latest news

06.07.2010

The 777 Throttle quad is finished! See it in all its glory HERE

15.06.2010

Purchased the full Sim Avionics 777 suite from FDS. Now we're getting serious!

09.06.2010

Glareshield begins with the wings. Have a look HERE.

23.05.2010

Recieved two plug-n-play EFIS units from Opencockpits along with a second Master card in preparation for the 777 upgrade.

08.04.2010

Want to know how to cheaply and easily make your own backlighting? See it HERE.

Please note if you are having trouble downloading any files from this site try using Firefox instead of IE.

Tutorials

 

Building the Opencockpits COMM

COMM tutorial

Building the Opencockpits NAV

NAV tutorial

Building the Opencockpits ADF

ADF tutorial

Building the Opencockpits XPDR

XPDR tutorial

Radio Pedestal Circuit Diagram

Full Circuit Diagram

Backlighting the Opencockpits MCP

Backlighting the MCP

Simple and Cheap Home-Made Panels

Simple Home-Made Panels

 

December 2008 Builder of the Month

about me

My name is Ken Brand and I have been interested in flight since I was young. I finally got to live the dream around the age of 40 when I took my first flying lessons. After a slow 3.5 years I gained my Private Pilots License and currently have a day VFR rating on Cessna 152 & 172 aircraft but I hope to expand on that in the future. I have two children and live in Perth Western Australia where the weather is perfect for flying.

Jandakot airport is my flying home which is currently the busiest General Aviation airport in the southern hemsiphere and has some 325,000 movements per year

I work for the country's national broadcaster taking care of the transmission of radio and television throughout the state. Funny enough my work area is a bit like the flight deck of a large airliner, which suits me fine.

My background is of a technical nature so it was only natural that I would supplement my flight training with simulator training, however I quickly realised that a standard single screen and joystick just didn't cut it. There was no similarity with the real world flying I was doing so I began trawling the net to find other alternatives. I never would have imagined what I would find. My debt of gratitude to all those that paved the way before me and pioneered the home grown flight sim is enormous!

Interestingly for me the large airline experience such as the 747, 737 or A320 didn't so much appeal to me. Flying at a GA airport I get to see the likes of Cessna Citations, Piper twins and the great King Air's and Pilatus PC12. The latter two are probably my favourite aircraft. The Royal Flying Doctor Service in WA fly's both these aircraft and, as well as having great admiration for the work this organisation does, I also have great envy for the pilots who get to fly these magnificant aircraft daily.

So I decided to base my flight sim on one of my favourites, the Pilatus PC12. However I didn't want to limit my flight training experience so I decided to adapt the sim to encompass almost any aircraft. Hence I believe that I can achieve a flight deck that will allow me to fly anything from a C172 up to a 747 or A380.

With this website I hope to give back to the online community some of which I gained from many hours of searching and learning. If nothing else, simply to inspire the next generation of flight trainers to blurr the lines even more between reality and a game.