New guy signing in from Southern Cali

[supportguy]

I have been a guest for a little while now and finally got approved. Thanks to the admin for that.

Well I have came across this great forum and new hobby by accident just searching the net. Not much for process as I am currently out of the country working. Separated US Navy mechanic now working contracts for the government as a Maritime Asset Protection Analyst.

So far just bought the falcon 4.0 game via ebay and trying to buy a pit as well. Found some members on ebay that were selling stuff and they have already made me feel welcome to this hobby.

Cant wait and by the way a ton of questions are coming..

Thanks again

[Venom]

Welcome to the nut house 

Several of us in SoCal, myself included.

[supportguy]

Thanks Venom

I am around the riverside county area..Murrieta,Ca

[avn-tech]

Sparrow23,

Welcome.

I am in California City, just outside Edwards AFB.
If you are in the area, you are welcome to stop by and check out my aviation projects.

Laterrrrrrr
Avn-Tech

[Rufus]

Greeting Sparrow23 - also from the CA high desert! 

Great to see another Navy guy in here... .

[Clink]

Good seeing another enthusiast in SoCal. 


String

[JJ]

Welcome sparrow23... read and learn... many questions you have are already posted before

[Clink]

Great Advise JJ and I am sure Nigel would agree; read as much as you can and connect with other members.

Only by reading and knowing what is possible can you answer the questions, "what am I capable of building", "to what extent am I willing to learn how to build" and "am I am flyer or a builder?"

Taking into account your family, work and financial capabilities is vital!!!

Don't fall in to the trap that I did (and many others) and glamorize the ease of the goal and not realize the time it takes to reach that goal.

Work on setting your own sustainable goals that keep your flying & build interest fueled. Once this is done; sit back and enjoy an incredible hobby experience.

 

String

[supportguy]

thanks all guys for the more than warm welcomes!

I will start to figure out this crazy world in time..My military vocabulary is totally different that most of you speak...

But im pretty sure thought hours of long watch awhile stuck on a ship I will start to get it!

[Wolverine]

Hello and welcome!

[henkie]

welcome Sparrow,

being on a ship gives little distraction in your free time  .
Do read a lot so that you can decide on what you plan to build.
There are many possibilities, from a real simple setup on your desk to "full pit immersion".
If you start simple, it is perhaps a good idea to keep the future in mind (as far as that is possible  ).

And what I just read from String is very good advice. 
I am a "builder" ,  I really suck at flying ... but everything in its time will become OK 

Enjoy your time on VP!
- Henk

[Rufus]

thanks all guys for the more than warm welcomes!

I will start to figure out this crazy world in time..My military vocabulary is totally different that most of you speak...

But im pretty sure thought hours of long watch awhile stuck on a ship I will start to get it!

...I'm bi-lingual - I speak Navy and Air Force...I can translate for ya... !

[supportguy]

thanks Rufus!

@henkie-
being onboard for that 1% chance it will get attacked or boarded is about being bored all the time... Nothing but time to surf the net or sleep eat and lift..

[Rufus]

I have a friend that was an Ordnanceman on the USS Constellation that used to build model kits while on cruise - he kept his supplies and tools in an ammo can (which I used to do with my silversmithing stuff during my high school days), and his kits...I guess wherever he could.  But he found time and space to even do airbrush work there on the ship.  He used to complete them and give them away either aboard ship, or for trade in port.

[avn-tech]

Rufus,

Where did you learn to speak Air Force? We don't talk to the navy! Or Marines! Occasionally we mite talk to the army if they have something we want.

It is kinda like supply, they won't talk to anyone since they have everything they want or need and you can't help them.

Laterrrrrrrrrr
Avn-Tech

[Rufus]

I think I've spent more time over the years teaching Air Force guys to talk Navy than the other way around; and I've had family members and friends in the model building community that were in the USAF.  And I've also spent some years working with Marines, so I guess I'm tri-lingual really.

I think I've even worked with some Army types...I recall that at one time we had an Army Reservist aboard that used to drill with our local Navy folk - that made for some odd-looking non-uniform pictures in uniform formation!

...why do I suddenly feel really old?

[JJ]

why do I suddenly feel really old?

hehe, because we are at the 50 club....but....we have the experience, others don't have !!! 

[henkie]

why do I suddenly feel really old?

hehe, because we are at the 50 club....but....we have the experience, others don't have !!! 

Indeed, age is sometimes good / useful 

[supportguy]

Well I figured I didn't have enough to start a pit thread but.....

So far I picked up
falcon 4.0
THRUSTMASTER 2960708 USB Cockpit Panels
Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick
Thrustmaster RCS Rudder Control Pedals for the HOTAS COUGAR


Slow start but working on things as I find them on the net to purchase..

[sagrzmnky]

Well I figured I didn't have enough to start a pit thread but.....

So far I picked up
falcon 4.0
THRUSTMASTER 2960708 USB Cockpit Panels
Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar PC Flight Stick

Slow start but working on things as I find them on the net to purchase..

Search for Lightning's switch list. This is where I started. Figure out which side of the pit you want to start with. To me, the right console is easier. Then start collecting switches. Most switches are not real expensive, however some can get higher in prices. Although, if you are not interested in going for "authentic", toggle switches from Radio Shack will do the job. You can either start making your own panels, or do like I am doing. Go to the Viperpanel website and start collecting panels. Maybe buy one out of each paycheck or buy the full set, if you can afford it. This all takes time so don't expect to be done in a couple of months. Just get satisfaction out of each panel that you set up. There are several directions you can go with setting up the switches. Xkeys is probably the easiest way to go. Pokeys is a little more intense, but is worth it in the long run. Above all, read, and search other builders threads. Read threads like Kukki, Nigel, Red Dog, Tulkas, JJ, Rayman, and several others in here. These are the ones that helped me the most, but there are too many to name here that are very helpful.
Good Luck...

[supportguy]

thanks for the info....I would like to start with screen gauges and after I get down the line I would like to get everything so it all functions together with the game.

As far as the xkeys,pokeys I still don't get the phrases yet so I have no clue what that means..lol

[Rufus]

That's a good start, and where I started...I'd highly recommend the Saitek Combat pedals over the Thrustmaster ones so you don't have conflicting setup issues between your toe brake and cursor control input axes.  Plus the Saitek ones also allow you to dial in some resistance in the rudder axis - very helpful.

[Willy]

Sparrow23,

You are asking a lot of good questions on the Forum.  However, many of them can be answered by doing some reading and searching instead of just posting questions that have (often) been discussed previously in the Forum on some thread.

When I started, I spent days and days reading the forum threads, download, compiling and organizing important pictures, documents, thread excerpts, etc. into a local directory tree on my computer for my pit.  (It's now HUGE!) May I politely suggest you try using the Search function a bit more to see if your questions have already been answered.

If you can't find the answer with the Search function, then by all means post them in the Forum.  I don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm for building a pit but it's generally considered good form to try to exhaust the information in the threads before posting your questions.  There is sooooo much information in this Forum that just about anything you have a question about has already been discussed at some length somewhere.  We've all been where you are and the learning curve can be steep.

Good luck with your pit building and welcome to the madness.  WARNING: Pit Building can have a serious impact on your Wallet, Time, and Relationships but darn it, it sure is fun!

Willy

[JJ]

  Willy

[supportguy]

slowly starting..figured out the mfds tonight