Millennium Falcon Home Cockpit

I am about to share with you something that I have not shared with anyone. Well, almost anyone. For the past two or so years, I have been working on a Home Flight Simulator. It originally started out as a Boeing 737, but had somehow transformed into a cockpit of something we all love, the Millennium Falcon. It?s not done obviously, but I?m providing my status to you all, because it was time I brought this out in the open and to help everyone, if they want to, build their own.

[image=http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac325/Rupester_bucket/DSC_0047.jpg]

After reading this post, most of you will be saying one of two things:

What kind of idiot are you?

-or-

I love you.

Since this is a Star Wars forum, I?m assuming the latter.

So here is the background: I was a fan for years of Microsoft Flight Simulator and flight in general. And I?m a fan of Star Wars (mostly the OT). I wanted to build a flight simulator in my basement as a proof of concept for a Flight Simulation company I was looking to found.

The project ultimately became what you are about to see: A soon-to-be operating scale rendition of the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, as a flight simulator. Think of the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination Falcon exhibit, personalized. On steroids.

[image=http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac325/Rupester_bucket/DSC_0052.jpg]

So what is this thing supposed to do when it?s done? The finished product will be fully enclosed and skinned using plastic paneling and polystyrene plastics. It will be fully wired and lit with LED lighting, contain two PCs, independently powered, have its own LAN, a pop-up LCD monitor (for the co-pilot position) and a projection screen and projector will be up front. The intent is to put some of the more popular Star Wars games up onto the projection screen (think Star Wars Battlefront 2 ? Space Maps) and be fully controlled through the cockpit panels via integrated controls. There will be four seats, just like the real thing, for ?passengers? who want to observe.

[image=http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac325/Rupester_bucket/DSC_0055.jpg]

I?m going to make this into a multipart forum post, about each segment that I built. Today, I?ll start with the frame.

Part I: The Frame

I wanted to keep it cheap, strong and disassemble-able, so I sat down and gave a good hard thought about what I could build the frame out of. Lumber is too expensive, and requires some decent skills/tools to work with and is not very modular. Metal is too heavy and difficult to work with and requires lots of skill?then I thought, what about PVC as the basic frame?

I found a company online that sells unique and clever PVC fittings called Formufit (www.formufit.com). These are not your standard plumbing-grade fittings like you get at Home Depot. They have them in tons of different configurations: 4-way crosses, 4-way tees, 5-way crosses, 3-way corners and on and on. Their fittings basically turn regular PVC pipes into a giant Tinker Toy set. I?m an engineer by trade, so I?m use to complex build outs, however, these PVC fittings make building something child?s play. They also sell in bulk discounts, so I was set. If you are interested in building a construct out of PVC, or want to do what I have done, I highly suggest them.

I chose to use 1.25? PVC pipe. This size is incredibly rigid and strong, and forms an outstanding frame. I simply got my PVC in 10? segments from Home Depot and ordered my fittings from Formufit. I put my design together in Google SketchUp (Formufit has downloadable PVC fitting components for SketchUp on their website, formufit.com) and began my assembly.

[image=http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac325/Rupester_bucket/frame.jpg]

About 80% of the frame is built out of PVC. The entry, raised floor and main cockpit frame are all constructed of PVC. The external frame is PVC trim that has been bent across to create the curve of the structure. The rear section is actually two sections combi

 

Now that, is going to be seriously cool, once it's finished.

 

Fan-frikkin-tastic! That is some major awesome sauce.

 

Awesomesauce like no other!

 

You, sir, are my hero!

- Bill

 

Wow! When it's done I'm inviting myself over to have my picture taken in it!

 

[face_drool]

You are going to get a LOT of requests to come visit.
That being said, may I come visit when it's finished?
How close are you to Washington state?

 

Great project! Will you be able to make a multi-directional projection system or will it just project on a single plane in the front? It would seem like a bummer to only have a single screen in front, given the falcons unique window configuration. Maybe you should write your own star wars flight simulator software that allows for a 360 degree view! Btw, I wouldn't care if the simulator is on or not, that would be a great place to just chill out.

 

What you could do is build a dome surrounding the cockpit. Project your image on the dome and it might give that 360-degree impression, like they did with the Millenium Falcon exhibit for Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibits.

I don't know how well it would work, but the theory is sound... I think.

- Bill

 

That's a very smart choice, going with set-screws instead of solvent. You would never get the
stink of LO-V.O.C. primer/cement vapors out of your simulator, or any area you staged it in; as you
mentioned, you would be unable to break the simulator down to display/operate it anywhere else but
your basement. Considering that concentrated LO-V.O.C. vapors are near-hallucinogenic, you certainly
wouldn't need any special effects to think you were traveling through space after breathing them for
any length of time!

I'm looking forward to your installment on visual effects and sound design.

Fascinating project.

Cheers!

 

Well. I have some bad news.

After two+ years of work on it, and only two weeks in making its public debut, recent events in my household related particularly to cash flow have caused the project to be put into a hold state.

I'm not sure of what is going to happen to the Falcon project. I do already have a pretty good investment in materials and other items, so I may continue my work on it. I'm still uncertain.

I may perform some work on it slowly, try to finish what I can, or perhaps see if I can find it a new home.

I appreciate all of the great comments, excitement and more around the project, and I will certainly keep you all posted on its future or demise.

I'll report back soon!

Rupe

 

That sucks Rupester. I hope things turn around for you soon.

 

Omg, that is freakin' awesome! I hope you get to finish it, its amazing!

 

I am speechless... that is amazing