u/Ok_Comparison2970

Over the past few months, I turned a real F-104 into a simulator, and 3D printing has played a very important role in making it happen.

 

Last weekend, I exhibit the F-104 Starfighter flight simulator at the Dornier Museum Do-Days, together with several of my 3D printers, aircraft models, RC tank, and some of the components I've made for the simulator along the way.

 

And the weekend went great!

 

The F-104 simulator was definitely the biggest crowd magnet. So many people wanted to fly it that we eventually had to create a sign-up sheet with 15-minute time slots. About 1.5 hours after opening, every single slot for the rest of the day was already booked. And then the exact same thing happened again on the second day. 😂

 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend, though, was meeting all the pilots and crews. I made a lot of new friends and connections and now somehow know quite a few pilots on a first-name basis.

 

I especially got along really well with some of the guys from the Bundeswehr's Air Transport Wing 62 (LTG 62) and their A400M. 

Naturally, having a bunch of printers sitting next to me meant I couldn't just leave it at talking about their aircraft... 

So over the two days, I printed six A400M models for them.

 

Apparently, they liked the models, and somehow me as well, enough that they even asked if I wanted to fly back to Hannover with them in the A400M. I would have absolutely loved to... ...but unfortunately, I had to work on Monday. 😭

 

So I had to decline probably one of the coolest spontaneous invitations I've ever received. But I promised them that I'll come and visit them in the future!

 

Thanks to Bambu Lab's Let's Make It Fund for supporting me and this slightly crazy project along the way. 😄 They have made it a lot easier to turn some of these ideas into actual parts, models, and things people can interact with.

 

So if you have a good project, go and apply for it! Maybe you will be selected too!

 

Overall, the Do-Days were an incredible experience. Between having the F-104 simulator completely booked out, talking about 3D printing with everyone from kids to experienced makers, printing A400Ms for actual A400M crews, making a bunch of new friends, and potentially getting something started with local schools, I'd say it was a pretty successful weekend. 😄

 

And I definitely came home with a few more ideas than I arrived with.

Over the past few months, I turned a real F-104 Starfighter cockpit into a fully functional flight simulator, and 3D printing has played a huge role in making it happen.

I printed a lot of new components for all the sensors, electronics, and Arduinos that are now hidden throughout the simulator.

I also recreated many of the original components that were either missing or needed to be replaced in order to make them functional again. This included parts such as the B-8 flight stick, the attitude indicator, the altitude indicator, as well as many different knobs, switches, and other small components.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to exhibit the F-104 Starfighter flight simulator at the Dornier Museum Do-Days, together with several of my 3D printers, aircraft models, an RC tank, and some of the components I've designed and made for the simulator along the way.

 

And the weekend went great!

 

A lot of people were really interested in the models and especially the printers. I had visitors of pretty much every age asking questions about how 3D printing works, what you can make with it, and how difficult it is to get started.

 

A few people actually told me on the spot that I had convinced them to finally get a 3D printer, and several kids told me that they now knew exactly what they wanted for their birthday or Christmas. 😄

 

But the F-104 simulator was definitely the biggest crowd magnet. So many people wanted to fly it that we eventually had to create a sign-up sheet with 15-minute time slots. About 1.5 hours after opening, every single slot for the rest of the day was already booked. And then the exact same thing happened again on the second day. 😂

 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend, though, was meeting all the pilots and crews. I made a lot of new friends and connections and now somehow know quite a few pilots on a first-name basis.

 

I especially got along really well with some of the guys from the Bundeswehr's Air Transport Wing 62 (LTG 62) and their A400M. 

Naturally, having a bunch of 3D printers sitting next to me meant I couldn't just leave it at talking about their aircraft... So over the two days, I printed six A400M models for them.

 

Apparently, they liked the models, and somehow me as well, enough that they even asked if I wanted to fly back to Hannover with them in the A400M. I would have absolutely loved to... ...but unfortunately, I had to work on Monday. 😭

 

So I had to decline probably one of the coolest spontaneous invitations I've ever received. But I promised them that I'll come and visit them in the future!

