Motor-free tilty action in your flights sims!
We’ve all seen loads of shots of the weird and wonderful set-ups flight sim fans have installed in their rooms… everything from masses of monitors up to full cockpit enclosures recreating their favourite aircraft. But one thing they all lack is any sort of motion… you can bank, side slip, roll and do all that stuff but everything stays where it is unless you want to fork out some serious bucks for a motorised cage.
But now there’s an answer to your flight sim-motion desires that won’t break the bank, the lightweight, non-powered Dreamflyer. It’s actually pretty simple and a wonder that no-one has thought of it before. All you do is assemble the few parts and then tune the whole system to your bodyweight and position. Once that’s done, your inputs on the modified X52 flight-stick are translated into roll and pitch giving you up to 15⁰ of movement either way from neutral.
Click for larger imageThe real beauty of the Dreamflyer is that once you’re properly balanced even though the motion is a reaction of your inputs, it doesn’t feel like you’re cranking the cage around. Sure, there is a certain amount of increased resistance the further you go from neutral but it feels smoother and more effortless than some commercial rides I’ve been on that use the same principal.
Click for larger imageThe base unit costs $2800USD with another $199USD for the tri-monitor mounting. You get the modified X52 throttle and stick system from Saitek included in the rig along with a set of Saitek rudder pedals. The whole thing, not including monitors, weighs in at around 100lbs and can take a pilot of up to 250lbs (so that’s me covered with a bit of leeway).
Click for larger imageAll you do is hook mount your monitor(s), hook up the Dreamflyer to your PC with the USB 2.0 connections and you’re away in your favourite flight sim. For the real hardcore enthusiast who loves nothing more than a 9 hour flight in a 727, the Dreamflyer is limited as there’s only a single throttle and flight stick rather than a yoke and throttle quadrant, but for the single seat pilot and fighter enthusiasts, the Dreamflyer looks like a load of fun and, with the short go I had, it’s got some potential, even if it is going for a tad more than it costs to build a high end PC…
All HEXUS CES 2008 content
