The successes, trials and tribulations of converting a scrapped aircraft cockpit into a simulator in my garage

G-BVOB (c/n 10366)HISTORY

First flight 27Jul68. Fokker Test registration PH-FMN.

Delivered to initial customer French airline Air Inter on 03Aug1968, registered F-BPNA

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G-BVOB (c/n 10366)HISTORY

Sold to Brazilian airline Rio Sul. Registered PT-LZM and delivered 25Nov86

Withdrawn from service August 1992 and stored Rio de Janeiro.

Ferried to Miami 16May93, then stored at Mena, Arizona.

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G-BVOB (c/n 10366)HISTORY

Re-registered PH-FMN by owners Aircraft Financing and Trading BV. ferried to Norwich 09Mar94.

Delivered to AirUK as G-BVOB

Sold/Leased ? to Jersey European Airways.

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G-BVOB (c/n 10366)HISTORY

Sold to BAC Group and delivered to BAC Express in 1997.

Converted to E-Class full-freighter.

Ferried to Southend 08Jul05 for storage.

Fuselage scrapped 21Oct09.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Momentos ....


I just unearthed some old BAC Express papers, here's a scan of the 1st page of a company newsletter from 1996 when the F27 was introduced to the fleet, with a copy of the original livery drawing - no fancy graphics programs in those days, just a combination of photocopy and felt-tip pen. I also found a datasheet detailing the aircraft specs for customers. Right-click on either image to see a larger version.


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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Bye-Bye Boeing

Over the last 3 years I've been putting together a cockpit in the spare room based on the Boeing 737-800. Running PMDG's excellent NG software on FS2004 it's given me a lot of enjoyment, but punching numbers into the CDU and following the Magenta Line really isn't for me. Once we get the F27 ready to start "flying" I'll dismantle this rig and offer various bits for sale. In the meantime I'm sure there'll be time for a few more flights.

Click on any picture for a larger image

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Saturday, October 24, 2009

G-BVOB 1968 - 2009

Well the 21st October 2009 is a day of mixed emotion. It's sad to see an old aeroplane being torn apart, but exciting that I'll soon have my hands on the cockpit. These photos may be distressing to aviation enthusiasts with a nervous disposition, but for the record here's G-BVOB being "dismantled".





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A Plan is Hatched

G-BVOB at Bristol on 23rd July 2003.
Many thanks to Ernie Horler for letting me use this dusk photo

It's been a long-time goal of mine to build a realistic and complete cockpit simulator. For a couple of years I've been assembling a Boeing 737NG setup in the spare-room, but in August 2009 a chance conversation led to the offer of the front-end of G-BVOB, a Fokker F27-500 freighter which was about to be broken up at Southend.

With more madness than rational thinking I said "yes please" and that's the start of this process to turn a scrapped aircraft cockpit into a simulator in my garage.

By mid-October I had the approval of "the boss", a basic plan for transport, initial clean-up and mounting the cockpit on a frame and dimensions and layout in the garage. So here goes, there's no turning back now .......

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