The warm California weather soon had sweat trickling down my brow as the LSO gave me corrections. "Too high. Too fast. Left. Left" The boat was becoming larger, but not so large as the MCAS El Toro runway I'd practiced on. Ok! My F-18 was in the groove now as it "smushed" onto the deck and snagged the wire. "Damn, I'm glad that's over," I thought to myself. This was about the sixth try and it had been as strenuous as tussling with an Iraqi Mig.

I REALLY mean to tell you, it felt more real than doing the same thing at the computer hutch in my tiny home office. The Stimbox makes it exceedingly effortless to immerse yourself in a flight simulation because it's just a short step away from a real flight simulator!

My "crew chief" John Callan of Stimbox was a demanding instructor. Just the kind of guy I'd want in my corner if I was really a Marine aviator. Sitting in the comfortably padded, raked seat behind the tinted Lexan plexiglas windscreen as your "wrench" assists you from outside the cockpit is a realistic thrill.

In my "walk around" my hand caressed the seamless fiberglass. It had a cool metal feel where a cheap, molded plastic would have a warm, unrealistic feel. The compound curved, one piece windscreen is a thing of beauty and its frame can easily bear your hand's weight as you clamber in. When John buttoned up the side door of the 'box, reminiscent of the immortal Spitfire's portal, you are there! Outside distractions melt away and you are completely focused on the task at hand, flying and fighting.

There are more than 20 multi-colored instrument lights and flashing LEDs powered by a 12 volt power converter. The full size cockpit is modeled after the F-15, but it is generic enough to assist the allusion of being in any fighter of any era. Molded gauges, working knobs, toggle switches and buttons top off the "feel." The true-to-life white lettering of interior control panels invite comparison to the actual cockpit photos we've all seen.

Your own crew chief must purchase the additional Radio Shack MPA- 46 amplifier at about $130. The pocket in the right console awaits it. With specific tastes in that area so wide ranging, it is best left to you to obtain the amp. Perhaps you'd want even more power. The MPA-46 kicks it fine, however. Brake torquing the Jane's F-15 sim before take off is FELT in the spine via the hulking ten inch woofer mounted in the seat. You'll feel it when you light the 'burner and when those pesky SAMs detonate a bit too close. Two three-way 6" X 9" speakers mounted in the side panels complete the surround sound experience. An optional speaker system is available for $195.

The keyboard is mounted vertically below the monitor just like real a dash panel. Monitors as large as 21 inches can mount in the cowl below the windscreen. Your computer mounts on the cockpit floor with the legs straddling it and your feet nicely on the rudder pedals, if you own a set. John's personal HOTAS setup using Thrustmaster stick and throttle is a bit intimidating for us WWII fans, but it is so programable that the keyboard commands are nearly eliminated.

There is also a place for the mouse on the right console but an add-on tab can be requested for mounting on the left below the dash. I am a left handed mouse user and it would be great for those inputs needed without releasing the stick. John's own Stimbox uses a track ball that feels more right for a modern aircraft that I personally like.

The stick and throttle work best Velcroed to their mounting pads. My only complaint was that the stick mount was a tad high as it attached below the dash. A 2-3 inch extension would be a snap, even for the mechanically impaired, using sturdy radio mounting straps available at Radio Shack.

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All of the two console's toggles, knobs and such do not function in the sense that they are labeled for. Frankly I did not expect them to; they add to the feel. There is a circuit board available from another source that can hook up many of the non- functional controls in place of the keyboard's counterpart keys. But it would be a "bundle of spaghetti" wiring complexity that few of us would be willing to tackle. It is fine just as it is.

The Stimbox is no cheezy toy that you could duplicate in your workshop. With career experience as a master cabinet builder, John Callan has created a flawless entity finished to aerospace appearance. Each Stimbox is hand built with the care of a $10,000 custom table of bird's-eye grain wood. He'll even stencil your name and call sign outside. The victory icons are up to you!

Needing a floor space of 3'6" X 6'8" requires a dedication to sims. But you could move that junk out of your garage and with the lights out the fantasy would be increased tenfold. Built in wheels make the 250 lb. 'box mobile. Simple hand tools can break down the unit into two longitudinal halves for ingress/egress through doorways if the 45 inch rear end won't make it.

I believe the Stimbox would make a great place for amour or naval warfare sims too. Suddenly you're in the limited confines of a tank or the compact control room of a sub! Warm at your place? You could put a 20 inch box fan near the forward bulkhead. There's plenty of room. Hmm. How about one of those swell mobile air conditioners with an exhaust hose? Perhaps John could custom build you a full canopy with that slick, tinted Lexan and you could latch it down to isolate yourself from everything. Get a helmet and rig up a shoulder harness from old autos at a salvage yard and what else do need?

Now I know why Mustang ace Don Gentile named his plane Shangri-La. That cockpit is a place of pure satisfaction.