I'm actually new to this sight... finally after all of these years my interest has piqued regarding the mystique surrounding Jane's F/A-18...
I really think that your sight is well organised and very interesting to say the least...
I've actually spent a number of years in the Lock On web sight...

So just recently I've been again toying with the idea building a simpit...
I had been following some of the viper builds, but since I was in the US Marine Corps Air Wing my attention has gravitated to this forum...

The first step for me, I decided was to build a Aces II ejection seat, so I began to look more closely at the seats that the F-16 guys had done... I then realized that there is a lot of small differences between the two seats..
I was actually looking into purchasing a kit from Stang but was show the error of my ways by Ghost (and just in the nick of time I might add..)

So time was not wasted anyway because between the photos of Stangs kit and Red Dogs build I think that I have enough of an idea how to put the parts together for mine ... And one other very important tool is that I have the NAVAIRS for the Hornet Aces II seat, this will enable me to make an authentic seat with all of the detail that I think is necessary...Even the rocket motor if I so choose :D.. Just kidding ......

Also one other good thing is that my Bother IN Law is an upholsterer and can make the seat cushions ...

So now I'm trying to find a copy of Janes F-18, after viewing the movies at the beginning of this forum (which are excellent by the way)... I find it appears to be a little more advanced then Falcon 4...

I hopeing to get to know you guys, and I'm sure that they'll be some very interesting events to look forward to in the future ...


~S~

Blaze

Blaze,

If you are looking to build a cockpit with functioning switches, then JF-18 is not the best choice. Falcon 4 (all variants) has two things that make it the hands-down choice for the home cockpit builder:
1. Key commands not only for the entire front cockpit panel but also for the side panels.
2. Keyboard callbacks (e.g. unique commands for Gear Up and Gear Down).

When you combine these two features, you can build a pit that functions almost 100% like a real F-16, and if your home cockpit switches aren't in sync with the positions of in-game switches, it's ok.

Advances have been made with JF-18's home cockpit capabilities with the TSHv3 add-on. You can read about the new cockpit keymappings here. With these additions it is possible to map keys to every single clickable zone in the cockpit. While this is close to 150 commands, it still pales in comparison to Falcon.

So, if you're just thinking about a few MFDs and a simle control panel or two, JF-18 can be an excellent choice. If you're thinking about building a full tub with side panels (and it sounds like you are), JF-18 will limit you.

One last note - you say JF-18 appears to me a little more advanced than F4. I don't think this is true at all. I think with F4 you have about a 95% realistic cockpit/avionics representation. You can do a full ramp start from a cold jet, including engine start and INS alignment, you have to carefully bring certain weapons online before they can be targeted successfully, you can program your own precision steerpoints on the fly, etc. In contrast, JF-18 is about an 80% realistic cockpit/avionics representation. The radar model is probably the best there is, and the FLIR is a fantastic targeting system, but again all of the controls on the side panels are missing and the entire DDI and UFC menu system is different from the real aircraft in the interest of gameplay.

Don't get me wrong, JF-18 is a great sim (anyone familiar with my posts here knows I think that). And I think it's easier than F4, because the F-18E is more advanced than the F-16 and thus the F-18's avionics are easier to use; gameplay across both sims reflects this. But in the interests of home cockpit building, Falcon is the choice of many for a reason. Keep this in mind.

Hi Joe;
When I said more advanced then Falcon 4, I actually was only referring to the graphic representation..

Personally I belive that only reason that Falcon has a more advanced avionic representation is due the fans themselves... As we all know the code was leaked sometime ago enabling every Tom Dick and Harry a crack at building a flight sim... But seriously they actually did a good job with the avionics, it's just that the engine is so dated that it really effects my total enjoyment of that sim...

Now on the other hand there's Lock On, which has the best sim graphics available but has some real problems with the avionics... It's totally lacking any A-t-G with the exception of a few Russian birds and the A-10..there's just no flyable US Navy type A/C represented there..

So as I've mentioned earlier I have a Marine Corps Avation background and prefer to fly Naval A/C, so this is why I've come to Jane's F/A-18...

So much for Lock On, the simulator has died thanks to UBI's regreatable decision, and I seldom fly that sim lately because of the avionic issues that were imherited from the Flanker series...

But there seems to be hope on the horizion, and its name is DCS... What we can expect from this Sim is highly detailed avionics, advanced AI, with an awesome graphics engine, and it will become a study sim, that's some very savay business decisions made there ...

Eagle will also now have the ability to produce a new flyable every 8 to 10 months... so the next two or three flyables are all ready spoken for but the next one after that will most likely will be a Hornet... This all depends on Eagle getting enough available data to accurately model it...

Another option thats even closer to becoming a reality is the FS2004 F-18 addon by VRS.. this will have all of the avionics working from simulating a ramp start upto and including AtG, the only thing that is a draw back is that you might not have a damage model. But VRS has something in mind for this and might appear when they bring out the FSX version...

So what were looking at here is time, so I'm not going to rush my pit but it will be fully functional when its finished... I actually have an almost complete set of Navairs for the Fa-18-abcd models that I'm going to use to implement as much as possible...

If any of you guys have any questions, and I can answer them I'd be glad to try and help...

~S~

Blaze

S! Blaze and welcome to janes F18.
I think that you will find the F18 sim most enjoyable.
There are allot of pluses and minuses to both falcon and F18 and most folks wont be afraid to tell you their choice. I think it is mostly "personal preference" that brings one to a particular sim.
Janes F18 has a lot to offer, mostly due to the hard working crew over at TSH.

Welcome aboard!

If you need anything let us know.

(hope you have a good roofer if you have to use the seat)

Blaze, I might also like to share a couple ideas with you -- Joe is right, this sim doesn't support cockpit building to the extent that F4 does, and certainly not FS9 or FSX, but still quite a lot can be done. And the sim is just better, if you can't live without decent carrier ops (OK, that's my opinion).

If you plan to build an E/F model, then I strongly recommend a touchscreen for the UFC. Also there is a really good thread on F/A-18 pit building -- I think it's at Frugals.

I would also really like to get some basic drawings/measurements to cut out a NACES II seat. If you can share with that, it would be super.

Ripcord

Joe

On the subject of cockpits, I just now realized that you are the author of the Hi-res cockpit and I just wanted to say congrats on a job well done Joe. I think you did a great job on it. The Hi-res look makes a big difference IMO.

Slikk

Hello Blaze,
If you do decide on a F-18 Hornet pit here are some basic dimensions to help you get started.









Cheers !
Pretzel~

Also,
Visit http://www.Frugalsworld.com as Ripcord mentioned. The forum is Home Cockpit Building. There is a F-18 pit thread growing with some Janes info.

My F-18 pit so far.

Pretzel, really good gouge here. I will save this info with your measurements.

Would you say the size/dimensions of the Superhornet cockpit is about the same, despite the fact that the jet is a bit bigger?

Ripcord

Nope, not me. The author of the TSH F-18 Cockpit v2.0 is IAM, a member who no longer participates in the JF-18 community. He left a good legacy, though.

I saw your F 18 cockpit and it looks really good. I am fabricating F-18 cockpit parts that you might be interested in buying for your cockpit.

www.thesimulatorstore.com

Let me know what you think.

Steve

WOW! A 3-year thread necro!