ToC
What kind of home cockpit do you want?
As real as it gets?
accuracy
★★★★★
flexibility
★
effort / price[1]
★★★★★
If you want to fly "by the books" and want real access to all the abnormal stuff and failures as well, there is imho only the option to really go to the commercial providers to build your shell and all the components based on real measures, ideally with the right hardware components.
This is imho the only path to train your muscle memory and provide an environment for you to fly "as real as it gets".
The most convenient way simming 'as real as it gets' with your home cockpit, is by going to professional vendors providing the components to build your home cockpit instead of trying to build everything on your own.
Some vendors[2]
- Hardware
- Software
Close to real AND flexible?
accuracy
★★★
flexibility
★★★
effort / price[1]
★★★★
This approach is the one I choosed.
Simply because i love flying A320 as well as GA and Helicopters occationally.
So i decided to build my own equipment and started with 3D design, 3D printing, laser-engraving etc.
This 'self-made' approach of course offers me the option to do it 'my way' and saves me a lot of money. But it costs me a lot of time for designing it - sometimes even doing a second and third version till I'm satisfied. And do not underestimate the effort for finding the right suppliers, materials etc. That's why the effort-tag here is relatively high, even though in my case the money spent is relatively low for what I get.
Some vendors [2]
- Hardware
- Milan Flight Gear MFG crosswind rudder pedals
- Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog Stick
brilliant as it runs with hall sensors, doesn't require any calibration. Durable as it doesn't suffer from wear and tear.
- Software
- Tools for builders
- Hardware
- Prusa MK3S
a premium 3D printer for really good results and easy to maintain / repair. Excellent support. Heated bed. - stl
- Prusa MK3S
- Software
- Hardware
Full flexibility and easy start?
accuracy
★
flexibility
★★★★★
effort / price[1]
★★
Some vendors [2]
- Hardware
- Behringer X-Touch Mini
- GoFlight
not working in MSFS without 3rd party tools like Goflight Interface tool. And even then only partialy. - VRinsight
NOT recommended due non-existing support and hard to repair (SMD soldering of components) - Turtle Beach
- Honeycomb
- Software
- FSUIPC
An extremely feature rich tool for assignments and adjustments of axis, buttons, switches etc. It also allows complex stuff based on LUA scripting. - LINDA
Which is especially valuable if you're running and VRinsight MCP combo panel. - SpadNext
- AxisAndOhs (AAOs)
- FSUIPC
[1]I bundled effort and price in one label, as you can either spend a lot of money or invest a lot of time and skill to save that money.
[2]Of course it's impossible to provide a complete list. But based on my searches i just wanted to provide you some links to vendors which appeared quite often on searches about home cockpit equipment.