Announcing C 337 Flight Sim project!
 

In cooperation with Bill Crews, I'm proud to announce the Cessna 337 project for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004!

Any interested can find more information at the link below.

http://www.fsd-international.com/projects/C337.htm

Best regards,

Owen


*******
Owen Hewitt
Greenwood, SC USA
http://www.fsd-international.com

Congratulations, extraordinary work.

Ernie

Thanks much, Ernie! Please check your personal email ;)

Regards,

Owen

Wow! Those are great! Are they computer generated images of pictures that are computer enhanced? Excellent images!

Hi Jim,

Yes, the images shown on the link above are indeed generated from Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, and are not further enhanced...they are actual, in-game shots!

Anyone here who has Microsoft Flight Sim 2004 with real 337 seat time is invited to test our aircraft when we are ready for testing.

The two versions we are replicating are of the 337D and P337H.

Best regards,

Owen

337 Flight Sim
 

Looks great can't wait to try it out. Since I am a computer nut and my business is selling and servicing computer systems. I also own a 337H. Although my bird is not pressurized, as the one pictured.
Now we need a dual prop quaderant to handle throttles, props and mixtures. Then we would have a real flight simmulator. Any one have ideas who could make such a devise. I think we would all buy one, not just 337 pilots, but any one fliing a twin. Dale

Re: 337 Flight Sim
 

Hi Dale,

Thanks much for your kind words! There is a new twin throttle quadrant just released by CH Products. Here is a link to it on Amazon:

CH Products Throttle Quadrant USB

Would you be interested in testing for us?

Regards,

Owen

Virtual Bill Crews
 

Click below to see a close-up of Bill in the cockpit. :)

http://www.fsdinternational.net/betausers/images/bc.jpg

Best,

Owen

337 Flight Sim
 

I sure would like to be one of the first to try the new 337 flight sim. If the twin engine quadrant works I will order one. Has anyone tried it yet with any twin. Dale Campbell

Re: 337 Flight Sim
 

Hi Dale,

Sure thing! I'm hoping that we'll go into testing in March. Shoot me an email at owenh@fsd-international.com and I'll get you on the list.

As far as the throttle quadrant, I don't personally own one, but I have heard on several simulator forums that it works pretty well right out of the box with MS FS 2004.

Regards,

Owen

Key West Please
 

Would one of you guys bring the software and trottle quadrant to Key West in May please!! I'm sure we would all love an opportunity to "fly" it/try it.

That is certainly a nice looking visual model. I can't wait to try it out!

I have the CH throttle quadrant, and it works great. I highly recommend it.

I did my own P337 for FS2004. I took the visual model from an existing C337 aircraft, tweaked the flight dynamics, and wrote a new panel and gauges to match my own aircraft.

I was shooting for a practical training device to practice IFR and emergency procedures. So I tried to strike a balance between appearance and functionality. For example, my panel extends only from just left of the airspeed indicator to just right of the MP gauge. At 1280x1024, this allows all of the key flight instruments, and the radio stack, to be easily readable. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to squeeze the "engine cluster" instruments in. I am thinking of putting them on a pop-up sub-panel, but haven't done so yet.

Good luck with your project!

Hi Kyle,

Thanks for the kind words about our versions of the skymaster! It has always been an aircraft that I've found to be neglected by high quality designers of add-on aircraft for MS FS, so I spearheaded this project and the rest of the team is really glad I did. It's a really unique airframe that has a very distinctive look!

I'll post a few shots of what the interior is shaping up to look like within a few days ... stay posted!!

Regards,

Owen

Yes. I agree that the Skymaster has been mostly overlooked by developers. It's a shame. But I am excited that you are organizing a "professional quality" effort.

I really found it challenging to get the flight dynamics "tweaked" just right so that they matched the P-model's book numbers in all phases of flight. I am still not wholly satisfied with the results.

Attached is a screen shot of my panel (minus the EGT gauge...woops).

Steve Small, our flight modeller, is one of the very best flight dynamicist around, and I assure you that he'll nail the model. ;)

Attached is a very early shot of the P337H panel.

Best,

Owen

fantastic!! really glad you have incoperated up to date avonics.
nice to see my ups/appollo ifr stack
in it. great work, very impressive.
how about shaddin fuel flow and jpe
760 engone monitor, 400a or stec.
you guys are the "mans".

two more shots...
 

An early alpha shot of the 337D Virtual Cockpit!

Another shot
 

One more!

Owen:

Fantastic attention to detail. Some of the best I have seen. Very impressive. I am more eager than ever to try it out.

Rick:
While crude in comparison to the work Owen't team is doing, I did include a quickie 400A in my panel (at the right bottom of the switch panel - see above). I don't have a JPI (yet) in the real plane, so I haven't added one to the sim. I am having a GNS480 put in the plane right now (replacing the GX60). I dread trying to write that for the SIM! Maybe some one else will do one so I won't have to.

Here's a concern: with fuel costs soaring and the kind of stunning realism you guys are achieving, why not just sell our "real" Skymasters and fly virtual copies. All of a sudden Skymasters are being dumped in the marketplace, prices are dropping and much of the flying becomes virtual.

Ernie

Ha Ha Ha ... Certainly our intent is not to replace flying these great machines in real life. As real as we try to mimic the real deal, there is no way to fully simulate flight. We like to think of our wares as a way to polish skills in a safe environment. I realize that MS FS isn't considered an FAA approved simulator, but is sure is a great tool for flying IFR ... practicing for emergencies ... Just as Kyle mentioned above.

