Main Instrument Panel
Aug 5 2005 Delta 737-800 holding on taxiway H , Frontier Airbus passing behind Copyright © CM
During March 2005, I removed the Knee Board for my old 737- 200 Forward Electronics Bay. I had to modify them to fit to my new 1:1 scale NG style MIP. I drilled out all the rivets on the side wings and top of the old knee board where the -200 series instrument panels slid into place (below).
The old Knee Board is to long and the rudder pedal adjustment mechanism will not line up in front of the rudder pedals. Due to the improper radius of the bend, this "tray" had to be scraped"
Every thing above my hand has to be removed and replaced with .063 2 inch flat aluminum for bracing the top of the new knee board.
In this photo you can see the new brace strip above the Wind Shield Air knob. Also, you can see how the rudder adjustment is centered on the rudder pedals.
Close up of the CDU dzus rails installed, next I will fill in the countersunk rivet holes with bondo and prime it
Test fitting the 2nd "Prototype" MIP, next pull it out and make the final version.
January 2006
Beginning to wire the Korry annunciators and test fitting the displays
Close-up of the wiring
The 17" widescreen and 14" monitor mounted for test fitting. Also installed the landing gear and Phidgets 16 card
Front shot of the proto MIP
The "last" test fit of all the parts I made. I will now make the final MIP
February 2006
The back of the final MIP's wiring. I'm still working on the rotary encoders wiring
The final MIP in primer, I will be utilizing the Integrated Standby Instrument System (ISIS)
I also have installed the Secondary Engine Display monitor
AirTran -700 utilizing the (ISIS)
March 2006
Korry Lenses
Original Korry lens My Korry lens
Since Korry lens caps range from $162.00 for an " Over Speed " to $364.00 for the blue "GRN POWER AVAILABLE", I decided to make my own. Above is the comparison. Even though it appears that there is a line in the border of the new lens, its actually just the angle of the photo. Below is a Korry cap. I plan to make a complete new set (around 138 ) so that all look new and do not show signs of wear and cracks. The blue lenses I will not mess with unless I can find the correct blue and I'm only missing one blue lens
$162.00 ( I don't think so)
October 24, 2006
GLARE SHIELD
After spending about an hour in a Continental -900 taking measurements, I began construction on my glare shield. I used 1/4" MDF board and reinforced it in stressed areas. I then strengthened it with fiberglass cloth. If you have not had the opportunity to see a glare shield, it has tiny grains in the finish which are about the size of fine sugar granules. To achieve this look, I primed the gel coat and used a "ultra black" BBQ finish that also produces that type of finish. The finished picture below looks "splotchy", but that is due to the multiple coats of clear "matt finish" sealer which eventually dried evenly.
Test fitting the glare shield (No, that's not my arm)
Utilizing real Warning Indicators
October 27, 2006
Mode Control Panel
My FDS Signature IBL FDS-MCP-NG arrived in the mail today along with the metal mounting bracket . Upon opening it, I easily mounted the bracket onto the glare shield. It fit perfectly in the opening that I had made off of a real 737 glare shield dimensions. I downloaded the latest drivers and plugged in the usb, and was flying within 20 minutes. Overall I rate this as a great product and Highly recommend it. I have ordered the Capt. and F/O EFIS panels from Flight Deck Solutions and hope to receive those in the coming weeks. All encoders on the MIP are now wired. The F/O screen was being cleaned when this photo was taken.
FDS MCP installed in the Glare shield. I am making the "Edge" padding now. I installed the windshield using 1/4" lexan, and put the covering back on to protect it while mounting the glare shield.
Note: Eyebrow windows are gone and filled with "blanks" like the current models.
Close up of FDS MCP, the blk/yel wires are for the 5v backlighting feature. I mounted the FDS-G2 Interface card inside the MCP case. The complete kit came with a power supply and a 5v power supply for the light plate.
MIP as of February 26, 2007
I've been slow on the updates, but I have been busy building.
