawings?

 

I'd also love to see details on your throttle quadrant!

 

Trip

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Trip! I've seen your full motion build and would love to have the skill to add that to my pit.

 

Regarding plans, I purchased a set of DVD's that were scans of the original NAA plans. The copies were made in the 40's and sadly 20-25% were too light/dark or just missing details. I went through all 12,500, there are DVD's that have 16,000 and are supposed to be better, and saved what I thought would be useful. In some cases the dimensions for a particular part were not clear but I could read a nearby measurement and do an if/then calculation.

 

I found out about the subscription after I was 75% through my build. A friend did sign up and he seemed pleased by it's a personal choice.

 

Tomorrow I'll post some general dimensions so you can see how my pit measures up.

 

Here are the pics of the throttle build and where my pit is today. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm not sure if I should mention this here but I'll take a shot. My complete build as of this afternoon is on the A2A forum. Just go to the P-51 MIL CIV topic and look for P-51D cockpit build.

 

Thanks

Ed

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Throttle%2059a.jpg

 

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Throttle%2037a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Throttle%2036a.jpg

 

Internal components of throttle.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Throttle%2026a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3343a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3364a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3400a.jpg

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Hi Trip

 

I'm not sure what dimensions you are looking for so I'll just post the basic framework. These are my pit dimensions and one variance will be the MIP frame as I had to adjust it to accept the LCD.

 

Length: from MIP to rear bulkhead 50 inches

Width: external from outer edge of top longerons is 32 1/2 inches

internal from inner edge of top longerons is 26 1/2 inches

Height from floor to top of longeron is 23 inches

 

Let me know what other dimensions you are looking for and I will try to help.

 

Ed

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ed, wish I was in Florida and could check it out in person. Unfortunately, I'm here in Cleveland and it's January. I'd be done with the snow as well if it weren't for grandkids.

 

Very, very cool. Enjoying your posts.

Keep up the good work.

 

Mitch

I was born on the North Coast, where they coined the phrase that they still call Rock-n-Roll! Asus Maximus VII mb, Wind7 64-240 GB SSD-8GB RAM-IntelCore i7-4790k Haswell Quad Core 4 ghz-GTX 1060-TH2G-2-Saitek Yokes, -2-CH pedals-GFTQ6 throt, 49" Samsung Monitor.
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Thanks Mitch. I understand being near the grandkids. That's why we retired in 2014 and moved to Florida. Our daughter and family had moved here 10 years earlier and we finally moved here to be near them.

 

Cleveland? Never heard of that city. :) We were in Dayton for 60+ years and REALLY don't miss the ice, snow and cold weather.

 

Here is a pic from today. Sheet metal is NOT my favorite material.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Skin%201%20IMG_3430a.jpg

 

Take care

Ed

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A quick update. I was asked on another forum about the wide gap toward the front.

 

Some probably thought "He gave up in frustration, said the heck with it and just screwed the panels in place." That is almost true, I don't like sheet metal.

 

But wait, there's more! (Heard that somewhere on TV)

 

Due to my advancing age, I will officially be an adult (in years not mentality) tomorrow when I turn 65; I have planned for the future.

 

Take care

Ed

 

Normal entry to the pit.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3441a.jpg

 

“Advanced” entry

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3446a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3442a.jpg

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Very wow. I especially like the gauges in their bezels. Fuel, and the ones with the screws. That looks so real. Also thelight green sections in post-14. (I see now the flash brightened them a little, but I kind of like that lighter colour. (might be tiring on the eyes though...).

Cool door too!

Enjoy!

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
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Hello everyone

 

Over the weekend I finalized a lot of the work on the pit. It is not complete yet (will it ever be?) but it is to the point that it can be moved from the shop to my office/hanger where it will reside. I took advantage of the great weather and moved the pit from my shop to the main part of the garage so I could take some pictures.

