Editorial
In this section are shown all my interviews, articles written on specialized magazines and podcasts about my Home Cockpit activities.
FLY AWAY SIMULATION INTERVIEW (July 1, 2012):http://flyawaysimulation.com/news/4479/behind-yoke-an-interview-with-three-boeing-737-home/
Fabio Ippoliti
Fabio Ippoliti’s interest in aviation took root in 2005 during his last university exam. The test was on Secondary Radar and its application to Air Traffic Control. “During the exam preparation I was researching ATC information on the web. That’s when I discovered Fight Simulator 2004 and its ATC features. Right then I started to fly sims regularly and made plans to build my flight deck.”
Ippoliti is a Satellite System Engineer in the “Radar and Earth Observation” Business Unit at Thales Alenia Space – Italy. There he improved his knowledge in the RF and Antenna field by working in national and international programmes in cooperation with high-profile aerospace agencies and industries. He explained, “Even if my job is not directly correlated to the aviation, my university degree in Telecommunication and Aerospace Engineering permitted to me to have a good knowledge of the aviation world.”
Why did he choose the Boeing 737 for his home cockpit building adventure? He said, “I chose to build a 737NG cockpit for a few reasons. First, Boeing is an American jetliner and I love American aircraft. Also, the 737 is equipped with a couple of yokes while the AIRBUS, for example, uses a sidestick. My concept of airplanes is to fly using a yoke.”
Like Kneissl, he gets his parts from multiple sources. He said with the Internet, it is possible to get parts from all over the world. The downside is that the shipping, VAT, and custom taxes are high. As far as any special skills needed to build a home cockpit, he said no particular skills are required although it helps to have an understanding of computer science and Technical English, as well as a penchant for DIY.
How much has he spent on the project so far? “It’s a secret!” he laughed, “but since my wife will not read this interview I can provide you the real cost! Cockpit construction is a very expensive hobby. For example, I paid about 35.000€ for my simulator including new hardware, software, cockpit parts (both homemade and used), equipment—and that doesn’t even include man-working hours! Another 1.500€ are required for its completion.” He said that if you can accept a cheaper cockpit, 10.000€ could be enough to get it all done.
We asked him his choices for three favorite aircraft. “737NG-800, 737NG-800 and 737NG-800!”
Okay, fair enough. But why? He answered, “Because I love the 737NG-800!” It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
Fabio’s cockpit with colorful glass display and two screens.