Full Motion Flight Simulator Cockpit

This video shows the construction steps and operation of a weight and balance operated -- Full motion -- Flight Simulator Cockpit.
Click on SHOW MORE to view full description, including plans.
Complete illustrated plans for the basic simulator are available as a pdf document at:
www.acesim.com/main.html
My simulator was built using those plans, with the addition of the following which are my own contribution:
1. Fully enclosed cockpit
2. The addition of a flat panel monitor within the cockpit
enclosure
3. The addition of the increasing resistance motion limit stops
(the surgical tubing gizmos in my video).
My video shows how you can modify the simulator to make it more realistic. I made those additions (1 through 3 above) without any plans --- just thought it up and did it. My video is detailed enough to show how to do it. All of the information in this post is contained in many previous posts. For those who are serious about building one like mine, watch the video, order the plans (not from me, but from the link included in this post, and use your imagination. My video just shows what I {invented} to agument the existing plans.

[@doctordan7959]

I built this full motion flight simulator as a means of overcoming my tendency to get air-sick when traveling. I figured that I could simulate the conditions of flight, in a simulator, I could stop and get out when I started feeling ill. Then, after repeated sessions in the simulator, over time, I might be able to re-condition my physiology so that I would no longer get ill on airplanes. The project was a complete success, and now I can fly without getting air-sick. The simulator was fun to build, and fun to fly. I got the basic plans on-line for $15, but made several additions of my own. The original plans had no provision for a 32" computer monitor (or any monitor for that matter). I felt that for my project to be successful, I would need to limit my point of reference to inside the cockpit only, without any outside visual reference -- hence the full cockpit enclosure and entry hatch. The basic plans did not include these features. I also added to the flight control realism, by inventing and adding progressive resistance limit stops to the rotation range of motion. The original plans yielded a simulator that would reach the design spec limits in pitch and roll, and then just 'clunk' into a hard stop. My addition of the elastic bands eliminated that unrealistic feature. Finally, I soon discovered that the electronics within the enclosed cockpit generated quite a bit of heat. After a half hour or so in the simulator I began to perspire quite a bit -- that's why I added the fresh air inlet fan in the cockpit roof. I put this video on KZbin, mostly to show other builders my inventions \ additions to the plans available online. As of 2\2\2017 there have been over 17,000 views of the video.

[@belandu1696]

Awesome Awesome Awesome job my friend: I built one of these in highschool over 3 summers and it really makes me happy to see that the sport of motion flight simulation is still going strong. I learned so much building the joyrider and changing the plans for my own needs. I used an arcade chair that had built in speakers and the vibration it provided would fool your inner ear into believing any motion inputs. I also covered my flight deck, but with ghetto lightweight corrugated pvc, but it worked so I was happy. Goodonya for building this, the joyrider was what taught me how to work with my hands and construct things from thought, I recommend it to anyone who is a simulation enthusiast. Flying is fun, but expensive; simulation is a way of life.

[@MagicMaGGoT]

Accidentally stumbled onto this and I cannot believe this only has 396 view at the mo. This is genius and I am most definitely going to attempt and make my own version. This is perfect for my two boys without costing an arm and a leg. Well done mate. Even cooler knowing this was posted 7 years ago !

[@tdg911]

wow such an awesome build! Genius design. Goes to show the beautiful mind we have when used right :)

[@glennandressen7072]

Excellent job. I could never get my joyrider to move smoothly as a purely weight shift unit. I'm very impressed with your efforts in that regard. Consequently I went ahead with adding DC motor actuation, of course that introduces other problems.

[@DualDesertEagle]

Nice job and genius idea using those wheel bases as hinges!

[@matthewpollock9685]

Dude, you get a thumbs up for the castor wheel bearings alone!!! I've been racking my brain for a cheap solution!

[@indiekid880]

Excellent job, I surely will try to build one. Thanks for this great work

[@conanrussell7458]

I consider full enclosure and your modifications a must. You did an amazing job. Thank you for posting this video as a reference. It is the best one out there.

