With the weather starting to improve, I'm re-starting to look for ideas and inspiration for my next pit. I built my current pit around an old cockpit seat but I just couldn't get comfortable with it so I plan to return to using a car seat instead. I gave the cockpit seat a good go, looking at old pics I built my current pit around this time last year. I'll be smarter this time and wait for warmer weather

I did try something before closer to the F-16 layout but I ended up having to step on the car seat to get in/out of the pit (due to the large side consoles) which ended up me wearing down the foam of the seat I'm hoping for something fancy this time, with either the seat or monitor sliding away to make entry a bit easier. My best idea so far is to have the whole monitor assembly slide forward/backward so I have space to get in/out. My other idea is to have the seat on rollers like in kitchen drawers (the default car forward/backward mechanism is too short in travel) but I'm afraid to do this because of the weight of the seat+occupant. A third idea is to have either side console move out of the way like a car door, but I like to have my controllers nice and secure (minimal to zero movement) and this is why I'm not too keen on this. If I'm doing it, it'll have to be the left console as I don't want any play with the joystick.

So far, my sliding monitor assembly seems the easiest to do but I'm worried about two things: weight and motion. The weight issue is obviously better than idea #2 as my four screens would definitely weigh less than my car seat alone. However, weight is still there so I'll have to look for heavy-duty rollers/sliders. I'd also like to design the setup so that at least part of the assembly is touching the ground or pit base to that not all the weight is on the rollers/sliders all the time. As for the motion issue, I'm scared of accidentally tipping my monitors over. I guess I can make some sort of "holder" for my monitors so they're less prone to tipping... another issue is the movement itself of the assembly. Do I have the rollers/sliders "closed" when the monitors are closest to me (default position)? Or do I have them "closed" when the monitors are away from me? Again, this ties in to the weight issue I was having earlier. The assembly will be spending most of its time at the "close to me" position so it makes sense to have the rollers/sliders "closed" at this position, but that will mean some of the pit support will have to be at this position as well meaning once I "open" the pit, it won't be as wide as I can make it due to the support being in place. Does that make sense at all?

Anyway, I've racked my brains to death here and I'm now reaching out for help... any ideas appreciated. Thanks!

Here's my current multi-use pit I call 'overnight sensation' since it was 24hrs from going hmmm... to sitting in it.

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/111003-...57#entry2198157


It's a rabbit hole of ideas if you start following the links in it :p

I'd recommend making one of the side consoles swing out like a car door. Use a heavy duty hinge, and latching mechanisms. If you have the floor space, you can use a caster to support some of the weight of the side console to take some pressure off of the hinge.

Another possibility would be to make part of one side console swing out, instead of the whole side console. That way you might be able to mount the HOTAS on the non-pivoting portion, while still having part of the side console swing out to allow ingress and egress without having to step on the seat. Maybe even combine that approach with having the seat be able to slide forward and backward some, to afford easier access.

I would go with the car door approach as well. Like CyBerkut pointed out it is easy enough to support with a caster when its open. You could also have a latching mechanism to support it when it is closed. In my present pit I basically have to climb onto the seat and sit down but it has held up well for a number of years (Corbeau GTS II). Another approach you could take could be to have the area under the throttle open with the left side armrest on a hinge like a kitchen table leaf. That way when you want to exit you flip up the table leaf and you slide your legs to the left under the throttle and stand up and exit where the left side arm rest was. This assumes that the seat you are using does not have substantial side supports. Good luck!

Any suggestions for the latching mechanism?

LocNar, thanks for the link! I like what I'm seeing although I'll have to study it a bit to see how to adapt it for my needs!

I see that GrizzlyT's Comanche pit web site is no longer up, but thanks to the Internet WayBack Machine, the site can still be viewed:


https://web.archive.org/web/20151002222609/http://home.comcast.net/~timothyboldt/

If you go to the "Simulator" section, and select the "Side Decks", you can get some very good views of what he did on his excellent pit.

