737NG Eyebrows available

[Aerosim Solutions]

I think Efe disappeared too, he never replied to my requests but in the end I scored a real pair of eyebrows from Warren Soeldner, cheers Warren they are great!
Gwyn

[fsaviator]

I have tried contacting Efe through various means over the last couple of years.  It seems that his job and family are keeping him busy and away from the hobby.

Glad they worked out, Gwyn!

Warren

[stephenbalmer]

Thanks guys, it does indeed seem that Efe is on a break.

Would you mind giving me a shout if you do come across any eyebrows anywhere? I also will keep scanning the usual haunts.

Cheers,

Steve

[kenneth]

I have a set for sale

[stephenbalmer]

I have sent you an email Kenneth.

[jackpilot]

/quote]

Traveling eyebrows, got them from Nick at APHS, went to warren, then to you.

[Efe]

Hi all,
So I was doing a rare check of Twitter and I saw a post from Cockpitbuilders and clicked through. It has been ages since I was on this site, any FS site really. Great to see some of the "old" guys still around.

Firstly my apologies regarding the eyebrows. It was my idea to put the product up for sale, what was planned to be the first in a line of products for the home builder. In fact the next step was going to be providing the same product with the bells and whistles (speakers, lights, compartments, escape rope, etc.) for the ultra-realists amongst us. And this this would carry on through our product line, economical home cockpit gear that gave you the real look and a little more pricy alternatives for those that didn't mind spending some more cash for added benefits.

The whole rationale was providing quality products for home builders at great prices (much lower than the multiple 100s of Euros and Dollars you have to usually dish out) and obviously making some money for the company as well. To cover the small expenses was how I put it in my convincing session.

What followed after the initial batch of 20 or so interested builders contacted me was the monumental task of getting these prioritized. This was my baby, the home cockpit line, but it wasn't met with the same enthusiasm throughout the company and it was often a struggle trying to get these produced and sent off. Finally we had 5 sets made, a trial run so to speak, and as a result realized that the molds for the eyebrows pictured had deteriorated enough to affect the final products. Usable, yes. Sellable, possibly with the necessary FYIs and a lower price. However, we decided that it wouldn't be a wise choice for our first foray into the homebuilder market, where first impressions are so important. So we scrapped the molds and had new ones made, still struggling through the priorities of a company that caters primarily to airlines.

Once the new molds were made we produced a further 10 sets, painted them and liked what we saw. We decided a 2nd version production would be necessary as some of the impressions on the eyebrow wall panels were not realistically shaped and placed. But we were willing to show the end product to those who "pre-ordered" and give them the option of getting these true-to-initial-pictures products versus waiting for the v2.

Many builders were waiting just to learn about shipping costs so I spent some time looking into the best packaging in terms of pricing and protection. We finally decided on foregoing the more expensive cardboard box and custom crate options for the dense foam and packaging liquid-to-solid foam spray and we packaged one up to get pricing for most major countries as well as some others from which we had interested parties.

Right at this point the managing director of the company suddenly decided not to sell these products. I'm not going to go into the factors involved and details for the obvious reasons. So suddenly we had products all ready to go but could not sell them. After a month of talking to him and the support of our head engineer, he was finally convinced that it was a good idea to sell these products that were ready and more importantly taking up valuable storage space. So I took one of these packaged and ready eyebrows to the local post office and got the shipping quotes mentioned above. I prepared the standard email to send to builders that had shown interest regarding shipping options, costs and time frames. And once again our director balked at the final OK and it was shelved.

Now my only consolation was that we had never collected money or even a down payment from anyone for these. This was my request because I knew the nature of the company and anticipated some issues and did not want to be the guy who took builders' money and then disappeared off the face of the Earth. But I do apologize for taking people's time and giving them false hope for all this time. I am glad to hear some were able to source eyebrows from Nick at APHS and other builders. I have to admit I could have been indefinitely better at communication. I think initially I was holding off on hopes that we would be able to ship these out and after it was evident we weren't going to get the authorization I just felt so much time had passed I wouldn't know how to express my disappointment. Staying silent and keeping everyone wandering was definitely not the way to go about it and for that I am especially sorry.

There is currently another company making B738 cockpit products that are working on eyebrows. If they finish their work and the product is up to standards I believe in, I will contact everyone on my initial interest list and point them in that direction. I will not provide your contact details to the company or have them contact you as I will not have control over their possible continued contact against your wishes.

That being said, here is a personal update from me:
After disappearing off the face of the online flight simulator community, I started working for Turkish Airlines as the international events coordinator. In November of 2013, my wife and I had twin boys. I just started working at Pegasus Airlines in January as a flight training support specialist in charge of coordination for the airline's training in the Level D Boeing 738 simulator produced by Sim Industries (formerly Dutch, now Lockheed Martin-owned company). I basically ensure all the type rating students are planned in the simulator and that our active pilots' license proficiency checks and operator proficiency checks are renewed before they expire. Its very hectic work and in two months I have only been inside the simulator twice, once very briefly prior to a video shoot and once very briefly due to a bridge malfunction.

[Trevor Hale]

Wow Efe.

First of all it's great to see you again. Secondly I am glad to took the time to update us.

Good luck with your new job and congrats!

Trev

[Aerosim Solutions]

Yeah good to see you back Efe, congrats on the twins! I also have boy/girl twins 17 now. Alex is a six foot two air cadet and Lauren is a ballerina who can say 23 "likes" per sentence!! Cheers Gwyn

[fsaviator]

Welcome back, Efe!

Great to hear your news.