Boeing 737 real cockpit simulator conversion

I tell the story of how I bought the nose section of a scrapped Boeing 737 off of eBay, then spent the next six years cutting it into small enough pieces to fit through my basement door, fitted it with dynamic force feedback , and reassembled it to make a full scale, fixed base, dual control flight simulator.

[@sporehux8344]

Took me 6 years to assemble a chest of drawers from IKEA.

[@kjellodnebreitebakk]

Spore Hux you bought the «Alex» didn’t you? 9 drawers, It’ll take you a decade to finish, given that you got all the parts & tools in the package. Spacecraft have been made faster.

[@harambe-h8884]

Spore Hux rip

[@christopherleveck6835]

Better get started, the grand child you leave it to may not have children who want to help him finish it.

[@sr-fw7xk]

Dad..is that you ? >:-D

[@christopherleveck6835]

@@sr-fw7xk These aren't the drawers you're looking for.

[@PickledDill907]

This man has a Hanger... an actual plane... a house big enough for a cockpit installation... the money for a cockpit simulation.... AND the free time to put it all together. That is the dream. That is a hobby budget I could only dream of having.

[@antoniomargallo5317]

Insanity is not an "hobby" ... it's serious stuff.

[@bluudlung]

jamesonknott mile high club

[@StanleyKubick1]

he can probably also spell *hangar,* what a life!

[@g60force]

@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat yeah when I saw the picture I realized why he rather spend 4yrs in the basement... perhaps before the kids all was epic but who knows ;)

[@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat]

@@g60force Don't be a douche.

[@Shrike200]

Speaking as a B737 pilot (15 years, 10 thousand hours on type, flown all generations,except the Max which I was about to fly before ours were grounded) and simulator enthusiast.....I've never seen such up close pictures of the intricacies of our control setup, only technical diagrams during training. Also, you're a maniac, and I mean that in the best possible way! Yes, for us, simulator time is pretty close to a root canal or something like that, I'd rather not step in one again, but this is true dedication. I'm not sure anybody who just sees the final product would appreciate the level of tenacity and skill this took to set up. An absolutely amazing job! As far as simulators go, I peaked at making a custom stick extension for my Thrustmaste Cougar, and adding hall effect sensors!

[@waheijnen]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHallqukn96Hl7c .You have a look at this one as well a motion flight sim 737

[@floex831]

I’d love to see a video in this sun when FS 2020 comes out.

[@hakfutbol]

Msfs 2020 is not ready for 737 and the other engines are the same problem. We must waiting for updates and mods.

[@Spongebob0911]

I have worked for an airline company for 30 years, where i got so lucky to be part of the development and the construction of several cockpit mock-up trainers of different airplanes like B-747, B-737 -200, -300 and even a Lockheed C-130 Hercules. And when i reflect back upon that, those were the best years of my whole career i had. Nothing brings more fulfillment to make something that looks just like the real deal when it is finished. Seeing this video brings back all of those good memories.

[@Pvt_PandaPear]

"pfff, 45 minutes??? no way, just gonna skip trough it to get the idea." *45 minutes later: "oh... guess I did watch everything.."

[@Ripper13F1V]

I'm blown away by your skills here. Wow, just wow.

[@Gatorflyer]

Unbelievable...A truly AMAZING work of art you’ve created!!!

[@ze_german2921]

9:00 I'm a pipe welder and just to let you know, you should not only wear Safety Glasses but also a face Shield. Probably not to critical with the "Tiger Paw"/ Flap Disc but any grinding wheel, Cut-off wheel or wire wheel most definitely. And don't forget your handle. The Jobs I work at, Safety Personal will fire you on the spot for not having a Guard, handle or face shield. I see many people who are DIY'ers that ignore any of that. I've been to the Eye doctor myself 2 times removing metal from my eye balls. They had to use a small grinder to get it out. When it comes to my eyeballs I don't take any chances. BTW Your Simulator is Incredible !!!

[@TestarossaF110]

thank you!!! i also think not being safe is stupid.

[@peterkwu]

Thanks for your comments. Yes, I was stupid when I first started this project. I will definitely follow those rules for any work needed in the future.

[@ze_german2921]

@@peterkwu I'm no Safety Nazi, Ive also have done the same but had to learn the hard way. If you loose your eyes, you can't fly anymore. 😢

[@mcshawnboy]

@@ze_german2921 I have gotten a piece of a single grinding wheel in my eye working on a farm as young adult. I was not that stupid again and I was able to get a friend to take it out. I'd imagine it would be worse will aluminum as it's not magnetic. Also I was scared as hell when I got an MRI years ago thinking of a giant magnet pulling a missed steel wire, but it was all good!

