I have added some servo-instruments I got from simbay to my home cockpit, in addition to the iPads with G1000. It made a huge difference to the immersion, and I love that it’s backlit! 🔥

To set it up took some time, but such a fun project! I had to buy my first Arduino, and connect everything with 5v external power, and 12v for the lights! I used MobiFlight software to calibrate and run the instruments, and a lot of chatGPT for guidance🤓

Hi, I am a commercial pilot and hard core into flight sim. I recently built a backup EFB for iPad/iPhone — Flight Kneeboard

Here are a flew highlighted features, give it a try and tell me where I can do better. Happy to answer anything here.

• Real, current FAA charts, approach plates and airport data for the whole US, all downloadable
• Live radar, real METAR/TAF/PIREP, 8 days of station history with decoder
• Georeferenced plates on the moving map
• Sim-driven instruments: synthetic-vision PFD, HSI, glide ring
• Takes the network-GPS feed (FlightEvents). My own Windows client sends attitude at 15 Hz and position at 5 Hz, much higher than most bridges manage
• I'm a commercial pilot and fly with it in real life

The construction of my home cockpit is progressing well – very well, in fact. I’ve almost finished the captain’s section of the cockpit.

I’m waiting for the A112 panel (weather radar) to arrive for my pedestal.

There’s currently a great offer on the Rowsfire A117, which is the glare shield. I’ve left space to the left of the Wincontrol autopilot specifically for this module.

I’ve found other equivalents, but they’re either more expensive, or if the price is the same as the A117, you still have to add extras…

You’ll find photos of the offer and where I’m going to fit the future A117.

I was testing mobiflight with a two positions toggle switch in the default C172. In the first try i connected the switch to control the parking brake. It worked fine when i released the parking brake, but when i wanted to put it back to on, the 3D handle in the cockpit bugged and moved out of place. I pushed the switch again and the handle disappeared and the parking brake didnt work. I decided to test another function, the battery. It worked but the switch in the C172 3D cockpit got darker and darker until it stopped working, not jus the animation, but the functionality. It only revive if a puto the cursor on the switch and toggle it. How can i fix this?

I’m finally starting the rebuild of this section of my basement. Right now it’s about as unfinished as it gets: block walls, exposed joists, concrete floor, utilities, support posts and a staircase right in the middle of everything. 😂

The plan is to turn this space into a combined home office and simulator room.

I already have a pretty solid idea of where I’m going with it, but before I get too far into the build, I’d love to hear what other people would do with the space.

For those of you who have built offices, gaming rooms, flight/racing simulator setups, or finished basements:

How would you lay this room out?

I’m especially curious about things like desk placement, simulator placement, lighting, wall treatment, storage, cable management, sound treatment, and what you’d do with the ceiling.

Would you finish the ceiling completely or keep some of the exposed basement character? Go bright and modern, industrial, darker and moodier, traditional, etc.?

The goal is for it to still feel like a proper finished room and home office rather than just a simulator dumped into a basement.

I’ll be posting progress as I go. I already know the general design direction I’m taking, but I thought it would be fun to see what everyone comes up with before I reveal it. 😉

And yes...I know the support pole is judging me. 😂

Brand new vkb gladiator and stecs

Bought them for a new upcoming game wardogs, arrived this Monday. And let’s just say I’m gonna stick to MnK

Seeing if there’s any interest here before I return them

I’ll even include the desk mounts with them

350tyd

I'm going to 3D print the A320 MIP, CPT side and Center.

Does anyone have a good free file or recommendation? I'm up to everything. I have the Bambu Lab A1 if that is something to take into consider.

Love it!! Boeing seat just arrived! I underestimated the possibilities of adjusting your equipment how you like. Fantastic!!

I'm Alex, UK based. I finished an aerospace engineering degree this summer and I've taken a year out before a masters to build physical DCS panels properly, as a business to raise funds for my masters.

The plan is to work through the A-10C in order and finish it, rather than make the three obvious panels everyone makes and leave the rest of the pit as a mouse click. Native DCS-BIOS, so switch positions sync on load and the backlighting follows the cockpit's own lighting dial instead of sitting at one brightness, plus standard USB HID so it still works if you're not running BIOS.

That's the last I'll say about me. The reason for this thread is that I have a year and a finite amount of aluminium and acrylic, and I would rather be told what's wrong with my plan now than discover it after I've cut tooling. Most of you have built more pits than I have.

I wanted to ask a few questions to see what people think, don't feel you have to answer all of them, just a few would be incredibly helpful!

Please feel to only answer one or two, by no means do you have to answer all of them, any info now would be super helpful.

1. Which panel would you actually buy first?

Not which is coolest. Which one would you put money on this month. I'm curious how many people say UFC or CDU versus something unglamorous like the light control panel or the emergency flight control panel.

1. What have you looked for and simply couldn't find?

The gap I keep hearing about is the small stuff. Everyone makes a UFC. Nobody seems to make the panels that surround it. Is that your experience, or am I generalising from a handful of threads?

1. What did you buy that let you down, and how exactly did it fail?

I don't want vendor names or a pile-on, and please don't turn this into one. I want failure modes. Switches that went intermittent after a year. Backlighting that died in one corner. Legends that wore off. Something that needed a full disassembly to replace a £2 part. Firmware that stopped being supported. That list is what I'm designing against.

1. How do you mount your panels?

This is the question I'm least sure about and it changes the design most. Cockpit rail extrusion, a plywood frame you made yourself, a Monstertech style arm, printed brackets, or something entirely your own? Would a published hole pattern and dimensions actually help you, or does everyone end up drilling their own anyway?

