Simulation cockpit

By their very nature, aircraft cockpits tend to have complex controls, instrumentation, and radios not present in other types of simulation.

Thus creating a generic GA, airliner, or military cockpit, which while it will not have every button or switch of the real aircraft, will have all the key elements for simulation.

All cockpit builds will be somewhere between these two concepts, and even highly accurate replica pits will often make some concessions, if only due to limitations of the simulation software driving them.

The simulated instruments can then be seen through the cutouts which can give a realistic effect, especially if the aircraft uses 'glass cockpit' displays in real life.

The lessons learned in this process can be put to good use if they later decide to build a high-spec compromise or replica pit, which requires a great deal of time, effort, and passion to complete.

Recently, the increased power of home PCs and improvements in graphics and simulation technology has opened up further opportunities to use a PC as a training aid.

Radio stacks, instruments, yokes, pedals, throttle quadrants, and seats are readily available from pilot shops.

Enclosures, projectors, even real aircraft components or nose sections are commonly incorporated in the drive to make the experience as 'real' as possible.

The displays on these panels can be driven by multi-head graphics cards, or networked PCs running dedicated software that can read from the simulator spreading the processing load.

Interfaces for switches, knobs, and other elements needed can be purchased commercially or created by dismantling existing hardware such as keyboards or joysticks.

Feedback from the PC to the panel, for example to light warning lamps or move a real instrument is more complex and normally completed through a commercial expansion board.

One of the first software requirements for a simpit is a suitable flight simulator to provide the graphics, sound and instrument outputs for the pit.

In sim racing, the seat, wheel and pedals are often held together via a sturdy frame made from aluminum profiles or similar, such that the parts do not move from each other during.

Many high-quality frames are made of aluminum profiles with T-slots which are modular and can provide good position adjustability for the seat, wheel and pedals.