Specifically:

Right Side Hinged

Right Side on angle

Pull Latch

Hinge

Leveling Mount

Backside

Latch and Bumper

Right Side Opened

Check out the rest of his archived site though... that whole Comanche Pit is/was amazing!

A latch with a bumper as shown in the Comanche pit above would work good. You could also use a couple overcenter draw latches for a very snug fit or something as mundane as a gate latch (though I would pre-load that some so that its snug and doesn't move while flying

Yeah, I remember this site from way-back-when! Thanks for bringing it up!

I guess if I worked in a relevant "trade," it would be easier, but no. All my experience is in DIY so I'm limited by what I see on the occasional B&Q visit.

"overcenter draw latches"

I had to search that term. YES!! That is exactly one of those things I was thinking of. I use these all the time on my toolboxes and such, but obviously don't know what they're called until now. Thanks!

Happy to help! One thing place that can usually spark some thought or at least put words to them is to go to McMaster carr's website and just start searching on key words and poking around. I have even ordered from them in the past....greater selection than your local home depot or hardware store.

Thanks again for giving me something to search for. I'll have a poke around McMaster.

That's my biggest issue.... sometimes I have an item in mind but since I don't know what it's called, I have no way to search for it. That's why I'm here asking for help!

If it makes you feel any better, I've been a mechanical engineer for 25 years and I still go poking around for names of items or looking for a piece of hardware that has already been invented....lol

I'm well and truly in the n00b camp on this one!

McMaster is great for finding what's available, but not necessarily for purchasing it. If you find what you want, look around to see who else has it... odds are anyone else will be cheaper than McMaster.

Ice,
I decided early on that climbing over just wouldn't do for mr. So I went with two of your ideas... A sliding seat AND a side door.
I use a continuous hinge for the door, along with a caster below it to absorb the weight. It latched using a sprung load latch I found in the local hardware store. When it's closed, there is NO movement of the side console.

The best seat slide I found came from Summit Racing online. I think it cost me $45.00, and handles the weight of the seat (really heavy) and me (also really heavyweight!), with no problems.

I have a close friend who was a Navy pilot, and he kept wanting to climb over the console til I showed him how a simple Army guy just used the door to get in! Now I laugh every time he opens the pit door to take it for a spin and says how much better this is. 😀

Thanks for that, Dudley! Any chance of a close-up of your seat-locking mechanism? Also pics of the seat in max-fore/aft would be great! Pics of your latch for the side console would be great too!

If I were to center-mount my stick, that'll be easier for me to do a swinging side-console as I wouldn't mind even if it had a little play. However, I'm going for a side-stick (F-16) setup...

Thanks for the compliment!
Sorry for the site. Comcast, in its infinite wisdom , decided to stop hosting customer web pages back in October.
(Not that I saw a discount, when they pulled it!)

I am currently trying to revamp it, to a Wordpress format, but finding the time is difficult. Especially, since the site was years out of date to begin with. Alot of that (and the reason I've only been lurking for the past few years) had to do with my wife being very ill and needing my constant care. She passed away in July, so I am trying to get past my grief and get back into my hobbies. So, stay tuned.

I have alot of new adds. (Slip gauge, VSI, anti-torque trim, beginnings of the outer shell, etc.)



Ice - The cable latch I used was from McMaster-Carr. It was a Remote Release (single-point) Cable Latch, p/n# 3985A41.

Very sorry to hear about your wife, Grizzly.

Thanks for the direct link to the part you used! Getting lots of ideas now!

Grizzly, I'm sorry to learn of your loss.

The compliment was richly deserved, and I hope you manage to complete your site conversion and updates. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Grizz,
I'm very sorry to hear of your loss.

Ice, a bunch of my inspiration came from Grizzly and his Commanche pit, so having his input is REALLY valuable!

I'd be happy to get some shots and send them to you. Let me work on that tomorrow night work permitting.
Dud