News:
January 3rd 2012: It's the beginning of a new year and I'm starting off strong! I just completed a batch of ten HSI center standby gauges which they have all sold! My HSI design has lighting built into the bezel and the artificial airplane is adjustable up and down. Believe it or not, there are nearly 50 parts to this piece! To read more about the HSI gauge, Altimeter and Airspeed bezels click HERE.
At the same time, I have done enough research on the computers that I have finalized the spec sheet and made the purchase! 2012 is the year that the simulator is going to come to life! My server is going to be powered by an i7 2600K Intel chip and a EVGA 580 3GHZ video card. For mor information on the specs of my system, click HERE.
PROJECT45
September 14th 2011: Mark Speechley from Traralgon Victoria Australia (down under) is one of our latest members to Hangar45. Mark is also the first member to order a set of plans for the shell outside of the U.S.A. In less than two week, he will be receiving the paper plans to L45-012 and begin construction. Keep an eye on his progress in the hangar!
August 25th 2011: I have been working hard on the project and making some incredible headway, however, I am still months away from being ready to fire it up and take it for a flight. I have literally posted dozens of build threads and updates at Hangar45 if you would like to see the progress in finer detail. Lately I have been concentrating on the lower panels, back lighting, wiring, power supplies and interfacing.
In these two photos above, I have the RMUs, DUs and the two Reversion panels lit up. There are actually eight lighting channels in the simulator, (not shown). The left crew light panel has the left instruments, left circuit breaker panel, glare shield lighting and the left overhead flood light. The right crew light panel has the right instruments, right circuit breaker panel, pedestal panels and the right overhead flood light. All of these channels are using PWM dimmers and work just like the real L45. Still much more work to go but half of the battle was finding the right combination to get everything to work together!
PROJECT45
June 30th 2011: I regret to have to post this news but my friend Kris Stow passed away on June17th 2011 after being hit by a drunk driver in Houston Texas. We will keep his wife Erin and his two children, Cortnee and Cameron in our prayers. RIP Kris Stow 1979-2011
March 17th 2011: It has been a long time coming but I have finally jumped into panel building with both feet! As always, my goal is to make myself some of the best parts / panels possible and then make them available to some of the members of Hangar45.
I always imagined that I would start with the Reversion Panels because they are so small. This makes perfect sense starting with these because of the R&D that needed to go into the back lighting work. I decided to deviate from the standard path of back lighting in an effort to simplify the building process. I am using my CNC to cut and back mill the panels and a laser shop for the engraving. Thanks to Kris Stow for all his hard work creating the art work files!
I developed what I call HELT back lighting, which means: (Highly Effective Low Technology). I also sometimes refer to it as "liquid sunshine". At first attempts at back lighting, you would think placing a few LEDs embedded into the plastic would do the trick, but not so fast.... Hot spots and cold spots show up all over the place. The key is to find a way to spread the light like buttering a piece of bread. The light has to find a way to become even throughout the entire "Light Chamber". That's exactly what HELT BL does. As an example, each of these REV panels only has 3 LEDs in them!
As I develop and finalize a panel design, I am also making them available to other members of Hangar45 in three different packages.
Package #1 will be a kit form where the builder does most of the assembly.
Package #2 will be assembled and may include any custom made hardware.
Package #3 will include all hardware and be plug and play ready.
So far I have made several REV sets for some of the guys who should be receiving them soon. If you are interested in a set for yourself or the latest news on Project45 Panel development, click HERE
On a side note, because I have sold two Package #3's, I had to work on the development of the double LED/AML issue. Problem solved as you can see from the photo upper right, WARN/CAUT. To learn how to make your own double LED/AML, click HERE
PROJECT45
February 19th 2011: Kris Stow's shell, L45-010, along with several other packages have arrived in Texas and he is well on his way to assembling it. Go to www.lear45project.org to check out his latest updates and news!