[@ChristinanathanWesterfie-pr4jj]

Just add Meta VR. Cheers!!

[@marcospena7Brasil]

you have ninja level skills. Great work. Im gonna build one too. But Im wondering if Id need schedule 80 pVC. Good job dan.

[@jeromepettiford8141]

Excellent invention; now the cost of these flight/racing simulator cockpits cost quite a bit of money. Thanks for your imagination to the flight sim community Doc.

[@mattsmith8160]

I like how compact it is. I want to build myself one but I don't have a lot of space to work with.

[@pascaldogger]

im living in 2021 and i love the construction wow!

[@glennledrew8347]

Very fine execution, Dan! Your additions are clever solutions to important problems. I've known of this form of 2-axis, fully 'manual' platform for a good decade. I've long wanted to build my own, but my housing situation kind of limits things. Were I to proceed, I'd not go with the notion of placing the stick base under the seat. Coupling the action via stretchy bands, as well as the translation of essentially tangential motion to the arc of the which shaft, results in a non-linear action which also seems to potentially suffer a bit of a lack of crispness. Instead, I'd place each potentiometer at the relevant pivot point, coupled to the bearings with zero-backlash 'reduction' gears of the appropriate ratio. For example. If the stick throw is 30 degrees from vertical, and the platform's gimbal limit is 15 degrees, a 2:1 gear ratio does the job. This would result in a precisely linear response that is as crisp as possible. Of course this would involve running longer wires to the stick base (placed wherever is most convenient), but this poses no problem at all. Moreover, I'd endeavor to place the monitor nearer to my face, so as to maximize the apparent view angle and thereby increase immersiveness. For instance, if one flies with the sim's horizontal FoV set to 90 degrees, having your face as near to the screen as 1/2 the screen width results in a 1:1 image scale, matching the real life view. So a screen of width 40 inches and displaying a 90 degree horizontal field will appear at true-life scale when your eyes are 20 inches from the screen. A larger monitor is preferred, so as to not require a *really* close position. But it would necessitate a bit of an alteration in the platform's design so as to account for the relocation of the center of mass. I've already set up my monitor so as to enjoy this 1:1 image scale, and it really rocks. It's the next best thing when a true VR goggle is not available. To ease eye strain, I wear large-lens reading glasses, so that the image appears to lie nearer to infinity, focus wise. Due to the monitor's nearness, I have my head tracker set up so that the camera is strapped to the top of my headphone band, and the light source is behind me. I'd arrange for the same, if required, with a motion platform.

[@doctordan7959]

He Glen ... thank you for your well thought out design comments! With a little engineering background and some simple math -- it is truly amazing what can be accomplished. I'm glad you decided to share your insights on this project, and wish you well with your sim! I believe that having the axis pots positioned at the axis bearing locations would indeed be a more elegant solution, which undoubtedly would yield a crisper motion response. Having flown a Cessna 172, I can comment on the realism provided by the elastic band setup. In the Cessna, when you initiate control inputs, there is a brief but noticeable lag between the input and the response. Based on this observation, in the interest of realism of actual flight dynamics, the elastic bands get a thumbs up. However, on the other hand, for flying a computer sim and not being overly concerned with realism, your solution sounds like a good alternative. ENJOY!!

[@benson7600]

Wow. Can you please make a tutorial build?

[@falconbmsindonesia]

Shit man that's cool!

[@RenatosilvaMinis-Games]

perfeito

[@williamanthony5300]

I wish I had that in my room

[@SuperTerrorizor]

Hi Dan, I know I'm pretty late to the game here. But I was wondering if you could share a bit more about the construction of the enclosed cockpit a bit more such as list of necessary parts. I bought the original plans for the joyrider and would love to make mine enclosed as well. Thank you!

[@edwardlynn4970]

Wow!!!!!!!! Could I please ask how much money it to to make it ??? Work right???