 

I also talked to quite a few people about the idea of offering some courses, combining 3D printing with my simulator. The response was really positive. Some were actually disappointed that they lived too far away to attend.

 

By complete coincidence, I also ran into one of my former teachers. 

We talked for a while, and when I mentioned the course idea, he immediately loved it. Apparently, he'd wanted to do something similar with his students for quite some time but didn't have the space or know-how. He told me that if I get the courses running, he'd definitely be interested in bringing his classes along, so that could turn into something pretty cool in the future.

 

And since so much of this weekend involved 3D printing, I also have to give a quick shoutout to Bambu Lab and the Let's Make It Fund for supporting me and this slightly crazy project along the way. 😄 Their support has made it a lot easier to turn some of these ideas into actual parts, models, and things people can interact with.

 

So if you have a good project, go and apply for it! Maybe you will be selected too!

 

Overall, the Do-Days were an incredible experience. 

 

Between having the F-104 simulator completely booked out, talking about 3D printing with everyone from kids to experienced makers, printing A400Ms for actual A400M crews, making a bunch of new friends, and potentially getting something started with local schools, I'd say it was a pretty successful weekend. 😄

Over the past few months, I turned a real F-104 into a simulator, and 3D printing has played a very important role in making it happen.

 

Last weekend, I exhibit the F-104 Starfighter flight simulator at the Dornier Museum Do-Days, together with several of my 3D printers, aircraft models, RC tank, and some of the components I've made for the simulator along the way.

 

And the weekend went great!

 

The F-104 simulator was definitely the biggest crowd magnet. So many people wanted to fly it that we eventually had to create a sign-up sheet with 15-minute time slots. About 1.5 hours after opening, every single slot for the rest of the day was already booked. And then the exact same thing happened again on the second day. 😂

 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend, though, was meeting all the pilots and crews. I made a lot of new friends and connections and now somehow know quite a few pilots on a first-name basis.

 

I especially got along really well with some of the guys from the Bundeswehr's Air Transport Wing 62 (LTG 62) and their A400M. 

Naturally, having a bunch of printers sitting next to me meant I couldn't just leave it at talking about their aircraft... 

So over the two days, I printed six A400M models for them.

 

Apparently, they liked the models, and somehow me as well, enough that they even asked if I wanted to fly back to Hannover with them in the A400M. I would have absolutely loved to... ...but unfortunately, I had to work on Monday. 😭

 

So I had to decline probably one of the coolest spontaneous invitations I've ever received. But I promised them that I'll come and visit them in the future!

 

Thanks to Bambu Lab's Let's Make It Fund for supporting me and this slightly crazy project along the way. 😄 They have made it a lot easier to turn some of these ideas into actual parts, models, and things people can interact with.

 

So if you have a good project, go and apply for it! Maybe you will be selected too!

 

Overall, the Do-Days were an incredible experience. Between having the F-104 simulator completely booked out, talking about 3D printing with everyone from kids to experienced makers, printing A400Ms for actual A400M crews, making a bunch of new friends, and potentially getting something started with local schools, I'd say it was a pretty successful weekend. 😄

 

And I definitely came home with a few more ideas than I arrived with.

After countless hours of engineering, wiring, coding, 3D printing and troubleshooting, the F-104 Starfighter simulator is finally airworthy 🚀✈️

 

The simulator made its first public debut at the open day of the Elektronikschule Tettnang, and honestly, the event went far better than expected.

 

Even more surprising: almost nothing major broke during the entire day 😅

 

Honestly, I had fully prepared for things to go wrong.

 

With a system this complex running its first full public event, I expected at least a few major failures somewhere.

 

Somehow… it all kept working.

 

I still don’t quite believe it.

 

The best part was meeting so many aviation enthusiasts, simulator fans, makers and people interested in 3D printing.

 

Watching visitors sit inside a real F-104 cockpit and experience the simulator for the first time made all the work worth it.

 

Most people climbed in expecting “just another sim,” but the reactions changed pretty quickly once the cockpit came alive.

 

Seeing people reach for real switches, look around the cramped Starfighter cockpit and suddenly realize they were sitting inside an actual 1960s fighter cockpit was honestly amazing to watch.