Certainly there would be no way to fly to Key West in one of our birds :D

Best,

Owen

Owen:

Since you are actually in the business of making simulator aircraft, I want to get your opinion on a thought I have had.

I understand that microsoft flight simulator was viewed mainly as a "game" at first. However, the program is sophisticated enough now to be of real aid in practicing approaches and stuff like that. There is an increasing community of pilots who use it in that way. I know of several who will go and fly the intended approaches for a real trip on flight simulator before making the actual trip if they are not familiar with the destination.

However, for most pilots, the primary handicap of flight simulator is that (1) their airplane type is not available or is not well modeled, or (2) even if the type is available, the panel doesn't conform to their own airplane and so the utility of the sim is somewhat compromised.

I can't tell you how many pilots wish that they had their "own" panel on flight simulator. I wanted it so badly that I took the time to build my own crude approximation. But I doubt that most pilots care to take the time required to do that.

So, I have wondered if a "virtual avionics shop" would be a viable business to cater to this segment of the simulator market. I mean, if a guy is going to go out and drop $100K or more on an airplane, and tens of thousands on those little black boxes in the panel, I would think that some fraction of them wouldn't blink at dropping perhaps $10 to $50 per simulated instrument (depending on complexity) and perhaps $100 to have someone custom build a panel file for them based on their own airplane?

I know I would sure like it if I could just go buy the instruments and avionics I need, and have them all put in a panel for me.

Regards,

Kyle

PS: In regards to all of us flying "virtual" airplanes, there is a kernel of truth in this. For routine practice, it is far less expensive to sit down at flight simulator and shoot a few approaches than to go drop $150 per hour or more doing the training in the airplane. And as far as keeping your scan up to speed, the simulator is as good (or better) than the real thing. This doesn't mean that we stop or even cut back on the amount of "real" practice we do. It just means that we can get a lot more practice for very little money, and be a lot better prepared to maximize our training dollars spent in the airplane. This can only enhance safety; especially for the many owner-pilots who are not priviliged to fly several hundred hours per year due to time and money constraints.

Owen -

I have been flying another 337 in my Sim, and it is 'sad' compared to yours... The detail is stunning!

Please put me on your list - I want one!

pschmitz@starband.net

Kyle - Great Idea! A virtual avionics shop.... Now that is a cool idea!

Pat

Hello Kyle,

I certainly see your point about wanting to have a custom panel built into the sim that exactly replicates one you own in real life, so the realism of trying approaches becomes that much more an aid.

As a developer of these types of wares, I do have to say that it is quite difficult a challenge to create one or two panels of an example aircraft for use in Flight Simulator. Just one photograph if the panel is usually not enough to generate the correct look. I often take over 50 pictures of the instruments and panel when I do a walk-around of an aircraft. From these 50 or so pictures, a "composite" as you would say, is built taking pieces here and there and fitting them all back together to show a complete panel. It's a daunting task, and takes quite a bit of time. When we do create such aircraft panels, we try our best to accomodate most of the avionics that would normally be found in a said aircraft.

As far as complex avionics go, there is a company that we are partnered with that provides highly advanced GPS units. I invite you to check it out: http://www.reality-xp.com

Most of our aircraft come pre-configured so that if you own a Reality-XP unit, it will be selectable as an option in our configuration manager program.

I understand that there are a lot of avionics packages out on the market today. Developing an exact working replica of each of those devices is incredibly complex, many taking years to get done (Reality XP has worked for over a year now on their upcoming GNS 430).

A virtual Avionics shop is sort-of what R-XP is. But you see from their rather limited selection, that they take very long to develop. A good idea ... just not enough time or manpower to accomplish making them all. :(

Regards,

Owen

Hi Pat,

Check your email!

Regards,

Owen

Now,
How about some rocket launchers and 7.62 mm miniguns for the O2 guys!
Hit My Smoke!
Great job!
Tom

Put me on your list too, please.

ljb@safetyservicesinc.com

I have FS, but only a joy stick, and need to get the other accessories to make it work. I was so bad at it, I gave it up. Also, it only had planes I could not relate to. I kept crashing the malibu.

It would be great to get in the virtual 69 337D, (mine is a 69 337D) and go shoot some approaches. run out of fuel, cool things like that. I did that once. Switched to the Aux's, both, at about the same time, and forgot about them. It was brought to my attention just after I captured the glide scope.:D

Oh,and other than the throttle quadrant, what other items are needed. Yoke, pedals, anything else? who makes a good yoke and pedals?

You can get a yoke, pedals, and throttle quadrant all from CH Products. To my knowlege, this is the least expensive way to go without moving down into the "toy" category.

I believe their web site is www.chproducts.com

Kyle

Hi Larry,

Glad to put you on the list! I wouldn't say the CH Products hardware is required, but it sure adds to the realism of the aircraft while flying. I currently have the USB pedals and yoke, and I'm trying to convince my wife that I need the throttle quadrant. ;)

I flew in the 337D version we have depicted ... I love the visibility of this aircraft versus the pressurized version.

Best regards,

Owen

Best place I have found for purchasing these items is on Amazon ... they seem to have the best prices!

Regards,

Owen