Hi there guys! I am brand new to cockpit building, but have been around FS for a long time. I am with United Virtual Airlines, and I have been using only a joystick, and I guess it's time for a realism upgrade. I want to start small, and build up, because there's only so much a 14 year old can afford or have time to build. I want to start out by buying a yoke, rudder pedals, or making/buying a throttle quadrant. Where is a good place that I can go online to purchase some cheap and quality products online? After that, I guess I should start with the actual cockpit by buying some guages and creating a realistic cockpit. My cockpit is aimed at jets, because that's what I fly with my VA (CRJ+ and mainly B737/A320). If anyone can help me I'd be very apprieciative. Plus, if you have any times you'd like to throw out at me, I welcome any help I can get. I guess I should also read the forum for some good info. Thanks guys.

Hey. Welcome to Cockpit Building btw. This has nothing to do with your question, but your nic (sfgiants) tells me you live in the bay area. Very cool, so do I.Question for you. Is it United or Delta you fly your VA for?Good luck to you.Best regards,

Thanks, I keep forgeting to change that. My DVA closed down, so I am now with UAL. Anyway, I live about 3 1/2 hours away from the bay area, in Fresno. I am actually typing this from Edmonton, Canada. I'm on my last day of vacation, so when I get back tomorrow I'll get started right away on my project and stuff before school and football starts again.

You could start by going trough the wiki :) That's what it's there for.http://wiki.varxec.net/FrontPageenjoy :)after reading all this .. let us know if there are still questions .. if so that will be an indication to us probably as to what we still have to add to the wiki :(

Sad to hear you went with UAL though, my actual employer is DAL, hehe. But that's ok.I live right smack in the middle of SF, pretty much.

Great site! I do have one question. The site recommended for yokes and stuff is way to rich for my pocketbook, and I wasn't planning on making one. What are some good yokes to buy and where's a good online place to get them? I hear CH makes quality products that aren't too expensive. Unless I missed something on the site that gave another resoucre.....

That is a problem indeed.There's that sun-whatever commercial site. Very expencive though for a bit of plastic if I am aloud to speek my oppinion here freely ;p (they look good, ok but for that price ? c'mon!)Then there is the precision flight which seems to be popular indeed. Also rather expencive and in fact doesn't look like any real one (as far as i know).Soon there will be the one from DakenSky (or so we hope). That one should be rather good priced.Either way .. think of this .. if a Thrustmaster ForceFeedback Race wheel costs only $ 24 (mind you that I payed 170

Thanks. I've decided that I'm going to buy a yoke, throttle quad, and rudder pedals (or make the quad), and than just make some switches so I can have the bare minimum of addons without using the keyboard. I don't think my parents would be happy if our computer room was a cockpit. If anyone has any hints/ideas feel free to throw them out. If you have an opinion on which yoke is good or what rudder pedals set throw that out too, I'm open to multiple opinions. I guess I'd better start reading on the Wiki site.

I managed to find a CH Yoke for a USB port for $96, which I don't think is too bad. http://www.provantage.com/buy-22037248-ch-...sb-shopping.htmIf anyone knows of a yoke that I can find cheaper for a USB port that is good quality let me know.

I am affraid that's the only 1.It is "cessna" type .. sad though that there isn't a similar priced airliner sollution.Would be well possible though I think .. Just a bit more plastick...

So pretty much I am stuck with that until I can get a little more money? I guess it's better than nothing. Is there anything I can do to make it more "jet" looking? I don't have $600 to spend on a yoke right now, so is it just worth buying to start me off on a home cockpit?

if you check my page e.g. you can see that my yoke is nothing more than some wood, some old bike-parts (axis), some more wood, some glue, some toothpickers, some wood-paste and a (say 40$ sidewinder joystick)it's an option and you could make 1 which is fitted on a woodn board as a platform. so you can put it in the corner when you don't use it.it's all options ..however, I think that if you plan to fly more desktop than cockpit (meaning not with mouse & keys but with little loose modules which you gather around your destkop seat) a CH might just be worth the shot because although it has no pole but a horizontal axis .. its still a planes yoke and it is a finished product and feels rather good (friction, etc etc .. if you build one on your own you might need to add friction, reduce it, add springs etc to tune it so that it feels right .. a CH will feel right from the start)it's up to you !you're still young so you got plenty years to come to think and to build and to find money etc :) (i'm older though still young enough to even start building a new cockpit 8 or 10 times after i finish this one :( )

Thanks for your help. I really appreiciate it. I guess I'll go with the CH yoke for now just to start getting used to something other than a joystick, just to start my project.

I don't know if they come standard with the CH .. but get the pedals as well :)I've experianced here recently that flying with 1 hand on the trottles 1 on the yoke and 2 feet on the pedals make you feel like you're a monkey flying a plane .. sooooooo different than just 1 hand at the joystick and sitting way back in your chair.Get used to that "phisical workload" .. it's fun !

That was next on my list. Once I get a bit more money that will be the next thing I buy.