Duke Aviators — Bringing Flying to Campus

With Duke Aviators, I helped build a customized Cessna 172 simulator so we could share our enthusiasm for aviation with other students. We wanted people who had never explored flying to have an approachable place to try it and get involved with the club.

The team combined Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with off-the-shelf displays, yokes, and other controls, using custom printed, wood, and metal components to bring the cockpit together. My work focused on the instrument-panel housing and yoke shaft, taking parts from SolidWorks models through fabrication and fit checks.

Making the Yoke Hardware Practical

The yoke hardware needed to accommodate repeated pushing, pulling, and twisting against the control system’s resistance. I judged a printed component inadequate for that role and designed an aluminum shaft component with an integrated coupling feature.

I made the component in the student machine shop, using a lathe to shape the cylindrical shaft and a mill for the holes. It was a straightforward manufacturing decision: use the process and material that suited how the part would actually be handled.

Bringing the Panel Together

For the instrument-panel housing, I focused on fitting the displays and controls in the right places and keeping the wiring clean and concealed. The goal was a coherent cockpit setup that looked intentional and let students concentrate on the simulated flying experience.

This was a fun, hands-on project. The work was in getting the individual parts to fit and function together, and using CAD, printing, and machining to connect the commercial hardware to the physical cockpit.

A Place to Try Flying

We set up the simulator for students and ran mini flight lessons around the Cessna 172 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Students could sit at the controls, explore how they worked, and get an introduction to flying through the club.

What I enjoyed most was giving our interest in aviation a physical place on campus. The project connected the design and fabrication work I like with something other people could use to discover an interest of their own.