Sim Video

A quick video I made of the Sim in use.  I put the music over the top as me and the pilot were nattering away about something or other.

Exhibition time

It's a bit of a jump from little details to the finished product, but in the middle there was me moving house, and internet access was sketchy.

So here it is.  The fully working Sim at the University of South Australia Industrial Design Exhibition.  The reason it looks like a loading bay is because it is.  A largeish trailer can't be taken on to the second floor of a building easily, so I was in a different position.  I ran 'tours' to the sim, and got some good crowds as you can see.

I also one the Industry Award as sponsored my Stratco and Clipsal which was nice.  For anyone in Adelaide, the Sim can be seen on Monday 15th Dec (ie tomorrow) at the UniSA City West campus.

The front latches are done.  A simple setup, but they hold the front ends securely and neatly

Screen handles

I previously mentioned I needed to add a lifting device for the screen to make the whole thing more managable.  The results can be seen below and are very succesful!  The C of G of the screen runs through the same line that of the the handles, meaning the screen can be easily rotated without changing the forces the lifter experiences.  Effectively, you can hold the thing at either end and spin it axialy about 360 degrees and it always remains balanced.

The handles also give the lifter some space to move around in.  I am extremely happy at how they have solved the problem of easy lifting.

They are, of course, detachable

Quick update

Since Uni has pretty much finished, I am back to work to try and earn some money!  So progress will be a little slower.  Keep an eye out though, more bits coming soon, particularly the projector!

More bits

Added some more bits and pieces.  All of which can be seen in the photo.  Removable wheel arches, overcentre locks for the sides, lights properly attached, and support legs.  Nuff said!

The Blog had 160 hits on monday.  Fantastic, makes me think I should put up some more shots! :-)

I've had a few comments on waterproofing so the last shot shows how it's done (in one area at least).

Lots of photos for you.  With a final Uni presentation coming up, I needed the Sim to look good.  So off came the plastic, as well as a number of other bits being done.  It is exciting to see it like this after so long.

The sides went on today after a bit of messing around.  Everything matches up though it still needs some adjustment.  And there are a lot of extra details still to go, such as waterproofing and latches.

My sister's friend made an amusing comment the other day.  She said the trailer looked good but it would be better if it wasn't covered in so much sponsorship!  Don't worry, it's all coming off.

Have done quite a bit lately, but with the deadline fast approaching, I'm not spending so much time blogging.

Firstly the instrument panel, which was cut out on the CNC machine at uni and basically folded together.  The dibond is very versatile in this respect.  The holes are cut to reveal the instruments on a screen behind.  The black rectangle above is the head tracking hardware.  The whole thing is on a long stalk so it can swing out the way to make it easier for people to get in.

The screen/roof has the top surface on.  It still needs to be properly riveted into place but I ran out of light last night, hence the photography.  It is heavier than I want so I will me making a tool to make it easier to lift and maneuver.

The mounting is finished for the glider, I just need to drill the holes that the bolts go through.  The glider frame will be cleaned up and pained black as well, making the whole thing difficult to see.  The glider appears to float above the floor (well I like to think so).

That's all for now.

Started painting the floor.  It looks good, and really helps make the white glider stand out

That last post was my 50th!  So I had a look back at the beginning.  It's come a long way!

Today I recieved the screen that will become the instrument pannel.  It's a lovely little thing and should be perfect for the job.  Much easier to get it to read instruments too.  No messing about with networks

Also put in the second strut for the fuselage frame.  Still need to weld in the cross piece, but that has to wait for the floor to be painted and attached.  Apparently my sister was so excited by the whole thing, she just had to be in the shot! :-)

Am half way through the framework for the glider.  Exciting to see it finally sitting in place.  Will take some photos this afternoon.  Stay tuned!

Other steps done today.  Nice to see them both on and working as planned.  Holes in the floor and framework for the fuselage come next.

One small step for man...

The first set of steps is welded into position on its hinges.  I'm very happy with the results, strong and sturdy and well positioned.  I will do the other side, and then look at fixing the sides into place.  It's all starting to come together!

More photos

I said I'd post a few more pics, here they are.  The sides, the front, and the top with handles.  I am rethinking the middle handles after I had a good idea yesterday.  So they will probably change.

It's been a while since I posted for a number of reasons.  Another one of those annoying dates came along where I actually had to submit something to Uni.  And for the past few days I've been pretty sick.  Despite all that, I've got quite a bit done.

The front of the trailer has been constructed and looks good.  The sides have also been cut.  I will lay everything in position and take a photo to give an idea of how it all looks closed up.

I have also started the paint work on the fuselage.  At the moment it is just a single coat of primer in these photos, but already it looks so much better.  It now has a second coat on, which needs a good sandpapering to remove blemishes.

More screen

The inside and side pieces are now on the screen.  Unfortunately it is coming in a bit heavier than I would have liked, but I havent put on the handles yet, so much of the problem is me finding it difficult to manouver.

The screen frame is ready to go, including the verticle slide rails which sit onto the verticle rails on the trailer.  The photo shows my girlfriend painting the joints before assembly which will happen today.  You can see the screen sides on the ground.

Screen Frame

Made good progress today.  Welded together the framework for the outside edge of the floor, which means I now have something to mount the door hinges to.

Also welded together the framework for the roof/screen, so now have a good idea of how it's going to feel to be sitting in the glider.  I'm very happy with the results.  I will be starting with the cladding shortly.  Stay tuned!

Stairs framework

Since the stairs are made from thin material, they need an internal frame.  I could have made them from the steel floor plate, but then I couldn't bend them up myself, and since they are a tricky shape it would have been expensive.  Plus the aluminium looks damn good!

So these are the internal frames.  I haven't quite finished them yet (ran out of bar and welding wire) but they are nice and strong which is great.  The reason for the 'gap' will become apparent later on.

Steps have been welded up.  Finally get to place them and see how they look on the trailer. Pretty damn good i recon.

Steps

Bent the steps up last night.  I think they look fantastic!  Got a mobile welding guy coming today to do the welding since I don't know how to weld aluminium.