Hi there!  I've been flight simming off and on all the way back to the first version of MS Flight Sim 1 in 1982.  I've used-X-Plane, MS Flight Sim and others and even have a private pilot's license although I haven't flown in years.

With the release of MS FS 2020, I'd like to get back into flight simming again.  I'm looking for help in building a premium flight simulator including a home cockpit and I'm looking for advice.  Here's what I'd like to do and I'm hoping this community can help me.

Build or buy a desktop capable of running FS 2020 (or X-Plane 11) with up to three monitors at reasonably high settings.  The idea is a front and two side views.  My budget for the computer is around $4,500 or so not including monitors.  This computer would be used for nothing else, dedicated for a flight simulator.  I'm a computer professional so building a box doesn't worry me but pre-builts are okay too

Buy or build a home cockpit with a panel similar to a Cessna 172 with radio stack and all the normal gauges, yoke, pedals, throttle, etc.  I've never done this before and I'd like some advice on hat to do here, which brands to buy, avoid etc.  I'm willing to spend money and time on a good setup for this as well but I really need help here

I have a friend who is a certified flight instructor and he's interested in building a high end flight simming setup so we'd both appreciate some advice on where to begin.  

First question is should I concentrate on X-Plane or FS 2020?  I've owned both X-Plane and MS FS before and they're both great in different ways.  What I'm looking for is something that realistically emulates a true airplane but also has good visuals and graphics.  I've always thought X-Plane was excellent but the new MS FS 2020 has stunning graphics.  But how realistic is flight in MS 2020?  Is it as good as X-Plane?

Lots of people, me included, think that MSFS manages to capture the feeling of flight very well. This might be the visuals which are helping a lot, since the cloud depiction is very convincing indeed and the terrain is good too, maybe the flight model is the factor as well, but whatever it is that is managing to convey it, it is definitely there.

What I would suggest you do, is if you have access to a reasonably ok PC, try MSFS on it and see what you think. The good thing about MSFS is that it can run pretty well on a fairly mediocre PC, so if you have to beg borrow or steal one to try this, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, providing you have a decent internet connection, since it is a hefty download which can take a while to come down the pipe, but apart from this, it would literally only cost you a Quid (Dollar) to try it on a new MS Gamepass account.

Whilst doing that, you can evaluate whether the included aeroplanes float your boat, although it is now reaching the point where some fairly decent add-on aeroplanes are being made for it. Early days, but there's enough out there to show what is coming.

One other thing to consider however, is that MSFS is pretty new, and so making a cockpit with the necessary connections to drive hardware is likely to be somewhat pioneering in some respects, whereas it is a fairly well-trodden path with alternatives such as FSX, P3D and XPlane, so I'd also do some research into how easy it is likely to be for MSFS before deciding for sure. Of course nothing is impossible if you have the determination to achieve it and are prepared to get out a soldering iron and start making stuff with bits from Leo Bodnar's website, or those somewhat pricey Saitek six-pack instruments, but it may conceivably be easier with a more well-ploughed furrow so to speak.

Oh, and welcome to Avsim. 🙂

Edited December 29, 20205 yr by Chock

Welcome to Avsim!

Cockpit builder since 2012 here.....Some considerations for you. 

If you have the cash, building a desktop simulator with technologies like AirManager and RealSimGear can happen pretty quickly. These technologies work for MSFS, P3D and XP11. Most real world pilots that I know who use flightsim as part of their aviation lifestyle find the desktop setup adequate for their purposes.

If you want a replica of a real world cockpit, including structure like seats, etc., you are probably looking at a year or more of construction. In addition, you likely be purchasing some tools. A full cockpit is really a labor of love and, to a large extent, the time spent building/fabricating prevents you from actually flying the sim 😞

To concur with Chock and Rob, 

1) Whether you do desktop or full cockpit, pick the flight simulator software based on the airplane you intend to fly and the mission you intend to accomplish with the simulator. If your mission is to keep your real world IFR skills sharp, a desktop sim running XP11, and a subscription to PilotEdge is the current best technology. If you are mostly a VFR real world pilot flying out of pilot controlled airports, the visuals in MSFS cannot be beat (as long as MSFS has the airplane you need). XP11/Prepar3d have the additional advantage of being able to simulate failures if you need that.

2) Put as much initial money into the base computer as you can. Likely you will be living with it for a while and using it to the max with all the hardware and software needed for cockpit. 

There are a lot of good resources on Facebook and Youtube. 

https://uchisworld.wordpress.com is my blog.

PS, most of the aviation tablet applications like ForeFlight, FltPlan Go, Sky Demon, will connect to all 3 sims I've mentioned.

Edited December 30, 20205 yr by yurei

Thanks for the help!  I'd like to get this right and your help is greatly appreciated.

My primary plane will be a Cessna 172 and maybe occasionally something a little bigger like a Piper Seneca.  My use will be mostly VFR flying with occasional IFR.  

I don't need a totally realistic cockpit but I do want 3 monitors, one for front view and two side views.  I don't mind using tablets for gauges and maybe even a radio stack but I definitely want mechanical throttle, trim wheels, mixture control etc.  I've never liked messing with the mouse in the past to set the radio, auto-pilot etc.  My goal for a cockpit is where I can do a complete flight without having to touch the mouse or keyboard and where I can look to the front and sides on three separate monitors.  So I'm thinking I'll end up with a fancy desktop with a good instrument panel

I'm assuming that an RTX 3090 can drive three monitors at a good resolution?  Also, I've heard that FS 2020 does not support multiple monitors yet, is that true?  Do the other simulators support multiple monitors and views like I want?

To start, I need to get a good gaming PC.  

Thanks for any advice you can give!
 

On 12/29/2020 at 11:08 AM, Chock said:

What I would suggest you do, is if you have access to a reasonably ok PC, try MSFS on it and see what you think. The good thing about MSFS is that it can run pretty well on a fairly mediocre PC, so if you have to beg borrow or steal one to try this, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, providing you have a decent internet connection, since it is a hefty download which can take a while to come down the pipe, but apart from this, it would literally only cost you a Quid (Dollar) to try it on a new MS Gamepass account.

🙂

I'll ask my friend who wants to do this too.  Besides being a CFI, he's also an ex-commercial pilot.  He might have a PC that we can try FS 2020 on and maybe the other sims.

1 hour ago, BigJohn said:

Thanks for the help!  I'd like to get this right and your help is greatly appreciated.

 My goal for a cockpit is where I can do a complete flight without having to touch the mouse or keyboard and where I can look to the front and sides on three separate monitors.  

Thanks for any advice you can give!

You are very welcome (and welcome to the crazy world of cockpits 🙂 )!

Your goal is very achievable. For my setup I have duplicated monitors using an HDMI splitter. I set up the flight at my desk to the point of getting in the virtual cockpit. At that point, I get in the cockpit and all other functions are done by hardware in the cockpit. 

For starting advice, if you don't have a FB account, get one. There are many groups with great people (and, unfortunately, some groups with not so great people). My favorite is U.S. Flightsim and DIY Cockpit Builders. Lots of great setups from basic to complex and lots of ideas.

Search for Russ Barlow on youtube. Good stuff.

John, anymore the best thing I find is watching Youtube channels to compare flightsims. It won't be a good hardware guide, but you'll see which software title is calling your name.

Also some do not like how MSFS looks in 3 monitors side by side. A large single widescreen is another idea, a curved one. To really see the size differences, visit a local store like Bestbuy and concentrate on monitor sizes that you see there.