This is not my first creation. Back in the early 80s while working as a commercial diver I built this box to carry equipment. All my friends wanted one so I took it to a patent attorney and manufacturer. They both convinced my it was a waste of time. Too bad I listened to them. What would the patent on suitcase wheels be worth? Shame I didn't learn from this screwing, might have handled the flight simulator project better.

I started this adventure in 2000 by ordering Ken Hill's Joyrider plans. The unit was so much fun that I started to tinker.

The original Joyrider simulator was good, but not perfect. I had visions of improving it! I liked the lack of expensive components like actuators, hydraulic rams, gearboxes etc

* At 180 pounds, I'm on the upper end of its capabilities.

* Climbing in required a certain amount of gymnastic abilities which many of my friends don't possess.

* It was also too large to fit through a normal doorway without major disassembly.

A total redesign was in order, so when Mark Yarnell tried it and insisted that I build him one, I offered a redesigned and streamlined flight control simulator and the "Ultimate Joyrider" was created.

 

I sent a picture to Maximum PC and they featured it as the "Rig of the Month." I was sure it was perfect, but testing brought up a few flaws. Unable to leave it alone I started a quest for the solution.

I had the idea of using bent tubing and looked into having the parts built. It is amazing how much some people think you will pay for their expertise when you know nothing about it. I was quoted $350+ by two companies to bend the roll frame and they wanted to do it in six pieces so I bought my own bender. It took 15 minutes to learn how to use it and 15 minutes to bend the first frame.

Microsoft and X-Plane Flight Simulators make the graphics and simulation very real and the sensation of flight is perfect.

My true love is acrobatic  flying. I installed an LCD screen for the instruments and a projector for the scenery. WOW! The excitement of spins and inverted flying took on a whole new meaning. With a single screen in front, the scenery moves behind the dashboard. One does not feel the full effect. Separate the scenery and play it on the large screen behind the LCD dash and the full sensation is felt. Experienced pilots have flown my simulator, pushed it too hard and required a barf bag.

A big thrill is flying in my local air space in a fast jet, like a F18. No one will ever really fly what I simulate... Mach 2, inverted and snap rolls 50 feet above the lake. Good thing it's only a simulation! Otherwise, I'd never get out of the hospital... or jail.

Air Forces and Airlines realize the importance of motion simulators. A small amount of movement will fool your inner ear into believing that you are flying. The control with every joystick I have ever used is like an arcade game. My flight control cockpit is just like the real thing, definitely not like a video game. "Pilot Induced Oscillation and Pilot Lead" are both factors. If you over control, it porpoises, spins or just plain bites you. This cockpit, feels and acts just like a real aircraft. You can fly anywhere, have more aircraft than the US Air Force, more lives than a cat and it burns less than a pint of fuel (Rum) per hour.

                                                 (Cessna eat your heart out!)

In January 2008 I started working on an entirely new design, borrowing very little from the old. The "Cloud Flyer" arrived after several false starts and has every improvement I can think of. I'm sure more improvements will materialize as the project progress, but at this state it is finally perfected.