Blog

  • Beam splitter

    image

    I received my order from http://telepromptermirror.com today for the HUD!

  • Left Structural Members Done

    image

    Finally got the left wall structural members cut and installed (they bear the weight of the monitors and provide something to tie the wall frame to). 

    I already cut a piece for the right side basically mirroring the left side but it isn’t installed yet. 

    I changed the orientation of the top center monitor to landscape at some point and I had to move done overhead structural members around… The idea was to widen the interior slightly to match newer blueprints that came my way!

  • Interior Frame Continued

    image

    Forward port monitor framing is complete and I was able to knock out half of the rear port monitor freaking using a piece that was waste from my last post.

  • Wasted Wood

    image

    Trying to measure the lengths for these multi-angle cuts has wasted time and two 2×4’s. I think I have the hang of it now and after I restock my supplies I will be moving swiftly along with the interior support beams for the side windows/monitors (pink) and the interior wall framing to follow that.

  • Venus?

    One of the marketing angles we are pursuing is education. Our initial reaction was to provide a Mars experience in the simulator since that is the most prospective place for future colonization. One drawback is that we are lacking technology to render the planet from orbit which would require additional LOE.

    Venus is the only other planet anywhere near the habitable distance from the sun. We have been having talks this week to consider Venus.

    image

    Imagine yourself 3000 feet under water inside an oven on self-clean and you can appreciate the picture above.

    Because if the density at the ground level and the calm surface wind landing will be a cinch.  The thick cloud cover is compatible with our rendering engine. There is plenty of atomic hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen if you have immense power sources.

    But why are we there? Is it feasible to have surface, subterranean, tethered or buoyant structures of any purpose?

  • A Brisk Morning

    image

    Me and the kids went out to secure the tarp again after the cold front moved through.

    Started the framing for the interior side walls. Lots of calculations because of the angles. Complicated by the amount of space the LCD monitors take up. Going slow but hoping to cut a piece of wood this weekend!

  • Seat Parts

    image

    A big box arrived while I was at work… It contained a survival kit with seat cushion, overhead pull handle/curtain, and both parachute containers for the incomplete ejection seat. My kids really like playing in the box!

  • Tight Fit

    I was able to lower the bucket on the pilot’s seat and set them up side by side within 2″ directionally.  It is quite an acrobatic feat to get to the pilot’s seat but once you are there you have sufficient legroom and ample headroom.

    image

  • First Casualty

    While sawing down a platform support, a beam I had paced on top of the frame (to get it out of the way) worked it’s way loose and fell on one of the LCD monitors!

    image

    Edit:  I was able to remove the actual LCD monitor from inside this bloated frame and housing.  This outer sheet was for the touchscreen capability which we don’t need anyway.

  • X-Keys Trouble

    Ultimately I had to use my wife’s laptop running Windows XP to get this thing out of hardware programming mode.  I used the following steps from tech@xkeys.com:

    Download and install Macro_Recorder.  This installs XkeysW2k.sys in the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers folder which will be necessary when you plug in the USB device in programming mode.  You will have to specify the location when the Found New Hardware wizard pops up.

    Download and install Splat_Converter.  Launch it, hit “Get Mode” and then say “SPLAT”.  Your device will no longer be recognized but you can take it back to Windows 7 running MacroWorks 3 and start programming.