Flight Sim Setup: Chairs & Rudder Pedals

[topcat_1952 20]

This is a question to the general  flight sim community that applies to any flight sim, not just X-Plane (which is what I use). It is sort of "hardware" related. I admit it's a stupid question but I am seeking an answer/ideas from any of you who may have had to address this:

How do you deal with using an office/game chair with rollers on a wood floor (no carpet) and the use of rudder pedals? I have great rudder pedals MFG Crosswind V2) that don't budge when I push on them. However, when I do, my nice, comfortable Lay-Z-Boy chair moves back away from the desk (as well as the yoke and rudder). Imagine flying a real Cessna 172 and every time you push the rudder pedals, you end up in the back seat! I can't imagine there are others of you out there who have not encountered this problem. I thought about a small carpet under the chair but such an item is like a magnetic for cat puke. 😼😼

A wheel-less wood chair is an option I considered but they are hard on the posterior. 

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome (assuming they don't cost a fortune). 😀

 

Denny Knepper

Newville, PA USA

[Paraffin 2,197]

You could borrow an idea from how they stop real aircraft from moving, and chock your wheels with a wedge-shaped rubber doorstop. Dirt cheap if it works, although it might not if your chair wheels are the swiveling kind.

Another option would be something heavy enough behind the chair legs, maybe a couple of concrete blocks on a rubber mat to protect the floor?

 

 

[topcat_1952 20]

Thanks Paraffin. Good ideas to build on. Perhaps I can try some of those chair leg sliders that are all rubber and put under each wheel during game play. The concrete blocks would work except I'm 67 and not really adept at hoisting those, but something lighter like bricks on the rubber mat might also do the trick.

[jaytee73 132]

Just take off the wheels - and use the swivel to get in and out

That's how I do it with my games chair - (and I/m a stout 85)👴

[RocketDuck 7]

I mostly have the problem when simracing, but how I've solved it is by making some "socks" for 2 of the wheels. I've made it out of a piece of  1cm foam and duck taped it around the wheels. It's just loose enough to take them off when needed.

Kind of difficult to explain, so hope it makes sense

[Bob Scott 7,720]

Putting the chair on a carpeted door mat with a rubberized bottom works...have lived in a few places where that was an issue, and that's what i did to keep the chair reasonably stationary.

[Mike62 29]

I finally solved my issue just like this which I discovered from another forum post with similar issues..  First get a good sized floor mat, larger than your rudder pedal setup.  I bought some high quality velcro strips, I think they were about 4" long.  Place several strips on the pad where your rudder will be placed and the other side of the strips on the feet of the rudder pedals.  My chair may still move a bit but my rudder pedals stay firmly attached to the floor pad.  The nice thing about this setup, as long as the desk has wheels and is not sitting on the mat, I can still move the desk or mat to a position to my liking.

 

Mike

[olderndirt 2,295]

I use an office style chair and a bungee from one side of the desk, behind the chair to the other side.  Holds you in place and has enough give to allow some push back.

[FreeBird(Josh) 314]

I bought a plastic office mat and drilled three holes in it for the front wheels of the chair to fall into. Gives you just enough hold for rudder pedals. I use VF Ruddos.

[fppilot 4,369]

Just place a common medium sized cotton towel under the chair's wheels when you fly.  A small towel under just two wheels will do the job.  No drilling required!

Edited February 15, 2020 by fppilot

[Quasimodo 505]

Turn you whole setup around so the back of the chair is against the wall.😁

[topcat_1952 20]

Lots of great ideas here. Thanks all! Think I'll try the towel idea first and see how that works.

[fppilot 4,369]

1 hour ago, topcat_1952 said:

Lots of great ideas here. Thanks all! Think I'll try the towel idea first and see how that works.

I have a tempered glass chair mat (https://www.vitrazza.com/) over carpet and I can assure you the glass not only offers less rolling resistance than a wood floor, it is also slick.  Much like if you sprayed Pledge or silicone spray on your wood floor and then tried to keep the chair in place while flying.  LOL!  The towel works great under that challenge (no pun intended).

 

[regis9 4,014]

I bought these, my chair sits on carpet.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B076GVBYXW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i didn’t need to worry about it with the MFG’s but the chair moving definitely became an issue when I bought Ruddo pedals.

They also work well for racing sims, I’ve got racing pedals with load cells as well so a wheeled chair won’t work.

Edited February 16, 2020 by regis9