The panel has been professionally painted in Boeing grey. The leather skirt is a step in the right direction concerning authenticity (click to enlarge). Despite these aesthetic shortfalls, the landing gear functions well. Nor is the red trigger spring-loaded as in the OEM mechanism. LEFT: FDS landing gear lever is a good facsimile of the real lever however, the lever does not recess between the two half moons. The cut-out lettering, which allows the lettering to be back-lit, is very crisp with well defined edges. The panel and glare shields have been attached by screws to a light-weight powder coated aluminum frame which incorporates a 4 inch wide shelf on the rear side. The panel is made from CNC machined acrylic and the glare shield from injection molded plastic. UPPER MIP (Instrument Panel, Glareshield and Lower Panel/Kick Stand) The MIP consists of two sections the main instrument display including the lower display and glare shields (eyebrows), and the base structure incorporating the CDU mounting area, lower display and stand. At the forefront of the B737 project, the MIP was to be a skeleton from which to hang OEM parts. The ICS route was chosen because of time constraints by eliminated the task of wiring and soldering a multitude of interrelated electronic parts together, it would allow more time to concentrate on converting real aircraft parts to use in the simulator. First, there are several differing types of cards that can be used, and second, Integrated Cockpit Systems (ICS) units come ready-made with all wiring and interface cards installed.įDS provide two options when purchasing their MIP - naked (do it yourself) or as an integrated cockpit system (ICS). Interface cards have not been discussed for two reasons. To view images of the MIP, navigate to the image gallery ( images FDS MIP). Whether this is important is at your discretion and very much depends upon whether you intend to use OEM parts or solely reproduction parts. Often reproduction parts are not to scale and have subtle differences to the real item. Rather, the intent of the review is to provide adequate information for enthusiasts to make an intelligent decision to which MIP to purchase.įurthermore, it is important to understand that all reproduction simulator parts are exactly that - a reproduction or facsimile of a real part. This post is not intended to be an exhaustive review of the FDS MIP or the parts attached to the MIP. The image above is the Duel Seat Training Device offered by Flight Deck Solutions (image courtesy and copyright FDS). Note that in this review, reference is made to the term OEM which is an acronym for Original Equipment Manufacturer (aka real Boeing 737 aviation part). After extensive research, Flight Deck Solutions (FDS) in Canada was commissioned to supply the MIP. There are several companies that produce MIPS and each has its nuances. Depending upon the end use, the MIP may act as a skeleton from which to add OEM parts, or standalone accommodating reproduction parts. Every enthusiast wants the MIP to be athletically pleasing and as real to the OEM product as possible. The main instrument panel (MIP) is arguably one of the most important pieces of equipment in a flight deck it is around the MIP that everything revolves. Please consider sending a few dollars ( Thank You.) All funds donated will be used to offset the cost of server and website hosting. Maintaining this website costs a considerable sum of money each year. The definition of the acronym OEM is Original Equipment Manufacturer ( aka real aicraft part). I use the words 'modules & panels' and 'CDU & FMC' interchangeably. Do not complain if you do not like what you read. All reviews and content are 'frank and fearless' - I tell it as I see it. Note: I have NO affiliation with ANY manufacturer or reseller. I hope there are not too many spelling and grammatical mistakes.Īrticles are updated from time to time as procedures and information change. Writing for a cross section of readers from differing cultures and languages with varying degrees of technical ability, can at times be challenging. The purpose of FLAPS-2-APPROACH is two-fold: To document the construction of a Boeing 737 flight simulator, and to act as a platform to share aviation-related articles pertaining to the Boeing 737 thereby, providing a source of inspiration and reference to like-minded individuals.
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