Flight Deck Solutions

[Turbine777]

Hello Gentlemen,
The reason for the headline is to point out that PMDG have anounced they may be releasing an SDK around the time of their 737NG. This will be a great thing for many and hopefully benefit the cockpit builder as well.

The other reason for my post is I am showing signs of my age and at what point had hopes and dreams and joing the ranks of the cockpit builders and starting my own project. Of course money has been the biggest deterrent. I think I am finally going to start and have been bookmarking pages all night, and read through litterally hundreds of posts to try and catch up to date on what's going on in the builders current world.

I have a million questions but none I want to waste anyones time with until I do some more searching, but some questions regard Project Magenta specifically. Didn't they have a support forum? I can't seem to find it.

And Peter, a Huge Congratulations for your recent award last year and for the team as well. FDS has climbed rather high in the last few years since I first glanced at your panels. That is a great thing for you, but of course not so great for me hehe (jokingly saying I'll never be able to afford you now )
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i7-920 3.80GHz ~ ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution ~ 12Gb Corsair 1600 DDR3 ~ EVGA GTX 295 & GTX 260 ~ Vista64 ~ FsX

[pcos]

Thank you for the "Heads Up".
We shall see what happens on the PMDG front. Many other elements are involved though and performance will be a critical element to watch closely.

In terms of FDS affordability.. I have to disagree with you though.
If you look at the quality parts supplliers out here.. compare the CAD dollar to what is out here etc.. Our value is still very much in range.
The toughest challenge I have had here at FDS is keeping a balance in teh product to allow Enthusiast and PRO customers to be catered to.
I really believe we are achieving that.
Buying in smart/small steps from FDS means that the finished project looks/acts like the best quality trainer we ship to people like Boeing.

One of the biggest areas that I need to work harder on IS panels.
We have the IBL series panels which are as close as you can get to real aircraft panels, backlighting done the same as the real aircraft parts etc...
people compare these in price to panels that are NOT backlit.
By the time you add the parts/labour to add your own lighting you are easily paying more for less.
Take a good look at the IBL examples on the webpage.. NO photoshop ticks here to make them look good. They already do.
The IBL are VERY consisteent in terms of the lighitng across the panels and that is a key point that is missed with other suppliers out here. You can see that if you look closely enough.
Super proud of the product here and the development side of things is hidden from view.. The steps we take and the push we make to "nail it" drives my guys batty I am sure... but, in the end we ship things that really do what they should and customers tell us. Our easiest to please customers as well as the toughest ones.

Our DSTD is another example. We sell a full package that shows up ready to roll. We also sell the very same parts individually for substnatially less.
Imagine buying a car part by part and the actual cost. Would be double!
Not here...
You can save a lot by taking on the challenge of learning a few skills and doing a lot of work on your own.
We can cater to both groups easily.

Keep an eye on the B737NG DSTD. We are in the process of updating this piece with some huge feature enhancements and new product.. Price. slightly higher in "PnP" form but huge value added to the package.
PRO-MX devices.. New CDUs.. lighting kit, LCDs all included..

Buying it complete or bit by bit.. it all ends up at the same place...
A High Fidelity Set up that can be flown for years and parts that are engineered properly to last.

For Software.. Go ahead and ask questions. Take a look at the guys at www.sim-avionics.com as well. Another very capable team that we havee used on some PRO projects lately.
PC

[Turbine777]

[mriggins]

[pcos]

Regarding my time..
I spend most of my day on email/skype and phone.
For customers that want to get into details I have no problem using voice.
A couple of things to note:
- I use "PC" when I email or Post. My name is Peter or Pete ( I hang up if you call me Mr. Cos as I think you are looking for someone else!)
- Skype. I prefer to use text as I can work and "Chat" but voice is ok if you messge me first to make sure I am ok to talk. A lot of the time I am all over the shop so when I am on text/chat I can vanish for a short bit and not tell you. Not being rude, just pulled into the shop likely.

Please do take advantage of skype though. I find I can help our customers in far more detail by talking. These are big projects with a lot on the line and I have no problem to block time for people that are looking to FDS for support. I am here.
PC