Simviation Forums

Since i have only been in an actual cockpit once (747) Im trying to get an idea of the hight of cockpit. If I remember correctly its quite a bit higher then say the dash board in a car. Is there anything out there that helps with  the proper perspective?

Second question, when you get rid of the cockpit panel in FS9 is the center of the aircraft offset to the right? And if so is there a way to get rid of this?


Thanks in advance,
John

I believe it varies from aircraft to aircraft.  And not just between the 747 and the single decks.  I believe the DC-9 and its subsequent variants are quite low, while others like the 737 are relatively high.  THe ATR and the Dash 8 are also pretty low.  What a/c were you thinking of?

Sort of a generic 737 style.

i came up with my measurements for my sketches of a medium to large twin engine king air 350 type cockpit by sitting two identical office chairs side by side at the approximate width apart so as to leave room for a 10 - 12 inch wide center pedestal between the seats. Then using a tape measurer i was able to determine that the approximate width with 2 - 3" clearance on the outer arms of the chars from side to side would be around 64"

then, imagining ahead of me an instrument panel that width, i measured from the floor to a space about 6" above my knees and came up with 24" height from the ground for the bottom of the panel.

from there i extended the tape measurer up to slightly below eye level for the top of the instrument panel and determined that the panel should be about 36" tall from the floor to the glare shield.

therefore a fair sized twin engine airplane by my imagination would have a panel dimension of 64" wide by 36" tall with openings in the panel for your legs measuring about 22" wide by 24" tall.

in an effort to ensure that these are the proper dimensions i plan on finding a large bit of cardboard and cutting out the panel as i envisioned it and sitting in front of it soon to see how it looks. If it seems about right i can then easily make the required tweaks here and there and note the new measurements.

the next step beyond that would be to print out scale flight instruments and radio stack etc then tape them to the cardboard "test panel" to ensure proper fit, spacing, and ergonomics etc.

the only thing left once that is complete is to actually begin the task of acquiring the materials for construction.

as far as your 747 pit goes the only real difference in panel dimension would be the height of the enclosure if you intend to build one, and the width between the seats for the center pedestal - assuming you will be using 2 seats.

so - artistic license?

Thanks for the detailed response! Im gonna bookmark this as a guide when Its time. Still have some home improvement projects to finish first!

Yeah there will be a degree of artistic license when the pit takes shape. 64" sounds great since Ill be using my 60" dlp tv for the main display. Also I wanted to integrate the skylights on either side of the overhead, 737 style(thats why i was interested in the height of the dash.) Should work out fine.


Thanks,
John

Go to

Also I wanted to integrate the skylights on either side of the overhead, 737 style(thats why i was interested in the height of the dash.) Should work out fine.

Mounting a couple of 14" monitors up there to watch the clouds go by?

Mounting a couple of 14" monitors up there to watch the clouds go by?  ;)

Heck yeah! Since I'm not going to have the luxury of side views I think the skylights would be a nice touch! Not going to use monitors but Im hoping with the large display and the angle of the skylights Ill be able to simulate this effect.

Looking at these responses I think a complete cardboard mock-up would be the best way to go. At least with the mock-up I would be able to get the actual dimensions for the build. And tweak any of my ideas before putting saw to wood(or wood substitute).

Ermias thanks for the link that was exactly what I was looking for.

Best,
John