The eagle has landed

[Caflyt]

And here she is.....
Finally arrived today after the truck broke down somewhere between Wisconsin and Florida.
A week late but safe and sound.

Now I am thinking.........
WHAT HAVE I DONE??

I must give a big THANK YOU to John (blue sky driver)!!!

[Caflyt]

YUP!!
I have officially lost my mind!!

Craig

[bernard S]

hehe   welcome to the dark side ... keep mrs happy is golden rule

[Caflyt]

Bernard,
How right you are!!!!

Now I have to tell her!

[Trevor Hale]

I love the smell of a real cockpit...  Its awesome.  Just remember to wear masks when your cutting or grinding the painted areas..  Lots of that paint has nasty chemicals in it..
Congrats!

[bernard S]

lol   not something you can hide easy   .. how yiu going to house it

[blueskydriver]

Hey Craig,

Very happy to see the cockpit finally got there! And, I know it's been a long journey for you (and the cockpit) from beginning to end, but that portion or phase 1 of your new updated simulator is behind you. Now, it's time for phase 2 which will be difficult, but easier since you can actually touch and smell the cockpit.

Agreeing with Trevor, do wear masks, goggles and other protective gear when doing any cutting. You would not believe the amount of aluminum glitter outside my shed from all the cutting. Let alone how you do not even see it until you sweep everything up; just imagine the amount in the air while cutting.

Also, let me add that if you want to save time, get a set of bolt cutters to cut clamps and bundles of wiring. I used an 18" set to do everything with; whereas, wire cutters are useless. The saw-zaw is great for cutting aluminum sheeting, but a cutting wheel works faster and gives cleaner cut lines.

Lastly, I didn't see the box in the pics, so I am guessing you received it and just left it out of the pics right?

John

[Caflyt]

John
Yes, the crate also arrived and is sitting inside the warehouse. The shell is sitting at my friend's machine shop (how convenient) and will remain there while we plan the next steps.
The guy in the picture is my friend who owns the shop and we are looking at the best way to separate the top so it will fit through my garage door.
He will also fabricate the "base" with recessed casters for easy moving.
He will fit attachments for the top to be removable.
LOTS TO DO!!!!
I recently bought out the Doctor I have worked with for 20 years and now I am the head of the show at my business which has been overwhelming to say the least so my time is even less plentiful than it was before, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity to own the real thing.

[Caflyt]

And here are some cool before and after pics of the girl from when she was working for a living...
And this was "meant to be" because she already had my initials (CA) on the tail.
N678MG

[blueskydriver]

Totally AWWEEESOMEEE Craig! Seeing the before and after pics is really cool...thank you for posting them.

For other builders thinking of going the real cockpit way, let me say it's not hard to do, but not easy either. Like Craig has just showed us, if you have the will, there is a way and even with some hurdles, he has accomplished one of the objects towards his goal of flying a real cockpit simulator.

Thus, if you're on the fence about which way to go and need some motivation, PM Craig for more info, or you can PM me...

John

[Caflyt]

A couple more pictures of her in the different liveries she flew in.....
Eastern Airlines 1981
Northwest 1993
Champion Air 2003

Wasn't she sexy??

[Joe Lavery]

I don't know about the rest of you guys (and gals), but it always makes me a bit sad when I see what these aircraft used to look like before they were chopped up.
Still it's good to see that the cockpit will be used as it was intended, and fly again in the simulated skies.

We went to an RAF air show many years ago and spoke to the pilots who used to fly the Blackburn Buccaneer. They were standing in front of the last flying example of the aircraft, which I must say looked in pristine condition. They were a bit sad to say that they had flown it into the airbase just before the show started, and it would never fly again. In fact I found out that it had been broken up for scrap just days later, I recall thinking what a terrible waste of a perfectly good aeroplane.

I'm sure many of you have had similar experiences.

Joe.

[bernard S]

rather than cutting the deck  try not to cut anything  because later you will wish you did not .. remove front of building  thats what i did a bit of grief but worth it ... the best thing you can do at this stage is get it into.its own dedicated  home    also remember yiu will move it again   the higher the roof space the better ... once housed   air conditioning   next steps power   in the interium yiu can make zoom zoom noises from a garden chair and aleays use metal .. recessed castors   sexy .. however make theblegs adjustable with fit that yiu can add castors as required

[Caflyt]

I have serious 'HANGAR ENVY" Bernard.
Unfortunately, I have no other option but to make the top removable as I can't remove the front of my house to get her in there. And also the need to move it in the future will also be made easier if I can disassemble it. The planning is just starting so who knows what will actually happen.

[Caflyt]

 I want to thank everyone who has contacted me with advice and suggestions. Your input is truly appreciated.

[Caflyt]

The "clean-out" is underway !!!

[kurt-olsson]

Awesome!

I am so jealous it hurts! =)

The cockpit shell stands for alot of percentage of the cockpit. Having a real shell gives so much emersion and feeling! But its hard to work with and knowing myself i probably wouldent be up for the task as it requires alot of tools and knowledge to cut and work with all the metal.

Great job! keep posting pictures!

[bernard S]

your a better braver man than i left mine well alone   in fact when came for painting had birds nests in vents  lol   

[blueskydriver]

Looking great Craig!

John

[Caflyt]

Thanks everyone,
After the strip job we will pressure wash and then turn it on it's butt so I can start work on the bottom.

[Joe Lavery]

Ahem! .... we are talking about a cockpit shell I presume!!!

[kurt-olsson]

Ahem! .... we are talking about a cockpit shell I presume!!!

Hhahahaahahahahahahahahahahhhh LOL!!!!!

[Caflyt]

 

And the cockpit too

[Caflyt]

She is mostly cleaned out now...
Pressure washing this weekend.

Wish they hadn't cut the floor in the middle but should be just fine.

Craig

[simlady/ Karen]

Have a great time power washing her... words of advice, wear a rubber suit. 

You are going to get wetter than you think and you might not enjoy it so much if something comes back and hits you..like a screw or washer that you didn't see laying inside the framing. I'm just saying...

but have fun and I'm happy that you're enjoying your new "toy"