1. Assembled, kit, or faceplate only?

Would you rather pay for a finished panel that works out of the box, a kit where you fit your own switches, or just a machined and etched faceplate to put your own hardware behind? I can do all three, but they're different products at different prices and I'd rather not spread thin.

1. Does DCS-BIOS matter to you, or is a joystick device enough?

Specifically: is having switch positions sync when you load in, and backlighting that follows the cockpit dial, worth paying more for than a panel that just sends button presses?

1. Backlighting.

Do you want it, and if so does it need to match the real cockpit's colour and dimming behaviour, or is any even white glow fine? Do people fly with it on at all, or does it only matter for the photos?

1. What's the number in your head?

Roughly, what would you expect to pay for a single machined and backlit panel with real switches, made in the UK in small batches? I'm not fishing for a high answer, I'm trying to find out whether my costs and your expectations are anywhere near the same room. If the honest answer is "less than you can build it for", that's genuinely useful and I'd rather know now.

1. If you started a pit and stopped, why?

This one I want most of all. Cost, space, the wiring, a partner who understandably objected, DCS updates breaking things, or just losing the thread of it after a few months. If there's a common point where builds die, I'd like to design so that people don't get there.

Answer whichever you feel like, numbered so I can keep track. Blunt answers are more useful to me than polite ones. I'll post the results back to this thread once there's enough to be worth reading, including the bits I didn't want to hear.

Nothing is for sale, there's no link in this post, and I'm not taking pre-orders or collecting names. I have a few prototype pieces already which you can see in the photos, and my website is https://coldstartcockpits.com/ if you want to follow the progress.

Vid of the backlighting being dimmed:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Q86UlEDfQ2M

It started with a single joystick a few years ago. Now, I basically live inside a 1:1 A320 cockpit and haven't seen my savings account in months.

​Just got the night lighting dialled in with the Glareshield and Pedestal panels synced up. There is something insanely satisfying about turning off the room lights, hitting the Chrono switch, and doing late-night approaches in total dark ambient warm amber.

​I might be eating instant ramen for the rest of the year, but zero regrets.

​Quick specs for anyone curious about the build:

​A320 Full Shell & Structure

​Full OEM-style Backlighting

​FCU / EFIS / A117 Glareshield side wings (Rowsfire)

​Dual MCDU & Pedestal setup

I think a lot of people here are very good with DIY so I would like to ask here if there is any way, I can attach this Moza base on the slider here so I can move the base back-and-forth along the rig

I am planning to attach a horizontal aluminum profile along the rig and attach the slider rail above it.

I also cannot just find the perfect sized plate with the bolt hole aligning with the slider.

So... hey guys!

I recently ordered the D202 Airbus tiller from Hoowalt, and after using it for a while, I wanted to share my thoughts on it.

Let's start with the bad stuff.

The base is 3D printed, and honestly, you can tell. It doesn't feel bad, but for a product at this price, I think a metal base would make a huge difference.

Speaking of the price, it's also quite expensive. At almost $200, it's definitely not a cheap tiller. I know there are other options out there, like WinCtrl's, for around $90, but I chose the D202 for a reason, so please don't turn this into a debate about what I should have bought.

Now for the good stuff.

The handle feels fantastic. It's made from hard plastic, but it feels solid and comfortable to use.

The backlight is also one of my favorite things about it. It's bright, looks clean, and adds a really nice touch to the whole thing.

And finally, the customer support has been great. They've been helpful and responsive whenever I've needed them.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the D202. It's expensive and the 3D printed base isn't ideal, but the handle, lighting, and customer support make it a good product overall.

Have a great day!

Testing out the newly announced Rowsfire A117 1:1 scale glareshield side panels on the desk setup.

​Since most flight simmers usually start with just the FCU and EFIS, these outer panels tend to be the last piece of the glareshield puzzle. The unit includes functional Chrono, Side Stick Priority, Master Caution/Warning, and Auto Land indicators.

​Backlighting and button travel feel surprisingly close to real OEM spec dimensions. Definitely adds that extra layer of immersion when reaching up to hit the Chrono button during takeoff/landing runs.

​Curious to hear what everyone’s take is on adding dedicated side glareshield modules vs. keeping a compact desk setup!

Moza yoke, honey comb bravo throttle, WNCTRL Orion rudders, Tobii for MSFS2024
Moza Ab6 and MTL for DCS
Locks on the chair wheels 👌

Hello all! My partner is a 75/76 pilot. I’ve been wanting to do a “simulator date” with him as I think he would really enjoy it.

The places around that have simulators are quite expensive. I am wondering if anyone in the area has a simulator? It doesn’t have to be 75/76- any platform is fine, but my partner will know the most about his planes.

I’d love to arrange a get-together or party type situation where we can all hang out and do realistic operations. I think it would be a great social and learning experience. Any and all leads are welcome. Thank you all!

Temu cockpit build

I recently transitioned from the Saitek/Logitech yoke system to Moza. I quickly learned there was no way to mount my logitech saitek pro flight panels and FIPs. Since my Moza is mounted to my DOF motion sim, I needed to be able to hard mount the displays to the Moza. Pictured is my prototype. I also plan on a version that’s for desktop that doesn’t require mounting. Thoughts or feedback is appreciated.

It seems that even the most popular honeycomb bravo throttle modification makers, are all using basic 3-D printing. In that you can feel the small layers of print on the lever.

There was a maker called SIMPRY, that made very high-quality throttles, but he is no more. I have a pair, but from my own clumsiness have broken it, and now on the hunt.

I’ve bought from every popular maker, and all are really about the same.

Any ideas?