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V.2 Stand-By Instrument Panel

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The B737-NG has 3 analogue stand-by instruments: altimeter, airspeed and HSI. Project Magenta includes these as part of the Glass Cockpit, but they are only onscreen, not real instruments.

When I found out about the existence of the SimKit Instruments, there was no stopping me. I wanted not only the three stand-by instruments, but as many of these beautiful, true to life gauges in my cockpit as I could possibly fit.

This is how I ended up with a panel full of working instruments, with moving hands and dials, which I actually don't need (as long as the Project Magenta Glass Cockpit is functioning). But they look superb and certainly help to make the cockpit feel more realistic.

The VOR 1. Assembly is straight forward. Each instrument comes with a detailed manual. All parts are made from plastic or Nylon. Most of the time, they fit perfectly. If not, small modifications will usually do the trick.

One thing I changed on all instruments was the light bulbs. They are dim and do not really illuminate the faceplate. I replaced them with white LEDs, which are much brighter, probably consume less power and never break.

The last step during assembly is to glue the faceplate to the case of the instrument. I decided not to do this - you never know when access to the inner workings of the instrument might be required.

I simply used a wooden plate that holds the instrument against its panel with three or four M3 threaded rods.

And here it is, the analogue instrument panel in all its glory! It is located on the right side of the cockpit, just in front of the Flight Stick. All instruments are in direct view and can be read effortlessly (in case the Glass Cockpit goes on strike).