Introduction For those of you that had the opportunity to attend the AVSIM Conference in San Diego this year, you would have seen this “cockpit” system set up in the vendors display area. Kurt Gamnig of Sim Cockpit offered AVSIM the opportunity to review this item, which we gladly accepted. Kurt's website states, "By rearranging components, different aircraft control configurations are possible. Designed by an airline pilot with many years of experience in a variety of aircraft, this device will increase realism, improve your control performance and reduce fatigue." Shipping and Assembly I received the items via UPS in three boxes. One containing the main cockpit hardware, a separate box for the Fresnel lens and a small box containing the centre joystick platform.
All items came with descriptive step-by-step instructions with illustrations and all the nuts, bolts and washers to put the system together. After laying out all of the pieces and separating the various pieces of hardware into their distinctive piles, I grabbed my Philips screwdriver and crescent wrench and set to work.
The system’s frame is constructed from square steel tubing and the platforms are laminated wood. My wife looked at me as if to say “you’re not going to attempt to put that together, are you?” Oh, the times I’ve assembled products only to have spare parts left over and not knowing where they should have gone. Well, 45 minutes later, I had the complete system assembled and nothing left over but the spongy wrap each piece was encased in and three empty boxes. I am glad that the instructions were straightforward and the pictures helped, as it went together in an easier fashion that I would have thought to do it, if left to my own ideas.
All of the screw heads are countersunk, so there are no sharp edges protruding from anywhere on the surfaces. Once assembled, I was able to single-handedly move the unit to its final operating spot in my office. This unit is built tough. The base has four adjustable feet, so if you are setting it up on uneven surfaces or need to raise the unit a little, this is easily accomplished. The CH Products 1. Yoke - If there is one piece of hardware that most simmers have it's a yoke. The CH yoke is like the standard yoke seen in many GA aircraft. This one comes with a total of 4 buttons, 2 rocker switches, an 8-way hat, trim wheel, 2 two-way switches and 3 throttle controls. All of these items are programmable through the "Control Manager" software that comes with every CH product. This gives you the opportunity to personalize the various flight control functions of your sim. The handles have "grips" on the backside and a thumb rest on the interior of the yoke, making this a very comfortable piece of hardware to hang on to during your flight. 2. Throttle Quadrant - 6 throttle levers are at your disposal to program any way you want. This piece of hardware comes with extra coloured lever handles so you can differentiate between your throttles, pitch and mixture. Plus there are 6 two-way switches on the body of the throttle quadrant, allowing you 12 more features to add to your cockpit dashboard. The throttle levers all have detents, so in actuality you have six more selections to make, however, these require movement of the throttles from the "forward" position. I found that the 6 lever throttle quadrant was the perfect addition for all 2 engine aircraft. Giving you individual control of each engine and prop. A definite bonus over the throttle levers included with the yoke. 3. Rudder Pedals - These peddles are "heavy duty". They slide back and forth just like the real things and have toe brakes available on both pedals, which can be operated individually. This piece of hardware is great for maintaining a straight heading down the centerline, and I found it a blessing for tail draggers. I really liked being able to step on the brakes upon landing with faster aircraft instead of having to reach for the keyboard to get stopped in time to make that turnoff. An added bonus, is that these pedals can be used "individually" as a gas and brake pedal for automotive racing sims. 4. Fighterstick - This is a true replica of an F-16 flight control stick. There are more buttons and options to this piece of hardware that you almost have to have an engineering degree to figure them all out. Well not really, but a good sense of recollection will help. With the programmability of this wonderful controller, you get 132 different buttons and switches to play with. The three coloured LED's on the base reminds you of which programmed mode you are in. There is also trim and yaw control wheels on the base of the fighterstick. The first three items will run you about $500, but that's an investment that is going to last you a long time. These hardware items are tough and are of excellent quality. I cannot recommend them enough. It brings my cockpit to life without having to go out and buy my own Cessna. The fighterstick would be a must for all the combat sim enthusiasts out there, coupled with the CH Pro Throttle, you have everything a fighter pilot has and your hands will rarely leave the controls. I would also recommend the purchase of a USB Hub, as you will probably have at least 3 USB slots used for this setup. Adding Flight Hardware
Once assembled, I attached the CH Products hardware to the unit. The rudders sit on a forward/aft adjustable platform under the LCD monitor platform, the yoke sits comfortably on the upper centre platform and the throttles attach nicely on the right hand platform. This includes a custom designed open space to lock down the throttle unit. Since I also fly combat aircraft, I attached the centre joystick platform (JST). While I chose to leave the centre platform permanently installed while flying with the yoke, the accurate positioning of the stick between my legs does not interfere when I’m flying with the yoke. The left hand platform is designed for the “fighter” throttle, but I don’t have this item, so it makes a great refreshment holder.
The CH Yoke and Fighterstick come with Velcro straps for fastening these items to the Sim Cockpit platforms and I can crank and bank without any fear of these items coming loose during “violent” maneuvers. The combination of the Sim Cockpit and CH Products hardware are as if they were made for each other. Everything is within comfortable reach. Now I am a shorter guy, so positioning myself to be able to sit comfortably, reach the controls and see through the Fresnel lens is no problem, I have my chair down pretty much to the stops. A person of taller stature may have a problem seeing the best view through the lens while having two hands and two feet on the controls. While the legs are adjustable, they don’t move the unit up and down very much. After all, these were designed for leveling the unit. I would suggest getting some longer adjustable extenders that are used for household furniture or beds that can be found at your local hardware store. Final Setup This is a very compact unit; I have it set up in a small office containing two workstations and a peripheral stand. Yet, it sits behind my workstation with enough room for me to work on one computer then swivel around to fly on my other PC. I would have never thought to put a fresnel lens in front of an LCD monitor to increase the viewing size of the picture. I would have gone with a bigger, wider (expensive) LCD monitor. However, the scene through this lens is amazing…. almost 3D like.
The lens needs to be adjusted so that it sits centre to the monitor and centre to your eye. The two posts holding the lens has adjustable hex nuts for this purpose. You will also have to adjust your monitor back and forth to find the best position between the two devices. For the perfectionists out there, you may want to tinker with your screen resolution and display properties to get the look that is best for your eye. Conclusion While this system comes in at around $400 USD, it is unique in it’s design. It was designed and built with one purpose in life. To be a flight simulator cockpit. This is not your desktop PC workspace. As mentioned, it’s tough, but once it's in its place of honour, it won’t be going anywhere. After fine-tuning the whole system to your liking, you may find yourself locked into the pilot’s seat for hours. This is one system that will outlast any wooden PC desk, and will be an investment to accommodate future hardware upgrades for years to come. In the big scheme of things, I would have to rate Sim Cockpit's hardware as the 2nd best system I've seen. The first being a setup I witness in Denver, that had all the control panels and consoles with all the buttons and knobs. Perhaps Kurt will incorporate space for this kind of setup in version 2 of this hardware frame. Now if I can only get it to move like the real simulators in Denver. |
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