[@maxalm3318]

am i right understand, that this chair is fully operate by muscle power? And you should attach many power to your joystick for move your body with whole chair? It look more like gym equipment.

[@mdw159]

Like the fan... Never see like that ! :D

[@noneNone-mw1px]

Sir what is your website ? Did you mention what parts need to buy specially electronic parts.

[@llikeaboss2254]

What yoke, throttle and pedals did you use on this simulator?

[@randyrankin3604]

do u have the plans for that, I like to try and put one together

[@pcostelha]

This is extremely amazing... I am with my mouth totally open... Do you have this on proper? Can you send to my email?

[@conanrussell7458]

Thank you for the quick reply! 2 questions if I may... #1 In the video you have posted, your simulator is moving. There does not appear to be anyone inside moving the joystick. Are you manually moving the simulator while recording? #2 I have paid for the plans on his website and am about to build one myself. Would you say the overall "effect" is worth the time and money for someone who is looking to duplicate the sensation of flying? Thank you so much for for the time and help!

[@doctordan7959]

Hi Conan, For the purposes of making the video I was moving the cockpit by hand while standing out of frame. The simulator is very well balanced so this was not hard to do. While sitting in the cockpit, the whole thing is moved by your joystick inputs. I had to add a couple of weights to get perfect balance. If you look closely at the video you will see a giant wrench attached to the top of the right main gimbal tube, and a large fire extinguisher mounted aft of the cockpit seat. I tried lots of weights and when I found the right combination -- that is how those items became part of the finished product. The overall effect is good enough (using my addition of a full cockpit enclosure) to warrant the build. It worked so well that I was able to cure myself of getting air sick in actual aircraft (which was the original purpose of the build). My addition of the enclosure is critical to achieving total immersion and experiencing "flight". Without the full enclosure the effect would be greatly reduced. Also my addition of the variable resistance range of motion stops (surgical tubing) helps to make operation of the simulator more accurate and enjoyable. My advice would be to include my custom additions to the basic plans for your build. That would also mean the addition of a flat screen monitor inside the cockpit. I don't know why anyone would build one of these without a monitor, but that's how the basic plans are. I have sold my simulator so I no longer have a handy reference tool for answering questions. Good luck & enjoy! DT

[@athokpambidysagarsingh6031]

Conan Russell

[@carlvanhoose3558]

Can this be used for auto racing?

[@justme.9711]

What are the degrees of rotation per axis?

[@user-is2jw3qc3h]

What motion software is used to move the cockpit for this?

[@ezequielmerinomartinez3460]

Where I can buy the motor stick?

[@doctordan7959]

Complete illustrated plans for the basic simulator are available as a pdf cocument at: www.acesim.com/main.html My simulator was built using those plans, with the addition of the following which are my own contribution: 1. Fully enclosed cockpit 2. The addition of a flat panel monitor within the cockpit enclosure 3. The addition of the increasing resistance motion limit stops (the surgical tubing gizmos in my video). My video shows how you can modify the simulator to make it more realistic. I made those additions (1 through 3 above) without any plans --- just thought it up and did it. My video is detailed enough to show how to do it. All of the information in this post is contained in many previous posts. For those who like to complain -- go right ahead and do so. For those who are serious about building one like mine, watch the video, order the plans (not from me, but from the link included in this post, and use your imagination. My video just shows what I {invented} to agument the existing plans.

[@maskystudio9193]

Nice .good idea.can u share code arduino

[@conanrussell7458]

I read through every comment and to my surprise there is no mention of how your sim is moving. I know it's a pivot system but you do not appear to be inside of it and I'm not seeing any servos. How is it moving?

[@doctordan7959]

The simulator is completely weight and balance operated. No motors, no hydraulics. If you go to the website where I got the basic plans, they provide a very detailed explanation of the whole thing. The basic plans can be found at the following website: www.acesim.com/main.html -- My video is primarily to showcase my own inventions and modifications to the basic plans.

