SlashGear

So you’ve seen Leo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can and you reckon you’d like some of that air-hostess toting fake-pilot action. Well hold on one gosh-darned minute, cowboy, because if you strut up to that cockpit half-cocked you’re going to look like a cock as you cock it all up. And then you won’t even get some complimentary nuts.

What you need is a couple of hours in the company of Matthew Sheil and his awesome 747 simulator. For a while, all you needed to be hot stuff in the flight sim world was a couple of analogue sticks and maybe, if you were truly dedicated, some foot pedals and a triptych of screens for that faux-flightdeck effect. Not any more – Matthew’s 13ft x 11ft x 9ft monster of a machine is fully articulated and will, when complete, feature all of the controls a real-life 747 has. Started in 1998, this is truly a labour of love – a drilled-through thumb is just one of Matthew’s construction injuries.

There’s a wealth of construction plans, photos and information over at his site, so whether you’re a budding builder or just a window shopper go take a look.

Matthew Sheil’s 747 Simulator [via Gizmo Watch]