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Simulation Cockpit





HARDWARE


There are three basic approaches to building a simpit:

  • Basic: essentially a normal PC setup, with some notion of being tailored specifically and semi-permanently for flight simulation.

  • Replica: a dedicated environment designed to replicate a real aircraft cockpit as closely as possible to give full immersion.

  • Compromise: somewhere in the middle of the other two options, for cost, flexibility, space or any of an infinite number of other reasons.


Many pitbuilders go through the process of building a basic or low-spec compromise pit first, just to give them a dedicated environment to practice their hobby. 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. Having said that, a simpit is rarely considered complete by the builder!


SOFTWARE


The first software requirement for a simpit is a suitable Flight Simulator to provide the Graphics , sound and Instrument outputs for the pit. To date, the majority of civilian simpits are built around Microsoft Flight Simulator , and most military pits use Falcon 4 as a base.

The choice is expanding as more simulation developers include data-out facilities in their sims. Most recently, Lock On - Modern Air Combat has added data export through Lua , making it a serious contender for a modern jet simpit. Thee are also several sims in development that look promising: Fighter Ops and Combat Helo are both committed to providing support for a wide variety of simpit requirements.

Voice communication ( VOIP ) software is commonly integrated into a simpit, as this allows real-time communication with other virtual pilots. The most popular choices at the moment are Ventrilo and TeamSpeak .

Other software may be custom written to control hardware aspects of the pit; e.g. an interpreter for an MFD or a custom listener to implement an AoA Indexer . In many cases the need for custom software can be removed by using control hardware with a comprehensive SDK or API , but when you really need that unique instrument and nobody has an off-the-shelf solution for it, hacking Code is the only way to get it.


EXAMPLES




EXTERNAL LINKS


Simpits:


Electronics for pitbuilders:


Sims: