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I have started another site where you can discuss anything related to building a flight simulator cockpit. Check it out at http://flight-simulator-cockpits.com Cockpit Budget Tips Building a cockpit can drain the old bank account pretty quick. If you keep a close eye on spending and research your purchases thoroughly you can save money during your build. If you are on a tight budget you might have to sacrifice some elements in the cockpit in order to make the build happen. Below are a few tips that will help save you money. 1.Research The first step when putting together a cost effective build is to research as much as possible. This will give you an exact idea of what you will be using and then an actual dollar amount to work with. Then give yourself a time frame for the actual build, if you are willing to make it a long term project you may be able to increase the dollar amount thus increasing the quality of the build. Also a good plan will minimize mistakes, which will also save you money. 2.Freeware Many generous programmers have made freeware programs for homebuilt cockpits. Look around for as much freeware as you can find. Then tinker with it on your bench setup to see if it will work for you. Freeware sometimes isn't as feature packed as the payware programs, so some creative work around's may need to be implemented to gain some features but the use of freeware can save you big time during your build. I have many freeware resources listed HERE. 3.Payware For the most part there is payware you will need, FSUIPC is a good example. Before you buy look around for coupons or discount codes. Best way to do this is to do a Google search example: Ultimate Terrain Coupons Another tip is to try demo programs or go to a forum and ask questions for a particular payware program, Simviation.com has a good forum. The goal is to only buy payware you are going to use and when you do make a purchase, it is at the best price. 4.Hardware The hardware is where budget problems usually start. Monitors, PC's, flight controls, switches all start to add up quick. When developing a budget for your hardware there are things you can do to save cash. First you can build your own flight controls, the result can save you money and you can create some truly custom hardware, look at this 777 throttle quadrant HERE. Another hardware issue is with the multiple pc's, the good thing is most networked avionics work on low end machines. For instance the hardware requirements for the SA WXR are as follows:
You could find a computer like that in the trash! Components like switches, wires, terminal blocks, can also be very expensive in bulk, best to recycle some of this stuff from old electronics. Personally I get my hands on some nice wire scrap all the time from my employer. Despite All that scrapping there are components you will need to buy, try All Electronics , they seem to have the best prices around.
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Homebuilt Cockpit ...Budget Study
