BUNO 22358 is undergoing Taxi Trials

No pictures in today’s update.

It’s been almost seven months since, I started the physical fabrication part of the cockpit build. And it’s four times that time, since I had been researching this subject.

I’m happy to finally say, that Mk-1, Ver 1.00 of my “VRS Rhino Pit, BUNO 22358, AviaScorp Musings” is finally up for complete systems integration checks.

The systems integration checks were planned for the last weekend, but that got consumed totally in fabricating the HUD gauge. Throughout the week, I was promising myself, that this weekend, I WILL fire up the pit, and do atleast one test flight.

I’m happy, that I did.

The pit is not perfect. Not there, where I want it to be. It’s therefore, I call it a Mk-1, Ver 1.00.

Mk-1 build, when complete, will have everything I had originally planned. Subsequent Marks, will incorporate items that I had never planned originally for my pit, for example, a fully collimated, externally projected HUD, Three overhead projectors instead of three 23” monitors for the external displays, spanning various components of the pit on multiple computers instead of a single computer it’s working off, right now, and maybe, just maybe, if technologies like Occulus Rift mature, I might consider moving along the VR road also. It’s also planned to make modules of the pit, quickly replacable, so that I could modify the pit for different airplanes that I love to fly.

Ver 1.00 of the pit is just to ‘stop’ further fabrication, at whatever stage I presently am. I realized, that as I fabricated different parts, my skills also improved. For example, the HUD that I fabricated last week, was of a much better quality and design, compared to (let’s say) a UFCP that was fabricated a few months ago, or the pit tub that was designed and fabricated almost half a year ago. For the past few months, all I was doing was, breaking the older parts and remaking newer versions of them. Due to this, while the work continued on a feverish pace, the pit was never nearing completion.

Future versions of Mk-1 Pit, will replace the existing components with better built/finished components. For example, I have realized that some of the annunciator lights are too dim, or the LEDs are not installed correctly in their enclosures. Or, I’m also considering fabricating/replacing the SPST/DPST mechanical switches with electrically or magnetically held/latches switches to more accurately mimic the actual airplane.

But, all that is for the future and the coming weeks.

As I type this update, a small video I have prepared of the state of the pit till today, and as I was testing it earlier today, is getting uploaded.

That will explain the current status of the pit much better than all the words out here.

  placards and other switches).