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#3351156 - 07/25/11 10:51 PM F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread  
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Pretzel Offline
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Hello Hornet Pit Builders...
Time to time I get PM asking me what are the dimensions of the Hornet cockpit to get them started on building? Alot of these questions were answered at Frugalsworld.com But they are long gone.
And also given the fact there is tons of info on how to build a Viper pit and absolutely nothing on the F/A-18 Hornet. I decided to start this thread.

I will help you if I can and If you have anything to contribute plz post here. Thank you.


To Start:
This is the front end of a real Hornet that the Navy Loaned and all my pit measurement came from. It is long gone now. The Navy sold it to a museum.



This is an early rough patch of of my "C" pit. Posted in an earlyer thread. BTW: The only real Hornet part in this picture is the Ejection seat pull ring.



The Bucket, With center stick



Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#3351163 - 07/25/11 10:57 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Getting started......
The easyest Ive found with out having a real Hornet in your garage was to find a Hornet NATOPS flight manual in PDF format. Find the cockpit foldout sections in the back. Take the one you want to a print shop and inlarge it to 400%. Yes 400. And have it printed. When you are done you with have the basic demenshions of the pit layout.
When we took the real Honret parts and layed them on the inlarged print it was a perfect match as could be.

This is a DDI Bezel layed on the enlarged print. Close enough for me smile

Remeber the Foldouts have the Side Panels...Print them to!



Cut out and seperated. 3D



Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3351174 - 07/25/11 11:02 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Some more basic dimensions.









Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3351175 - 07/25/11 11:10 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Center Stick: All steel with self centering actuators.





Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3351176 - 07/25/11 11:11 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Pretzel  Offline
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DDI MFD Bezels and Hud combinder





Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3351182 - 07/25/11 11:24 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Pretzel  Offline
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Ive managed to get some real Hornet stuff. Like the Gear handle, Chaff/Flare center panel, Canopy eject handle and weapons jettison Button on instrumnet panel.

I have all the knobs and switches. The only hangup I have with my project is makeing or finding the individual Instrument panels.

Another setback was.. I bought some Thrustmaster Cougar F-16 MFD to take apart to use in my Hornet Bezels. But when I took them apart they were way to complicated to break up and make them work frown

Cheers !
/O Pretzel


Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3353356 - 07/28/11 08:35 AM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Clinker Offline
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This is some incredible work, thank you for sharing.

#3353447 - 07/28/11 12:18 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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f15sim Offline
More projects than sense!
f15sim  Offline
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Graham, WA
Pretzel, can you provide more details on (what appears) to be a gas spring that you're using for the stick centering mech? I'm going to be totally rebuilding how I did the stick centering system in the F-15 and I like how compact your set up is.

Thanks!

g.


Proud owner of 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://geneb.simpits.org - the Me-109F/X Project
#3353459 - 07/28/11 12:36 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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f15sim Offline
More projects than sense!
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Graham, WA
[Accidental duplicate post]

Last edited by Gene Buckle; 07/28/11 12:36 PM.

Proud owner of 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://geneb.simpits.org - the Me-109F/X Project
#3354249 - 07/29/11 05:27 AM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Boandlgramer Offline
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Upper-Bavaria , United States ...
Fantastic stuff, Pretzel. thumbsup


The first time I saw Chuck Yeager, I shot him down.
Petrosillius Zwacklmann ( Held ).

http://www.simulationscockpit.de
#3354556 - 07/29/11 04:47 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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HitchHikingFlatlander Offline
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Wow amazing! Here's hoping for DCS-F18!


I've got a bad feeling about this.....
#3354583 - 07/29/11 05:27 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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wledzian Offline
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That looks amazing!
One -small- nitpick: the glass in your combiner is in upside-down.

#3355434 - 07/30/11 06:23 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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f15sim Offline
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Graham, WA
*looks up at the F-15 HUD*

Yep. The bottom glass is installed upside down. The cockpit placement diagram above shows the same thing. biggrin

g.


Proud owner of 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://geneb.simpits.org - the Me-109F/X Project
#3355709 - 07/31/11 03:51 AM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Parts display....

From the top

Canopy Bow handles
Hud Camera
Hud Controler/recorder
Up Front controller
DDI Bezels
Weapons Store jettison button
Canopy ejection handle
MFD - MAP display
Standby instrument bezels
Wheel brake handle
Tail Hook Handle
Wings fold handle
Jettioson select knob
Center flight stick


Last edited by Pretzel; 07/31/11 04:04 AM.

Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3355710 - 07/31/11 03:53 AM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Pretzel  Offline
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Real Parts...

Love them gear handles smile Master cauton panel, O2 regulator. Counter measures control panel



Military switches - Circuit Breakers



Aviation knobs - Hornet style





Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3355726 - 07/31/11 04:22 AM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: wledzian]  
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Pretzel Offline
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Originally Posted By: wledzian
That looks amazing!
One -small- nitpick: the glass in your combiner is in upside-down.


Thanks I will flip em over - Frosty edge side up. smile


Pretzelworks - We dont make the sim, we make it better.
Soon to open > FA18Hornet.net and FA18SuperHornet.net
#3356188 - 07/31/11 11:11 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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aRareKindOfMonster Offline
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If you find the time to shoot some footage of the self centering stick mechanism, I'd take the time to watch it. biggrin Very nice!

#3356526 - 08/01/11 01:23 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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f15sim Offline
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f15sim  Offline
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Graham, WA
Originally Posted By: Pretzel
Originally Posted By: wledzian
That looks amazing!
One -small- nitpick: the glass in your combiner is in upside-down.


Thanks I will flip em over - Frosty edge side up. smile


Wrong kind of flip smile The "coffin" shape of the lower combiner glass should point "down" so that you see something like the following when looking through it:

/----\
| |
| |
\____/
[edit: Proportional spacing for fonts totally ruin fancy ASCII art. biggrin ]
The arrangement looks like this:

http://www.f15sim.com/images/newglass_left_sm.jpg

g.

Last edited by Gene Buckle; 08/01/11 01:24 PM. Reason: Proportional font spacing destroys drawings

Proud owner of 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://geneb.simpits.org - the Me-109F/X Project
#3356545 - 08/01/11 01:54 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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NineLives Offline
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Incredible. This is going to be a good one!

#3357483 - 08/02/11 03:28 PM Re: F/A-18 Hornet Pit builders (HornetHQ) Thread [Re: Pretzel]  
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wledzian Offline
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wledzian  Offline
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The F-18 combiner bottom glass is chamfered at both ends - the top half is fully double-layered. It does look like the bottom edge has a smaller chamfer (ie the glass is less pointy at the bottom), and appears to be in the correct orientation. The flip I was referring to is 'frosty edge down', so that the edges disappear when you're looking through them correctly.

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