A large pipe organ, but instead of the conventional keyboards, pedals and stops, there are two side-by-side playing positions (P1 & P2) and an engineer's console behind P2. For exceptionally large organs, there is a fourth seat for the navigator/radio operator.
The keyboards and pedals are conventional, but the stops are operated by toggle switches. The blowers are controlled by handles positioned between the two players, analagous to the throttles on an aircraft. The music is presented on head-up displays in place of the windscreens.
There is an autopilot for playing the boring bits.
The design allows exceptionally long pieces to be played without risking crew fatigue.
P1 sits, by convention, in the left-hand seat.-- 8th of 7, Feb 27 2014 Link http://en.wikipedia...i/Edwin_Albert_LinkEdwin Albert, to be exact. [RayfordSteele, Feb 27 2014] The Mighty Wurlitzer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wurlitzer"Radio City is the only ... installation to have two identical ... independent consoles" [8th of 7, Mar 01 2014] As an aside, the first air combat training simulators were built using technology developed for organs and player pianos. See the link about Link.-- RayfordSteele, Feb 27 2014 Brilliant! [Wish I had thought of this.]
I grew up in a home where my nuclear physicist father constructed a pipe organ in our living room, using pipes from a church organ that was being demolished. The blower was located in the crawl space under the house, and stops could be selected by toggle switches.-- csea, Feb 28 2014 You said organ… Then you said cock… Huh huh…-- ytk, Feb 28 2014 [+] The engineer's prime job would be to keep the air-chamber full, the navi's to change stops. It's a bit easier to visualize with an electronic modular-synth which requires physical patch cords being changed, but steampunk + pipe-organ + airplane... autobun.-- FlyingToaster, Feb 28 2014 No, the pilot-in-command would change the stops when required; the navigator would keep track of the displayed scores, and handle external communications.
The engineer would monitor and adjust the blowers, keep an eye on overall performance, and be prepared to do running repairs if necessary - but would also be a fully-trained organist, of course.-- 8th of 7, Feb 28 2014 …Then you said “adjust the blowers”… …oh, and “exceptionally large organs”… …then you said “exceptionally long pieces”… …and, um… “fully-trained organist”…-- ytk, Feb 28 2014 This would be useful for driving a Wurlitzer at speed.-- mitxela, Feb 28 2014 [+] Creative/ except that [ytk] is making me laugh by pointing out the double entendre of naughty language!!-- xandram, Feb 28 2014 [ytk], go and wash your mind out with soap and water.-- 8th of 7, Feb 28 2014 My girlfriend was asking if I had any examples of a double entendre, so I gave her one.-- pocmloc, Feb 28 2014 When [ytk] has finished with the soap, you're next.
// This would be useful for driving a Wurlitzer at speed //
Ahhh, the Mighty Wurlitzer... corners so much better than the traditional racing Bass Drum, and even has the edge on a Leather Omnibus in slippy conditions.
This means, of course, that for safety reasons the seating will be manufactured by Martin-Baker ...-- 8th of 7, Mar 01 2014 There is definitely a gap in the market for musical instrument ejector seats.
I can just see, at the symphony, the 2nd viola, in the middle of a particularly challenging passage looking more and more frazzled before they finally stop playing, reach down and pull the handle...-- pocmloc, Mar 01 2014 No-one would ever see Tschaikovsky's "1812" in quite the same way ever again ... you should post that ...-- 8th of 7, Mar 01 2014 random, halfbakery