Man Builds Jumbo Jet Simulator in his Bedroom October 19, 2007

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John Davis spent eight years and £15,000 building a Boeing 747 flight simulator in a room in his house. And now the 47-year-old's hobby has turned into such a full-time occupations that he has jacked in his job as a graphic designer to run a full-time flight simulation business from his home in Coventry. Find out how he did it after the jump.

Although he holds a glider pilot's license, John claims he wasn't good enough at maths to fly proper planes. "This is the next best thing," he says of the 747-400 he has assembled in his spare bedroom. The life-sized replica of the cockpit is mostly built out of wood, but the autopilot system, throttles and a weather radar were sourced from the internet. The pilot and first officer sit in a pair of reclaimed car seats. The simulator has all the software you need in order to recreate take-offs and landings at just about any airport in the world.

Next month, John and a bunch of his mates are simulating a round-the-world trip to raise funds for his local Air Ambulance. As well as a virtual air-traffic control team, there will be an In-flight entertainment provided by a Scottish Elvis impersonator, and the wife of one of the crew members, a chef, will be on food duty. -Addy Dugdale

[Express via Spluch]