In other news on this date, I completed my 220 degree curved projection screen frame system. It is a 6 foot radius system that will require three short throw projectors to run. Go to Hangar45 and check out my Project45 tutorial on how to go about building your own curved projection screen HERE.
PROJECT45
January 23rd 2011: Today I completed the construction of shell kit L45-010 and it's sister ship, L45-011 in just over three weeks with the help of my father, Ron Rollo Sr., thanks dad! L45-010 will be shipped off to Texas to long time friend and Hangar45 member, Kris Stow. Enjoy and have fun Kris! L45-011 will sit in waiting for a sim builder and pilot.
PROJECT45
January 1st 2011: Happy New year to all! Today, I started construction on shell kits L45-010 and L45-011. Kris Stow has ordered a shell and is back in the game! For the next month, I will be working to get him up to speed with the shell, aluminum parts and interior parts. Thankfully I have my father, Ron Rollo Sr. who is more than eager to help with the shell kit construction and other jobs, such as running the CNC machine. Thanks Dad!
This is also a good time to make a short list of items I would like to have accomplished by this time next year. To start with, I will roll over the two items that were not completed from last years list:
1. Finish the work on the yoke and control column system.
2. Finish the standby gauges and install them. Done 01-03-12
3. Finish Shell Kit L45-010 and have it ready for shipping. Done 01-23-11
4. Finish Shell Kit L45-011 and have it ready for shipping. Done 01-23-11
5. Complete the work on the MIP, DU's and RMU's. Done 08-25-11
6. Design and construct a 12 foot diameter curved projection screen. Done 02-19-11
7. Obtain three short throw projectors and a Digital TH2Go system. Done 01-03-12
8. Start work one the front panels and integrated back lighting. Done 03-12-11
9. Have the simulator flyable with at least the main flight controls and 220 degree of view.
10. Build flight sim server computer. Done 01-04-12
PROJECT45
November 10th 2010: I have been gearing up to start on the visual system. This system will include approximately 210 degrees of view on a curved 30 foot long screen which will take three short throw projectors, a TH2Go system and the Nthusim software to get it running. I am hoping to have this system up by the end of January 2011. Between this visual system and the major flight controls in place and working, I will finally have a flight simulator to fly!
In other news, I have recently finished the final details to the TQ module. It includes the interface card, dust cover sliders and the flaps bucket. To see more of how I completed the TQ module, visit Hangar45 or click HERE.
PROJECT45
August 18th 2010: Just recently, I sold my first set of paper plans, L45-009 to Willie Wilson. It should be very interesting and exciting watching Willie build his L45 shell from the paper plans. Look for his updates in the hangar!
Because of the summer break and the kids being out of school, I took a little break from actual sim building. For the past eight weeks, I have been painting the house and making built in book shelves, etc. But as usual, I was thinking of the PROJECT45 and what I could be doing to enhance the flight simulation experience. So I converted our aft living room into what I call the Hangar45 "Pilot's Lounge", (a.k.a. the den or the study). But that's not all, I now have a virtual reality hyper link from Hangar45 to Project45!
All kidding aside, it is very cool to walk into the Pilot's lounge, up the stairs and to the simulation room. Upstairs, I also have what I call the Official Hanger45 head (restroom) and a small room that I call Ground Maintenance. The whole aft of the house is a Flight Sim Man Cave!
PROJECT45
June 14th 2010: Recently, I finished my TQ Module including two other complete sets and five TQ Module kits for other Hangar45 members. I consider the throttle module one of the big three, (the other two would be the rudder pedals and the control columns / yokes.) I am happy to have this part of the build in the books!
Now that I have the TQ Module behind me, I am taking about six weeks to complete several smaller projects that I started but have not yet finished. Several of these items required that I completely remove all the interior parts from the shell due to fabrication. This is what I am calling the first Mod and Fabrication 1.1. As of right now, I have 28 items on a list and only 8 of them have been completed. Some of the items include: Installing the rudder pedal assembly, installing the DU's, finishing the standby indicators, MIP support brackets, installing the Pitch Trim Disconnect box, ETC.... I will update each appropriate page as I complete an item.