[@toddr.lockwood843]

Congratulations on this project, Peter. Really inspiring.

[@liambeshoar4941]

Really awesome. I love all of the hard-work and detail you put into this project. Thanks for the video!

[@john4aviation]

awesome, thanks for sharing your journey into this project.

[@H3liosphan]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing such detailed info about your build.

[@fourtoes412]

Peter - Totally amazing! I really enjoyed watching this video - excellent.

[@michaelvernon9459]

I love how you put all the links at the end, very helpful for inspiring enthusiasts

[@ShamWerks]

Best 45 minutes of my day. Thank you for sharing, that is an amazing project.

[@whitehedr]

Outstanding video Peter. Your narration was a joy to listen to.

[@deedeeko9]

You can be very proud of yourself! Thank you for sharing!

[@tonydotnottingham]

Thanks for sharing your build in so much detail, hope you're enjoying the end result!

[@lulapilot]

This is by far the most impressive simulator build I have ever seen ! Congratulations my friend !

[@Ron_A._Bolton]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this video, loved it.

[@thosoz3431]

Super work. Hard core dedication and determination. Those kids faces...looks like you hit a home run. Well done.

[@comiccrazy3]

This is the most impressive cockpit build by anyone Ive ever seen.

[@johnedwards4278]

Sir, you are a pleasure to listen to, your explanations of how you accomplished this feat are amazing. Good luck in all of your future projects and flying.

[@peterzinn9070]

You are a very clever man. My goodness what a massive project and amount of work. Amazing.

[@hughblemings7227]

Fantastic work Peter and thank you for taking the time to share the journey, a throughly enjoyable 45m of video :)

[@tonyvierstra2685]

You deserve a price of some sort. What a perseverance. Well done!

[@brandona1370]

This is an absolutely incredible project! I love it and wish I could see it. I have a great deal of respect for your perseverance and commitment to finish such a huge project.

[@iitool]

Thanks for taking the time to share your project. Its hard to keep up taking photos and recording the process especially when its a long project like this!

[@17071946]

Absolutely amazing! Your commitment and talent are truly impressive. My hat is off to "Mrs. Sim" LOL!

[@LittleTed2]

Incredible ingenuity and perseverance. Safe Skies!

[@afpwebworks]

For me the last picture at the end of the video makes the whole project worth its while. I've undertaken a few projects where I found out there were a zillion more things to learn about than i bargained for at the start, just like you and seeing the joy on that boys face as he sits in the pilot's seat made me smile. What a great experience for him. And for you! Congratulations on getting this far and here's to the last 10% of the job.

[@highpower3006]

I'm a pretty handy guy, but that is several levels above anything I could ever hope to do. What an awesome thing to have built!

[@leeperry7068]

You are, in a word, amazing. SO much technical prowess, ingenuity, and (as mentioned) support from the fam... very very cool.

[@pedrorego940]

Congrats Peter, super super work. Enjoy it, cheers!

[@FaiselKhan]

I'm completely blown away by this. It's beautiful. So much dedication and hard work. Wish you all the best and flying sims hours of fun

[@Rudyworld]

Peter, this is amazing. I am a simtech and I am wowed by your attention to detail and this project. Love to see it sometime.

[@dathyr1]

You did like what most of us do - this is done for the love of the hobby. My hobby is model railroading, yours was flight simulators. We both try to do the most realistic representation of our particular hobby, Mine was trains and yours was creating an Airliner. And yes, both are very costly when adding all the realistic details and operations. Though your simulator setup is more costly and harder to create. Thanks for showing this amazing cockpit of an Airliner Simulator. Take care.

[@biind3256]

Amazing job! Congratulations from Basque Country.

[@fcmacken]

Peter, It really is beautiful! But I am looking at it from an engineer's eyes! You have an amazing talent! Top Notch!

[@gcm747]

What an incredible project! First time I’ve watched a slide show on KZbin that ran for 45 minutes!

[@mattnoyes7729]

Phenomenal project...loved watching that!!

[@nelsonjoaquim5918]

Cheers to you sir. Amazing job. Incredible to see such dedication put to work and in the end realising a dream. 👍👍

[@MAWvR3ALITY]

Absolutely amazing! It has only taken 5 years for this video to appear on my recommended watchlist - but I'm so glad that it finally did

[@ioannisntoumas4376]

Sir, you are just amazing!!! You left me speechless the whole time watching on your video, your amazing breath taking art work!! Of course I have subscribed!!

