I started this little adventure in 2000 by ordering Ken's Joyrider plans. The unit was so much fun that I started to tinker.
Dec 2005, Mark Yarnell liked it so much that he commissioned me to build him one. A local welder owed me a bunch of money so I figured that was one way to get it back. When it was finished it was a major improvement, not even close to the original. One of the first things I discovered was that the Joyrider works because it is made from flexible plastic tubing. Making it from metal is a whole new ball game. I tried at least five different designs of linkages before I got one that worked. I thought that I was beat several times before the correct combination was found.
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 couple of flaws. Unable to leave it alone I started a quest for the solution.
Spring 2006 The Discovery Channel's Daily Planet had a contest for a new host. I thought this was an opportunity to get them to look at my creation and sent them a demo tape. Two days later I fell from the sky with a broken back, OUCH! Just back at work, a couple of days I get a call from them wanting to do a show immediately. Before the crash I had disassembled the unit to make some major changes and I was in no shape to re-assemble it so I stalled 2 weeks. I hired a welder and we worked long hours getting it back together and finished the night before the shoot. When Mark Miller appeared I had no idea how it would work! I got lucky.
Since that show I've gotten organized and Okanagan Precision Manufacturing is building them. They redesigned a few of the rough spots and created the "Dream Flyer". I recently put the "Daily Planet" unit back together and can appreciate the changes they have made. Apart from the appearance, the new unit functions smoother. I balked at the cost of the improved linkages but I now see they are definitely worth the expense, the lower frame makes it easier to enter, the deluxe seat is self centering making it easier to trim and the Saitek X52 controls make it civilized.

The project has been an education.

Dream Flyer

In January I started work on an entirely new simulator with many improvements, the "Cloudwalker" , check it out.

Airshows, Trade shows and Articles

Wired.com Preview
Toronto show got Great Publicity
YTV likes it too
Globe and Mail
Driven Magazine
CNet on CES

They displayed at Oshkosh and the Abbotsford Airshows and received very favorable reviews. Numerous performers tried and liked the Joyrider. Gene Soucy and Buck Roetman gave me a flying lesson. Thanks Guys.

"Flight Simulator X: Acceleration!"

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Bob Smith in a Cobra