The plan is to eventually build a full motion simulator. The initial plan is to have a static working model and leave the option to convert it to motion later.
The Basic Platform:
I purchased the R22 cabin from a helicopter wreckers in Sydney. Actually he gave it to me, all I had to do was get it freighted up to Cairns. That actually came as very rude shock because in discussion with him it was thought it would cost a couple of hundred dollars. It was something that hadn't been done before so how much it would end up costing was totally unknown. So he shipped it up and referred the bill to me. A bill for a $1000 duly arrived! But I was stuck with it because it was here and I couldn't backtrack and say "Take it Back". I would have had to pay for that freight as well. So I dug deep and payed the freight bill.
It arrived stripped of everything useful so all I got was a bare hull with parts of the console and the seat boxes. It had been crashed so was stoved in on the left underside. This necessitated a complete stripping and dissecting of the underside. I cut away the curved undersurface and got out my hammer and did a bit of panel beating to straighten out the bent metal-work. As you might guess, I really learned a lot about how the robbie is put together.
The fibre glass panels were fairly easy to cut away and rebuild and repair. The crumpled seatboxes had done their job of concertina-ing in the crash so I had a fair bit of hammering to get some panels flat again. Some I figured they were out of sight so it didn't matter if they were still rippled.
I built a rough set of skids out of gal pipe and that turned out to be the best way of supporting it. It allows me to tip it up or forward to work on the underside as well as in the normal position.
Plans for the rebuild:
Overall I have a major dilemna. Do I reproduce a faithful Robinson, do I make a kind of generic helicopter or do I change it for a fixed wing or some hybrid. What I really would like is to be able to change from a helicopter to a fixed wing and back to get the most out the software (I'm currently using MS Flight Simulator which can be any number of aircraft.) Obviously a fully interchangable cockpit is a major task. All the ideas have their merits. Obviously the direction has to be chosen prior to actually doing much and I am at the stage of collecting ideas for the direction I should take.
The basic plan at present is to a step wise construction:
1. Build a working hardware platform including working flight controls.
2. Install a basic computer setup so we can get flying.
This will then be upgraded to two screens. One for cabin panel and one for the external view.
I will fully enclose the cabin to give better realism. I have had an open seat type cockpit for a few
years and it loses all the realism when you can look around and see the rest of the room.
3. Install a digital projector on top of the cabin for external views. This will involve an external frame and screen over the front of the cabin.
4. Replace fixed skids with a motion-capable gymbal frame.
5. Make and set up the motion component.