[@budholland2054]

What a great video for simulator builders and inspiring future pilots.

[@THEGHOSTSLAVE]

Amazing work and dedication, I love my flight sims but I've never gotten much further than a desktop, keyboard, joystick and a set of pedals. The projects I tend to get myself into are more automotive related. I have a big project to start on in the next few months and seeing the shear amount of dedication and time you've spent building a flight sim for simple pleasure and a risk free in-depth immersive experience for essentially playing a video game really gives me inspiration to push through the leaps and hurdles I'll experience in my next automotive project. Kudos to you man, absolutely amazing setup.

[@ianramsay7306]

Awesome ........................ your final comments about how the project has influenced the children who have visited it, I found very moving. WELL DONE!

[@davidlee8430]

Thanks for taking the time to share your work, very impressive. Look forward to some flight videos. The smiles on the faces say it all.

[@pookstah]

Yes please!

[@JamesJohnson-ok1hn]

Wow! what an undertaking. Well done.. Ive been toying with a similiar idea for a sim project but man thats on a whole other level. thanks for the post.

[@geoffh2560]

wow Peter, an amazing achievement - thanks for sharing this.

[@mannyoro]

That is truly amazing! Congratulations on the excellent job. I've been working on my panel upgrade (on my real airplane- Vans RV6-A) and I'm 8 months into it and exhausted. Your project is exceptionally well done. I'm jealous :)

[@l.rod2827]

Absolutely amazing, you must have a very understanding wife. I can only imagine the complexity and challenges you faced. Great job!

[@everythingquads]

Wow, what a project. Love it and the video.

[@Br0wnDogProductions]

This is a story about endurance and dedication to hold on to a dream, the simulator is secondary to this monumental task. Wow.

[@MilanPutnik]

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it !

[@McGyver777ATGMAIL]

Loved every second, amazing commitment to a dream.

[@havdaironman]

linking that video in with the corny tunes almost blew my eardrum, but this is truly a solid vid. I appreciate your dedication to your craft!!!

[@Soarbywire]

Awesome, and informative! The information here is applicable to all cockpit (even Airbus) builders!

[@michaelk_aus_L]

Absolutely awesome! That video made my day! Thanks for sharing!

[@WallStreetManager]

Simply put...Incredible Job! I cannot believe that your wife and family stayed with you through this epic proje ct! I wish I could do one-tenth your knowledge and ability to make this work. You ARE MY HERO PETER!! AWESOME JOB! GREAT VIDEO!!

[@trebor9711]

GOOD JOB MAN YOU GUYS HAVE THE PATIENCE OV SAINTS TO BUILD ONE OV THESE, BIG RESPECT 🔥👊😎👊🔥

[@irongoatrocky2343]

working @ Boeing Renton 737 Final Assy I've seen the Assy Process from Flow Day 1 to 9 (Roll Out) sat in the seats as well but never flown or anything of the like. but I'd say you have done a pretty good job getting it pretty damned close! It puts a smile on my face to see the photos of the kids enjoying what you've done here!

[@alcprado]

Man, that's awesome. You need to make videos of you flying and post them into your channel. Use your channel for sharing your flight experiences. Congrats to your excellent job

[@danielbooker3508]

Absolutely amazing!!!!! Love you dedication to perfection and perseverance. I was so sure by the end you,d say you were now single but your also blessed with a wonderful wife. Thank you for a wonderful video.

[@marin082164]

Congratulations, awesome project!

[@kbates8861]

Well done Peter, your project looked liked a momentous task. Congratulations on completing your sim, unfortunately I never finished mine, moving house and my private flying taking most my time. I used some of the FDS products and can agree, they make fantastic parts. Safe flying in the real world.

[@tickedoffsheikh8587]

You are a genius Peter. This is a dream of mine to build my own too. And yes I would like to have the actual 737-800 NG nose- my favorite of the series. I have always wanted to be an airline pilot as a child but that never materialize due to financial constraints. Now, I am grown man in my early 40s. So the next real thing to being an actual airline pilot is to be in a Sim. You are an inspiration to me and I am certain to many others. For now, enjoy safe flights and soft landings.

[@tingtongcurry]

Amazing, such a beautiful project

[@captsonko.9345]

Captain u did very good and hardwork thnk u for having that wonderful spirit.

[@christopherjones8025]

Absolutely nuts . The amount of smart and knowledgeable that went into this is crazy . How does one learn all of this , mechanical engineer or electrical . Awesome stuff,

[@Rhythmicons]

That's a great candid picture of the kids at the end.