April 19th 2010: L45-008 has a new home in Westminster Colorado! Randy Buchanan is the proud owner of the latest shell to leave the Project45 workshop here in Jacksonville Florida. Look for pictures and updates on Randy's project at Hangar45
I have also been working hard on the Throttle Quadrant Module design. The design work is complete and to date, I have one complete set sent off to Eric Tomlin and a TQ Module kit sent off to Tom Goldberg. I have at least four more sets to build including my own. Keep in mind that the TQ module kit pictured below is designed for the real parts only. To see more information on the Throttle Quadrant, go to the Flight Controls page.
PROJECT45
February 22nd 2010: I couldn't stand it any longer. It was time to fly this bad boy even if it meant bare bones with a stripped down version of FS2004, a CH yoke and a set of CH pedals! I also spent $50 and about 10 hours making up a set of temporary seats to hold me over until I have time for the real ones. Man, I feel like I am half way done, FINALLY!!!
February 15th 2010: These past three weeks have been very productive! I moved the shell from the work shop to the new house and painted it in the garage. Then with the help of my good friend "Venny", we carefully moved the two sections up the stairs into the new hangar bay!
January 15th 2010: This has been the first solid week that I have been back in full swing of SIM building. This week I complete Tom Goldberg's Backer Panel Set and the final steps in the Landing Gear knob design. I had to build a JIG that holds the knob in place where the CNC machine mills the inside notches. Here are a few pictures of the recent work:
PROJECT45
Older News:
December 7th 2009: It has been a few months since I have made an entry but for good reason. My wife and I have decided to move into a larger home! This gave me the perfect opportunity to look for a home that would accommodate my hangar bay. In this case, it is a spare room up stairs with a storage room off to the side and a head, (bathroom). As a matter of fact, we are moving in tomorrow!
September 23rd 2009: The JET45 AAS software has been released by Jason Hite at Flight Deck Soft. I have not had a chance to see it for myself first hand but all of the feed back is very positive. In support of the new software, I was one of the first to purchased a copy from Flight Deck Soft. I am also proud to say that I came up with the name "JET45" for Jason Hite.
PROJECT45
August 2nd 2009: I have just recently completed the Toggle Switch Matrix for all the toggle switches in the flight deck of the L45 simulator. I have it available in a PDF format on the Technical Information page for others if you would like to view it. I will also have additional toggle switch information on the Hardware & Switches page soon!
June 24th 2009: The 389 Replicas are here and available to the members of Hangar45! This set includes over 200 laser engraved and cut parts to complete every Chromolux 389 switch found in the L45 flight deck. If interested in a set of your own, please contact me at ronjonrollo@yahoo.com. For more information on the 389 Replicas, please visit the Hardware & Switches page or the Classified page in Hangar45.
June 5th 2009: I have reached a point that I am setting a new goal to have the simulator moved into a clean, dust free and climate controlled area by January 2010. But before I can do this, I need to paint the shell, inside and out, complete the windscreens, install them, and finish fitting the MIP and glare shield into the shell.
April 29th 2009: On this date, I finished up the construction of kit L45-007 for Shane Barnes. The crate was picked up and shipped off to Mt. Sterling Kentucky! Shane is in for a good three months of sold work but it will surely pay off in the end. Keep an eye on his progress at Hangar45 !
April 10th 2009: I am about 1/3rd of the way through the process of building up kits L45-007 and L45-008. So far, I have both kits rough cut and the crates built up. Over the next few weeks, I will be working to get 007 finished up for Shane Barnes by April 30th 2009. (L45-008 will hopefully be completed shortly there after for the next guy who wants to step up and join the fun!
