We are all aware of what flight simulators are. They are basically a remodeled airplane cockpit with all the features of a real one but on the ground. These flight simulators are used for training rookie pilots and to give them a feel of a real cockpit on ground and before they enter the real cockpit. Today, flight simulator has become a standard tool worldwide as far as flight training is concerned. These are used both in training civilian airline pilots and military pilots. The type of flight simulators used, of course, varies depending on the type of aircraft the pilot is being trained for. All big airplane makers make flight simulators using high-tech software and hardware. A tremendous amount of engineering is required to create these flight simulators. But the simulators we are going to discuss here were not made by any big aviation company like Boeing, Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman. Neither it required any high-tech tools to build them. These flight simulators were built by normal people like you and me, in the backyard of their homes. Of course, these flight simulators are not used for training any pilots, but these have their own fun values.
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1. DIY flight simulator in the middle of your garden:
This simulator was built by Matt Thomas Roger Dodger Aviation. The flight simulator he has built was built on using the moving axis principle where the simulator moves on its axis like a real airplane as the pilot moves the joystick around. Thomas also created a series of tutorial videos to help people who want to build similar simulators for themselves. The final version of the simulator was built after trying on different configuration. After a lot of trial and error, this simulator was finally created.
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2. Man builds flight simulator that shoots water up to 25 meters:
This hand built flight simulator somewhat resembles the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. But instead of shooting bullets it sprays water on its “enemies”. The simulator was built in about nine months by Case Woudenberg. The simulator was built using everyday plywood and is controlled by water pressure mechanism which helps the plane rise almost seven feet.
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3. Home-made 747-400 Flight Simulator Deck:
You might find this a little hard to believe, but this 747-400 flight simulator is actually home built. A guy called Matthew Sheil was crazy enough to come up with this really stunning looking simulator. It is said that it took 9 years for him to build this stunner and what a stunner it is. If you look at the cockpit from the inside for a moment, you would forget that it is a home built flight simulator.
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4. F-117A Stealth Fighter Flight Simulator and console:
From a sheer beauty to a real tool for the real gamers. This F-117 Nighthawk flight simulator looks like anything but the cockpit of a real F-117. But as far as the functionality of this simulator is concerned, it surely is going to please some hardcore gamers.
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5. Homemade $230,000 Boeing 747 Flight Simulator:
This 747 simulator built by Matthew Sheil mimics the cockpit of a real Boeing 747 airliner to a great extent. It cost him somewhere around $230,000 to get this baby up and running. The simulator is quite high-tech as it is run by a powerful computer and the visuals are reflected onto a pair of Philips 19 inch superfast LCD monitors. Audio comes from a set of Bose Companion surround 5 speakers which mimic the sound detail of a flight situation to the minutest detail.
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6. Homemade F-16 Simulator Cockpit:
A fighter jockey from New Zealand has created an F-16 flight simulator which is sure to bring a smile to every military aviation enthusiast. The cockpit truly resembles the actual cockpit of an F-16 Fighting Falcon. The detailing of the cockpit is so precise that it has joystick to control the pitch, yaw and bank of the aircraft. In aviation terminology this is known as HOTAS or Hands on Throttle and Stick. There are other switches and gauges which makes this homemade flight simulator a close “cousin” of the real bird.
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7. Home-brewed Helicopter Flight Simulator leaves us speechless:
It is not that only fixed wing simulators are being created by people at home. Even rotary wing flight simulators have been made by people in their garage. One Canadian techno geek has built a Bell 206B JetRanger Helicopter Flight Simulator from scrap metals. Since the simulator was made from unused metals, it costs really low at $1200 (Canadian). The detailing of the cockpit is done incredibly well and it has all those systems onboard that you are likely to find on a Bell 206B chopper.
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8. Northstar Aviation’s flight simulators for flying in bad weather:
The Maverick One and Maverick Two – these are a pair of cockpits created byNorthstar Aviation to help young pilots learn the art of flying in bad weathers. Apart from aviation students the simulators will also be available for public to have some flying experience without leaving the ground.
Here is another good one... Boeing 737 Flight simulator assembled in his own garage - http://bitly.com/J5uZ3j (James Price is the inventor)