 

A few visitors stayed in far longer than they originally planned because they kept discovering new details, instruments and systems.

 

Some older visitors even started sharing stories about seeing F-104s fly decades ago, which made the whole thing feel even more special.

 

Besides the cockpit itself, we also had:
• Two live-running 3D printers (Bambu Lab A1 & P2S)
• Live-printed F-104 models for visitors to take home
• Various prototype and simulator components
• Original F-104 and Tornado parts from the JaBoG 34 museum collection

 

The simulator itself is built around an original 1960s F-104 cockpit that was converted from its original analog/electrohydraulic systems into a fully digital simulator while keeping the authentic switches, instruments and overall cockpit feeling intact.

 

A huge part of the project involved translating old mechanical systems into modern electronics and software.

 

Many custom components — including the control stick — were designed and manufactured using 3D printing, with the help of Bambu Lab machines through their Let's Make It Fund.

 

The support and enthusiasm from visitors, teachers and the school principal throughout the day was incredible.

 

Seeing people genuinely enjoy flying the sim was probably the most rewarding part of the entire project.

 

And this was only the beginning — we’ll also be attending the JaBoG34 Shelter Fest at the end of June with the simulator live on display again.

 

Big thanks to everyone who supported the project, stopped by the booth, asked questions or shared stories.

 

And I have one more question since we here are all aviation enthusiast: If you've ever sat in a real aircraft cockpit, what was the first thing you noticed?

 

Curious how your experience compares to what visitors were saying on the day.

 

More updates soon 🚀

After countless hours of engineering, wiring, coding, 3D printing and troubleshooting, the F-104 Starfighter simulator is finally airworthy 🚀✈️

 

The simulator made its first public debut at the open day of the Elektronikschule Tettnang, and honestly, the event went far better than expected.

 

Even more surprising: almost nothing major broke during the entire day 😅

 

Honestly, I had fully prepared for things to go wrong.

 

With a system this complex running its first full public event, I expected at least a few major failures somewhere.

 

Somehow… it all kept working.

 

I still don’t quite believe it.

 

The best part was meeting so many aviation enthusiasts, simulator fans, makers and people interested in 3D printing.

 

Watching visitors sit inside a real F-104 cockpit and experience the simulator for the first time made all the work worth it.

 

Most people climbed in expecting “just another sim,” but the reactions changed pretty quickly once the cockpit came alive.

 

Seeing people reach for real switches, look around the cramped Starfighter cockpit and suddenly realize they were sitting inside an actual 1960s fighter cockpit was honestly amazing to watch.

 

A few visitors stayed in far longer than they originally planned because they kept discovering new details, instruments and systems.

 

Some older visitors even started sharing stories about seeing F-104s fly decades ago, which made the whole thing feel even more special.

 

Besides the cockpit itself, we also had:
• Two live-running 3D printers (Bambu Lab A1 & P2S)
• Live-printed F-104 models for visitors to take home
• Various prototype and simulator components
• Original F-104 and Tornado parts from the JaBoG 34 museum collection

 

The simulator itself is built around an original 1960s F-104 cockpit that was converted from its original analog/electrohydraulic systems into a fully digital simulator while keeping the authentic switches, instruments and overall cockpit feeling intact.

 

A huge part of the project involved translating old mechanical systems into modern electronics and software.

 

Many custom components — including the control stick — were designed and manufactured using 3D printing, with the help of Bambu Lab machines through their Let's Make It Fund.

 

The support and enthusiasm from visitors, teachers and the school principal throughout the day was incredible.

 

Seeing people genuinely enjoy flying the sim was probably the most rewarding part of the entire project.

 

And this was only the beginning — we’ll also be attending the JaBoG34 Shelter Fest at the end of June with the simulator live on display again.

 

Big thanks to everyone who supported the project, stopped by the booth, asked questions or shared stories.

 

And I have one more question since we here are all aviation enthusiast: If you've ever sat in a real aircraft cockpit, what was the first thing you noticed?

 

Curious how your experience compares to what visitors were saying on the day.

 

More updates soon 🚀