Man flies Boeing 737 in his backyard

That’s right, every week a group meets in an unassuming backyard to fly a Boeing 737, albeit a simulator. We uncover one of the most amazing man caves the country has to share, and get to know the person who not only built the shed, but a fully operation flight simulator

Gwyn Perrett at teh contorls of his Boeing 737-800NG replica cockpit

That’s right, every week a group meets in an unassuming backyard to fly a Boeing 737, albeit a simulator. We uncover one of the most amazing man caves the country has to share, and get to know the person who not only built the shed, but a fully operation flight simulator inside. And yes, it has not one, but two beer fridges. Meet Stratco’s ‘What’s in your shed’ winner.

Laughter. The clink of bottles. A bit of debate. And beneath it all the out-of-place drone of jet engines.

It's coming from the shed Gwyn Perret built.

He calls it his own personal ultimate man-cave dream. But Stratco's "What's in your shed" competition just judged it to be the most fascinating shed in Australia.

It holds a fully-fledged, photorealistic, 1:1 scale replica Boeing 737-800NG cockpit. 

And it's wired for action. Every switch and button works the way it should. Every cockpit display tells you what it's supposed to. And, out the windows is a high-resolution, fast-frame projection of a simulated world that's as close to reality as possible - including the weather.

In fact, this internet-connected flight simulator is so close to the real thing professional airline pilots jockey for the opportunity to sit in its authentic seats.

But it remains Gwyn's private domain and that of the group of mates that helped him build it.

It's their hobby. Their passion. Sometimes, their obsession.

It has also raised some $35,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service - such is the demand for the completely immersive, realistic quality of the simulator in Gwyn's backyard shed.

PASSION FOR FLIGHT

Don't misconstrue Gwyn's backyard hobby as having been 'sent to the dog-house'.

"The wife's always been on board," he says. "She likes and appreciates what I built."

But she - like he - had little idea this obsession would expand so dramatically.

It started out innocent enough. Desktop computer flight simulators offer a means for anyone to learn the fundamentals - if not the practicalities - of flying.

For Gwyn, his fascination with flight began when he was about five years old.

"My uncle had a control-line aeroplane, the type that flies around and round in circles," he says.

Naturally, the young Gwyn was fascinated - and wanted to have a go.

He went on to building plastic replicas. And then there came the more advanced radio-controlled flying models.

But these were put in the shade with the appearance of a new device in the family home.

"My dad had put a flight simulator on his new computer, back when computers first came out," he says.

Gwyn was immediately hooked.

As technology advanced, so did the accuracy of such simulators.

Soon, he was sightseeing the world's landmarks and learning the controls of a multitude of machines with Microsoft's original Flight Simulator software.

"That was part of the appeal, you could try any aircraft and learn their characteristics," he says.

By 1999, Gwyn says he was ready to give the real thing a go.

He signed up for flight lessons.

And his hundreds of hours behind virtual controls immediately paid off.

"I had my first solo at just eight hours because all that flight simulator experience," he says. His recreational licence was granted after 18 hours of actual flight. Usually, it takes about 30.

Ultimately, though, the real thing lingers just out of reach.

"I still fly for real now and again - it costs too much, though," he says.

VIRTUALLY REAL

Sitting in Gwyn's salvaged pilot's seat, you get to program navigational equipment. Put into practice the rules of the air. Program flight computers. Take the control stick at critical times.

It's all about the joy of flying.

Gwyn says his network of WA sim pilot pals regularly meets at his shed on Mondays.

There they talk 'shop', examine his latest flight-deck recreations or simply discuss the weather.

All with a beer in hand, of course.

It's a social lubricant exclusive to flight sims.

With the real thing - absolutely not.

It's an indulgence also enjoyed by a handful of professional pilots that come to practice their skills in the simulator Gwyn built before sitting their regular annual flight exams. As well as doing loop-the-loops.

Any scenario can be programmed into the settings. But, mostly it's about friends, fun - and charity.

For the past five years, Gwyn's volunteered his virtual flight deck to a fund-raising campaign for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It's run on the first week of every November. It's called Worldflight. So far, Gwyn's raised some $35,000. 'Flight crew' pay $300 for the right to fly one of the 45-50 legs of the trip. A row of "passenger" seats go for $50 each.

It's no joke. Everything must be done as close to reality as possible.

Pilots must calculate fuel requirements and plot appropriate courses. And they're part of a worldwide network. This involves negotiating air-traffic windows with flight controllers, keeping to the designated flight lanes, contending with variable weather … someone attempting to smoke in the toilets. You name it.

But Gwyn says his shed simulator remains a private affair. It's not a commercial operation.

Though he is chuffed that his professional pilot mates are so keen to 'bone up' their skills there: 

"It's quite a thrill to have the real deal in there appreciating it".

BACK-SHED BUSINESS

The technology has come a long way since the Atari and Commodore computers of the 1980s.

The images on the big flat screens are almost photorealistic. The response times are accurate.

And, with more than a little effort on Gwyn's behalf, his shed cockpit is convincing.

"It started out when I built a nice throttle - I'm a fitting machinist by trade - to go with my desktop computer," he says.

Then he saw a friend's home 'cockpit'. 

"It was all cardboard and bottle tops, but impressive enough. With my skills, I thought 'man, I could do a good job with that'."

That was more than 10 years ago.

He's now built his second shed simulator.

"The original wasn't photorealistic, not accurate enough," he says. "Now it's all 100 per cent to scale, every button and knob works like the real thing."

His replica throttles are motorised. The control panel labels professionally etched. The screens and controls all wired to connect with personal computers and 'do their thing'.

He’s built them in his own shed. And that's won him international acclaim.

"At first, I was approached to make an Airbus throttle for a guy in Melbourne. Doing that meant I could afford a better computer for my sim."

Then, Gwyn started posting pictures of his work online.

"Another guy wanted one, then another …"

Soon, Gwyn found himself running a back-shed business - Aerosim Solutions - selling his high-quality hand-made replicas to enthusiasts around the world.

And that presented a problem.

His shed was no longer big enough. And all the stuff one would typically expect to find in a shed - from lawnmowers to rakes - had long since been offloaded elsewhere.

FLYING HIGH

With a little help from Stratco, Gwyn's shed has undergone a rebuild.

"It was always a decent size to start with," he says. "Now it's a lot bigger."

A sizeable structure was a fundamental requirement right from the start.

When in the market for a house, Gwyn says he saw a few places before laying down the law.

"I told the agent I had to have a big shed. So he took us to this place. That's how we found it."

The shed has evolved with the growth of his hobby.

Taking pride of place is the simulated cockpit, sitting at the centre of its array of big flat-screen monitors.

The workshop is more comfortable, with space for his tools and virtual assembly line.

And then there's the really important bit.

There are the two beer fridges, a big-screen television, surround-sound system and comfy chairs for him and his mates to share.

"If I had a toilet, I could live here," Gwyn quips.

But it hasn't all been just about him and what his wife has dubbed 'nerds of a feather'.

"This all cost me a new kitchen, some renovations and so forth," he says. "There's always some trade-off to keep her happy."

And his Stratco competition winnings offer yet another silver lining to his passion.

"We replaced all the gates around the yard. Improved the fences. Got some matting for the floors. There's a new barbeque," he says.

Become a part of the Stratco'  What's in your shed' community for more great stories. Visit the 'Share your story' website here: whatsinyourshed.com.au 

Originally published as Man flies Boeing 737 in his backyard