[@goraeuskadi5619]

have you a project with misurment of all pieces?

[@doctordan7959]

The basic plans can be found at the following website: www.acesim.com/main.html The plans are for an open cockpit. The full enclosure on my build was my own idea, and sorry there are no plans for the enclosure, but it is not difficult to design your own. It was a fun project which I built to get over being motion sick when flying real aircraft. After "flying" my motion flight simulator for a few months I was able to cure my motion sickness. The reason I designed an enclosure was so that my only point of reference was the inside of the cockpit. Had I left the cockpit open, as in the plans, I do not believe I would have been able to cure getting motion sick. Enjoy!

[@rayenyazid1181]

What is the motor of the flight simulator ?

[@mikelagaffe]

I can build a cockpit like that, but the motion thing. .. what did you use to make it move? The thing under the chair... How is it wired up to the pc, and to the game... I can build but i am not that good with electronics and such...

[@williamdirnbeck9855]

All of the motion happens from a three way leverage system that you can see at 3:34 ; if you look at the plans it’s easier to visualize but all of the motion happens when you manipulate the stick in the center which pushes against another part of the simulator which moves you in the opposite direction. The joystick under the chair is attached so that as you manipulate the sim it translates that motion into your flight simulator program. So instead of a conventional flight simulator where you give it an electrical input which makes a motor move the sim you are using human force to make the sim move which then translates into an electric signal to the flight program, via the joystick under the chair. Plans are available for 15 USD on acesim.com

[@TTURBOVOLVO]

pdf code: 1̷8̷1̷5̷3̷1̷1̷-̷1̷4̷

[@williamdirnbeck9855]

TIM dont put the code out there like that... Ken works really hard and has created a great machine here. Just pay the 15 bucks and get it like everyone else .

[@donicabiles3392]

do you have a blueprint of this including the wirings and hydros? i am dying to make one for my son..plss

[@williamdirnbeck9855]

Doni Cabiles this setup does not involve any electronics to make it move. It is completely operated by a 3 way leveraging system to manipulate the cockpit, which is attached to a joystick at the bottom to translate your movements to your flight simulator. You can purchase the plans for 15 bucks on acesim.com. Should cost around 400-500 to build complete without motorized setup.

[@donicabiles3392]

@@williamdirnbeck9855 thanks sir.. but in my case here in the philippines, i am having a hard time purchasing the document.. and that i dont know why.. quite disappointing

[@MACADEMIAC]

Keep an eye on Dan, he gets out of hand if you let him.

[@user-zz4tj6nt4u]

Oh thant thing dont have force feedback

[@TTURBOVOLVO]

that thing costs like 100 bucks to make and has the feel and throw of a real plane joystick.

[@edwardlynn4970]

I'd love to talk to you about making a new one!!

[@maxi8191]

KE?

[@naijapilotxmax6006]

Why didn't you show inside?

[@doctordan7959]

Show inside what? My video starts with showing all the parts gathered ahead of construction. You get to see every single bit of what will eventually be the "Inside". Next I show every single step of construction, so you can see how it goes together. You get to see the cockpit prior to adding the enclosure frame and other covering -- you get to see absolutely everything that is "Inside". I show the seat, monitor and monitor mounting system, I show the flight controls, including the step by step progression of the joystick. I show the inside of the simulator after the outer covering has been added --- including the cockpit air flow fan in the ceiling. I show the hatch and it's control elements --- with the hatch open, displaying the "Inside". Just exactly what do you feel was left out --- x ray views of the inside of the nuts and bolts???!!!

[@naijapilotxmax6006]

Doctor Dan hope I have not said anything bad here? I only ask why didn't show inside the motion sim when you were flying

[@TTURBOVOLVO]

@@doctordan7959 Maybe the inside while playing, you salty fucker hahaha

[@commentatron]

@@naijapilotxmax6006 oh........ _nevermind_

[@dantracy9009]

Well done Dan Tracy it is I Dan Tracy💕 and I love this video