[@kapilapatikiriachchige5169]

Fantastic Peter, Well done mate..!!

[@vwventoschwarz9694]

I just watched 45 minutes of madness 😲🤪🤯 😂 and I'm speechless Thank you for putting this into the world!

[@txjeb]

That is cool as hell. These home built Sims are getting to the point where they rival qualification simulators. In terms of flight deck environment, this one is probably better than a one, as it's literally a decapitated 737. Someone is going to build one on a hydraulic gimbal at some point, if not already.

[@mccfrank1212]

What a great project! We'd like to see some flight videos ! All the way through your video I was thinking " what does his wife think about all this?"...Got my answer at the end of the video. Peter, she's a keeper.

[@ao1645]

Oh Boy! The wife deserves a gold medal for this :-) !!! Btw: congrats on an amazing project !!!!! WOW !!!!!!!!

[@sky173]

Amazing work. I'm jealous. It's been a over 4 years since this was posted, would you mind creating a new video showing the latest update on this project? I'm sure many of us would appreciate it. Thanks for sharing.

[@rjmprod]

This Project was obviously a labor of love man....Documented so well, and The project itself was one of the most compelling things I have ever seen...I would have love to work on this for free just to learn.....like the preverbal "Grasshopper" of Kung Foo old series...Man I am truly impressed..Thanks for sharing this..God Bless you and your family...!

[@oogie-boogie]

i always wondered why planes cost soo much,,just watching this vid i was amazed at the complexity of this,,just wow,,great vid

[@oingpla]

Absolutely Amazing! good work dude! 😎

[@CapalOnLive]

very nice job is done here !!! thanks for sharing your work

[@kindjordan]

Nothing short of amazing!

[@ThreeIsland-xd6zn]

That is really Impressive. It won my👍and subscription. I am a fellow flight sim enthusiast and this really made my day.

[@shumba_the_don]

Perfect 👌🏾 your the king of sim cockpits

[@ronhooverafollowerofjesus7297]

Reading the comments of those before me almost makes me not need to say anthing but..."What they said!" I have a huge respect for you in the thoughtful organization and filming as your project progressed and for your friendship in sharing it all with us! And as said before, "Wow, just WOW!"

[@peterkwu]

Thanks for your positive comments!

[@kjetil82]

Greetings from Norway. Great video! inspiering to watch.

[@Anthony-bz2xs]

This project looks easy. Looks like something I could easily do in a few days

[@raymondray3232]

This is a great project. Thanks for sharing. I love to fly. Maybe some day I'll make my own

[@peterkwu]

You can do it!

[@wasabichicken4433]

I have no interest in planes, but knowing just how much time a project like this takes I ended up eating every second of this video! One thing is the build, but your motivation gotta be the best thing about it

[@T-Waldo]

Nice Thanks for sharing Peter.

[@aportman58]

Man I tskr my hst off to you for the time energy committment knowledge and most of all, patience in building this 737 simulator. I started doing my pilot license years ago but after doing everything with roughly 60 hours cross country completed, never did go and do my final flying test check-off. Here I am 30 years later (63) getting the flyiung bug again, Will never be able to afford or have the time to do what incredible job you've done, but would love to have a decent home simulator to work on protocols for flying instrument approches. If I do start flying again it will include becoming instrument rated! Thank you for sharing!!!

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

Stunning work :) I want to make a simpit, but to the scale and budget of someone living in a rented flat in a European city, and making full use of the 80/20 rule. Just replacing a desk and swivel chair with a fixed seat and fixed controls makes suuuch a huge difference.

[@peterkwu]

DundeeDriver Thanks! I bet yours is a lot easier to move from one flat to the next!

[@markp5737]

You are an actual genius, period.

[@Jmdeclue]

Wow. I would have loved to have been your neighbor. As an electrical engineer that went into computer science as a profession, mechanical and electrical engineering is still a love and hobby. Computer software and hardware not so much. Anyway, helping out as a second hand would have been a blast. Awesome project, great job. Amazing work. Cheers.

[@jimbak478]

When I saw the control panel lying on the bed, I thought, “That must have been after the divorce.” Your wife must be pretty special to have put up with you and your hobby/obsession for so long. Fantastic job.

[@hauer54]

Very impressive... well done!

[@jetPower1960]

Congratulations. Thank you for sharing.

[@bubblehead78]

Peter, I wonder if you realize just how crazy you are? lol. Wow, what a fascinating project! Loved watching; excellent video production as well.

[@gabrielayres8708]

This is awesome. Congratulations!!