March 21st 2009: Today I was officially born into the World of CNC cutting. I cut the Lower Center Backer Panel out and although I had a few lessons to overcome, this part came out as close to perfect as I could hope for! I still have much to learn before I am comfortable and proficient with the CNC even with the basic 2D parts.
March 4th 2009: Tom Goldberg from Deer Park Washington is one of our latest club members of Hangar45 and brings incredible skills and talents that are going to be useful to our overall goals. Tom has a 4'X8' Water Jet CNC capable of cutting out thick aluminum. With the use of Eric Tomlin's CAD drawing, Tom was able to cut out the MIP, Glare shield and the two TQ access doors in just a few minutes and ship them out to me! Tom has also picked up airframe L45-006 for his personal use. You can visit his website and see some of his other creations at www.combatconsole.com or contact him at tbtransmission@gmail.com for more information.
February 21st 2009: Important news for you guys following my project! Flight Simmersion is changing it's name to PROJECT45 ! You will be able to continue to follow my progress on the L45 build on this website after March 15th 2009. Be sure to bookmark this new site or visit Hangar45 if you have trouble finding it again. Thanks for the support and interest.
January 23rd 2009: I have been working on developing a control column system inside the flight deck. To date, I have most of the components in place and it works very well. It actually runs across the top of the sub floor but under the raised floor sections.
In other news, I have decided to build my own set of panels with the use of the CNC machine that I picked up back in October 2008 and a laser engraver that I have access to right down the street. Obviously I have a lot to learn to reach the high level of quality that I was expecting to have in my flight deck. For those of you who have been following along, I am no longer working or associating myself with Joseph C. for various reasons. Although I forfeited one of my shells, (L45-004), in order to excuse myself, the experience was not a total loss. Over the past year, I have gained a greater understanding of the hobby and the airframe I have chosen to model. I have come to really appreciate what it takes to get things done right and within a reasonable time frame.
January 1st 2009: The L45-SAM "Shell Assembly Manual" is finally here! This is revision 5, the latest version of the "SAM" and the first being released to the general public. The 7.8MB Adobe PDF file can be down loaded free from the "Technical Info" page!
December 16th 2008: The shell (L45-002) is finally complete after nearly a year of hard work! I will be painting the shell a semigloss white with a blue stripe down both sides in the next few weeks. I will also be working to fit the windscreens into the shell, however, priority number one is now the L45-SAM.
December 1st 2008: I have finally finished Phase 9, the fiberglass work. I spent more time during this phase than I care to admit but it was well worth it!
November 25th 2008: I have acquired an authentic set of Learjet45 throttle levers, a spoiler arm and a Flaps arm which are hard to come by as you can imagine. It may take me a few months or even longer before I start working with them but at least I have them packed up and in a box on the shelf ready to go!
November 7th 2008: Hangar45 is now open to the public! This site is an International Learjet45 club with eleven Founding Charter members. The website was created to provide a forum to share building techniques, ideas and to share Lear specific information with home flight deck builders. It was also created to provide a club-atmosphere for those that have decided to build and simulate one of the most famous aircraft ever built........... A Learjet!
October 24th 2008: My wife and I just got back from a much needed week long vacation in Gatlinburg Tennessee. One of the highlights (for me) was picking up a new CNC machine in Ashville on the way up. The CNC machine will enable me to create my own parts and duplicate them easily after I get the hang of it.
In other news, Kris Stow has ordered shell kit #L45-006. To date, I am about 25% complete with the cutting and routing of the parts in his kit. Visit his website, www.lear45project.org to see his Lear45 project.!
October 5th 2008: I am happy to announce that in the up and coming weeks, Hangar45 will be launched showcasing the Worlds Learjet45 Flight Simulator builders and their projects! This site will be the "Hub" for all Lear enthusiast and a place to park their Cyber Jets. You will find forums with Lear specific information, Build Stories and technical data that the individual builders wish to share with the community. Hangar45 will have dozens of links to the builders, suppliers and related sites to help the new guy get started on their own project. As of this writing, we have no less than ten founding members from five different countries.
