For @B-26, here’s a link to the build thread for my 6DOF motion simulator. It was partly for my sons, and partly an excuse to get a TIG welder and learn to use it.
I see TV ads for Peloton which apparently uses actual film footage of where you’re ‘cycling’ and I was wondering if there are any flight simulators available short of requiring government $$$ doing something similar?
I have a long lapsed private license and was hoping to find a partner to buy an airplane with and spend retirement chasing $100 hamburgers but that’s looking less and less likely for various reasons. Thought I 'd check out what’s out there.
This is easier in a peleton, because you can’t steer. The airplane can not only steer, but pitch and roll, so you won’t be able to use real footage unless you don’t let the user control anything but the speed.
DOH! Thanks for the reality check! My hopes outpaced my thought process. I guess I’ll go back to square one.
X-Plane used to be certified for instruments, not sure if it still is or not.
I think I just had some wishful thinking going on, I know a friend paid $5K for a Level I CAD/CAM program 20 years ago which was quite good but it’s likely the Fusion 360 I got for free may be even more capable, I guess I was kinda hoping home flight sims may have made the same amount of progress and become the type I’ve read about that send seasoned pilots out the door sweating after a session.
Microsoft is working on a new version of Flight Simulator that looks quite impressive…I don’t think they’re using actual video of any locations, but the teasers they’ve released look very good to me.
Yeah, Jeff brought me back to reality on that thought. It’s possible but for some reason I don’t think I’m gonna be able to come up with an Air Force sized budget to make that happen in the spare room.
As is the case with most DIY tech projects, the cost of entry for a simulator varies widely. While there are a lot of beautiful ones on the X-simulator site (linear actuators driven by AC motors, etc.) there are just as many that are much more basic and affordable. At the time I was looking to start mine, many guys were building frames out of 2 X 4s and using old windshield wiper motors to drive them. The complexity of motion can be anything from a “chair mover” all the way up to the full 6 degrees of freedom. The basic electronics are power supplies for the motors and some Arduinos and motor controllers (usually the most expensive, single component). While a lot of people use VR headsets, just as many seem to go with video monitors attached to the rigs. The bulk of the cost is in time spent reading, figuring things out, messing things up, reading more, etc. It’s true that there aren’t any flight simulators using actual video, but if you haven’t already, you should check out the teaser videos for the newest Microsoft Flight Simulator. It looks incredible. So, I guess what I’m saying is that, if you’re really interested, don’t be put off by the fear of needing an Air Force sized budget to get started.
You mentioned VR headsets, that’s one of the things I’ve been wondering about. I think one of the things that makes me hesitant is the electronics, I’m comfortable with mechanical things but some of the threads I read in these forums about using this board with those actuators and flashed with that firmware modified with a page full of different commands can make me feel as if I’m reading a language I’m completely lost in. Maybe it’s a visual thing, watching my MPCNC or printer in action still fascinates me, that and i haven’t completely abandoned the idea of getting at least partial ownership of an actual aircraft. My Dad had a subscription to Popular Science for many years, I guess I’m still waiting for the ‘road-going airplane in your garage’ I was promised 60+ years ago. 
I agree that the electronics can be a little daunting, but in some ways they’re not much different from your MPCNC - motors are getting commands from an Arduino to move somewhere. The X-simulator site has its own software, with graphical interfaces, that helps set up the motors and interface with the video games to get the simulator moving. That part was actually pretty straightforward. For me, the bigger struggle was learning to weld (not necessary) and becoming familiar with the vocabulary. As for the VR headsets, they definitely make the simulator more immersive. The first thing I ran on it for my sons and their friends was a roller coaster simulation. They had a blast, but I had to go upstairs and drink ginger ale for a while after I rode it… 
I have no idea why but be it in a car, a plane, or on a bike I’ve always enjoyed ‘pulling Gs’ which would likely be something I’d miss in most simulations. Some things I just can’t explain, I enjoy just being up in an airplane and have made a few static line parachute jumps that I really enjoyed but put me on a 10’ ladder and I’m next to useless. I know I’ve read of some racing simulators that use inflatable bladders to simulate G forces while you’re strapped in your seat but it seems the sim can easily become far more complicated than what it’s simulating.
At any rate I love these forums and the exposure they allow us to so many things beyond the CNC world. 
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