 

The pit is 3½ ft. wide by 6 ft. long and 4½ ft. tall and was built in my 10 by 12 ft. shop. That sounds like a lot of room to work until you figure in the 10 foot long counter top on one side and the workbench, tool chest and file cabinets on the other. That allows 5 feet of workable space and with this project I found myself moving 1-2 things to get to the third. The shop was built for small projects like models but this 1:1 scale model pushed the limits!

 

This pit has to go through an opening in the house 29 inches wide. It will break down into 2 sides, the back, a main base, seat, windshield and dash and be reassembled in my office. You will see some of this in the pics below.

 

Take care

Ed

 

 

The “office”

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/1%20dash%20IMG_3598a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/2%20dash%20IMG_3574a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/3%20above%20IMG_3552a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/4%20left%20IMG_3538a.jpg

 

Left side opened as a door showing the caster supporting the non hinged end.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/5%20left%20IMG_3572a.jpg

 

Next to the seat you can see a small latch. This is used to pull the side tightly closed.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/6%20left%20open%20IMG_3567a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/7%20look%20down%20left%20IMG_3566a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/8%20right%20IMG_3551a.jpg

 

Right side separated from main frame for assembly. Just below the O2 regulator in the white area you can see a rod sticking out of the frame. There is a corresponding hole in the side frame. To install the side I position it on the rod and slide it forward.

 

When the back section is pushed toward the frame it sits on a small ledge for support. There is a 4 inch bolt that goes through the side into the ledge locking the side in place and a 3 inch screw holding the top to the rear section.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/9%20right%20IMG_3581a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/10%20right%20open%20IMG_3582a.jpg

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Continued from above............

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/11%20look%20down%20right%20IMG_3561a.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/12%20alum%20IMG_3591a.jpg

 

The notch in the cowl allows the lower frame of the 46 inch screen to sit lower.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/IMG_3448a.jpg

 

Since the right side will be against the wall and not seen I chose not to install aluminum. The green you see is cardstock painted to match the interior which shows around the controls panels. This was also done for the left side so bare metal would not be seen.

 

At the right you can see an old desktop control box I modified to handle the 120v needs of the pit. I removed the original switches and ran their wires to the lower left where you can see the back of the “environmental” panel. I added a toggle and light to the pit’s electrical panel that will let me turn this system on/off with one switch.

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/13%20right%20wires%20IMG_3520a.jpg

 

And, “The End.”

 

Here you can see the rear fan installed to pull air out of the pit. There are also 2 smaller fans installed at the front under the dash (not shown), separately switched on the environmental panel, to push air into the pit. Years ago when this was my racing pit I found that it can get warm and stuffy. The same fans were installed as a solution. I also have a portable A/C unit in my office with a remote for those days when I fly too close to the sun and get too hot!

 

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/14%20rear%20IMG_3586a.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everyone.

 

Well, the pit is in the house and I have started the setup process for the controls. This is taking a LOT longer than I expected! I only have a few controls left to setup but they are giving me headaches!

 

Setting up the gauges using Air Manager was very straight forward. The camera makes the gauges washed out but they are actually darker in the sim. The MIP is displayed on a 27 inch LCD and the oxygen and floor fuel gauges are 7 inch LCD screens.

 

Take care

Ed

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Gauges%20main%20IMG_3695.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Gauges%20left%20IMG_3696.jpg

 

http://i1026.photobucket.com/albums/y328/egilbert4752/Gauges%20right%20IMG_3697.jpg

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Hi Fred

 

Nuts! You betcha. Craftsman? Nope, just learned to hide my mistakes better.

 

I have been working on the control setup and running into a few issues like 4 switches performing as they should BUT also activating the landing gear. Still trying to find that one. I did get a little air time the other day and I REALLY like the feel of the extended control stick. It feels so natural!

 

I'm looking forward to my P-51 lifting off soon from FA40. The initial takeoff has been delayed due to life getting in the way but I hope to make the inaugural flight in a day or two.

 

Thank you for the kind words and FA40!

 

Ed

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