by Jody "Marvin" Levesque

  Plans are good too. I would spend hours and hours thinking of ways to do things, and this has been a key to my success. If I never thought of half the things I did, this project would be a big desk with a seat! =) I wasted too much wood at first because I was winging it. Later I started making mock pieces out of cardboard, a wise move.

AGT? Once again, check these guys out! They are so helpful. They will produce anything you design or think off, even make it better! Thanks Sean and John!

Money is a big consideration. You can do anything you want if you have the money. Motion control, 61" screens, multiple displays, gauges, heck even G'Suits! But this will cost you an arm and a leg. My simulator is very basic, but a practical design for a serious Falcon user trying to get the most out of the sim.

The Cost

To date, this simulator has cost me around $3300 Canadian. The wood has been around $600, the panels about $1500, customizing my HOTAS about $300. The real Ejection handle, real TQS were about $800 US. If you want more real, check out Desktopsims, they have the basics F-16 sim for only 10,000 US, or even the Mil Spec for 20,000!!

Click to continue

Just ask! That's right, ask any simulator builder out there who has a page. I figure if he has a page out there, he wants to help. If it was not for guys like Jeff Heeszel and Don Malko, I would have not been anywhere near where I am now.

A special thanks to Jeff Heeszel, AGT, Thrustmaster, Don Malko, R&R Electronics Combatsim.com™ and of course Microprose.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Home Built Cockpit

Join a discussion forum on this article by clicking HERE.