Air-traffic controller James Price has installed an amazing flight simulator in his garage, built into the 2,500 lb. nose of an actual Boeing 737. The elaborate setup took Price 20 years to complete, and cost him over $150,000.

The cockpit is equipped with an array of actual flight instruments, and simulation software lets him virtually land at many of the world's airports. It's essentially just like a real pilot training simulation, except that it doesn't move.

"There's a certain allure of sitting inside the cockpit of a real plane that's flown 30,000 or 40,000 (trips). It smells like a real plane. It's a very purist approach," Price told Digital Trends.

"Most people are into the desktop simulators. There are only a few of us who go to the crazy level."

[dvice.]

The DeRose Family has a history of bringing awesome projects to Maker Faire, including a fire-breathing dragon, a potato gatling gun and a replica of the Metroid Varia Suit. This year, they've outdone themselves by creating a working flight simulator based on the Colonial Viper fighters from Battlestar Galactica.

The DeRoses and their collaborators built the cockpit, controls and various blinking lights, and wrote custom software that's displayed on three screens in front of the pilot to create an immersive experience.

The finished product can rotate 360 degrees on two axes, creating the potential for a pretty wild ride.

The Viper will be on display at Maker Faire Bay Area, which kicks off on May 19th.

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