September 17th 2008: I need to mention that I have been doing all the recent heavy construction of the shell in my father's spacious A/C cooled work shop about three miles down the road. Thanks dad, (Ron Rollo Sr.) for letting me use the garage, tools and lending a helping hand from time to time. (Please pardon the dust!)
Here is a sneak peek of the shell about half way through Phase 9, Fiberglassing. (It appears as if there are two shells side by side.) In the second photo is my beautiful wife Michelle standing in the "Dinning Room".
September 5th 2008: I have made enough progress on the shell that I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and have projected a completion date of Jan 1st 2009! I have completed Phase 7, "Caulking", Phase 8, "Foaming" and have the shell ready for Phase 9, "Fiberglass".
August 11th 2008: Phase 6, the aluminum sheeting between the frame sections is finished and the caulking on the exterior of the shell. Things are moving along nicely. I'll be working on caulking and painting the interior next.
July 23rd 2008: Phase 5 which included painting all of the frame pieces and reassembly is now complete. From this point on, the shell will not be taken apart with the exception of splitting it down the middle to move through a doorway to it's future home once it is ready. The frame has also been bolted to the base with wheels for additional strength. The frame is surprisingly strong even without the aluminum, foam and fiberglass installed. It is really starting to look like something now.
July 15th 2008: Over the past month, I have been focused and working hard on L45-002. To date, I have completed Phase 1,2,3 and 4 of the 10 Phases in the assembly manual that I have created. My short term goal is to have Phase 5 completed by August. Long term, I am hoping to have the shell to L45-002 finished by Jan 2009. Meanwhile, Eric Tomlin has been very busy mapping out the panels. He is 99% complete with just a few minor issues still to work out.
June 5th 2008: L45-004 is out the door! I have been running at 110% for the past five months and it's time to reflect back on the major progress to date: I developed L45-001 (The Port side Jigs), L45-002 (My shell), L45-003 (Eric Tomlin's Shell), L45-004 (J.C.'s shell) and L45-005 (Rick Trantham's shell). I have also developed the "mock up" internal components and a Shell Assembly Manual with step by step construction techniques, (Version 2.0 now available.) What's even more exciting is that several FS enthusiasts in Europe have also taken notice of this new L45 cockpit shell! Here is a picture of L45-004 sitting to the left of L45-002. Pictured right is L45-004 crated up and ready to make the trip to Texas.
PROJECT45
May 28th 2008: Over this past weekend my wife Michelle and I made the short trip up to Waycross Georgia to visit with Eric and his wife Heather. We assembled his shell, L45-003, checked out the mock up components and did some flying with his first version of the Learjet. A really nice visit! I also just finished routing out all the parts for L45-004 which will be sent to Texas in a few weeks.
May 20th 2008: The "mock up" internal components are complete! I built this full scale model to insure correct ergonomics, measurements and angles. I invested approximately 60 hours of time and $100 to this important process.
May 9th 2008: Kit L45-005 is complete and crated, ready to be shipped off to it's new owner! In the next few days, I will be completing the L45 Shell Kit Assembly manual.
May 7th 2008: I have been working hard at building a "mock up" version of all the major components inside the L45 shell with half inch MDF, foam board and PVC pipe. This full scale model is to ensure that every measurement and angle is perfect and ergonomically correct. Countless hours have gone into this research and nothing will be fabricated with aluminum until we are sure everything is right!
April 19th 2008: Eric Tomlin made the short drive down from Waycross Georgia to pick up his shell, L45-003. Eric was stunned to say the least when he first saw my assembled shell! Visit his web site and follow the progress on his L45 project at flightlevel180.
March 24th 2008: The website PROJECT45, formally known as "Flight Simmersion" is up and running and on the World Wide Web!
............................Like most great ideas, they start off small and drawn out at the kitchen table!.............................
PROJECT45