Boeing 737 Fire Suppression Panel - Arrived
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 12:00PM 
All excitement here!
A short time ago I received an e-mail from a friend, who had earlier discovered a 737 fire suppression panel in a tear down yard. A bit of negotiation with regard to price and it's now mine. It's currently sitting in Florida and will be installed into the centre pedestal by Northern Flight Simulations which is the same company that is revamping my 737 throttle quadrant (see earlier post).
The attached photographs are what the unit currently looks like; a little bashed about with damaged labels and chipped paint. But, overall the FSP is in good condition. Once it's cleaned up and refurbished it 
will look almost like new. and, as I've said in earlier posts, there is nothing better than a real aircraft part!
I'm still undecided whether to wire the FSP into the simulator with more or less full functionality. I've been told this is feasible, however, operation will only be through an instructor console. In other words, a fire will need to be artificially generated in an instructor station, then the appropriate fire handle can be pulled to extinguish the fire and stop the engine. At the very least, the panel will be correctly back lit.
I'll post some further "before and after" pictures once the unit arrives. The photographs here are shots of the panel before being revamped.
The FSP is not an item you use regularly, if in fact at all. However, inclusion of the FSP is mandatory if you are striving to attain a certain degree of authenticity and realism in your flight simulator.
Reader Comments (3)
Great addition Iain. I also have been toying with this option and look forward to seeing the completely revamped panel after you receive it. Good Luck and great Blog
This interests me for my simulator. Please post pictures of the upgraded panel along with your thoughts as I want to do this also. Thanks, Mark
I like the idea of using real panels converted to flight simulator. Can you post something outlining how you or yuor friend did this. Thank you. By the way, excellent blog