Home Flight Simulators—What’s Your Setup?

flyerfocus

flyerfocus

Filing Flight Plan
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flyerfocus
Today I downloaded the Simionic G1000 simulator for the iPad so I could learn it to fly for CAP and for my own learning. But we are pilots and we are proud and because we are proud pilots we know this is simply how it all starts. How does the FAA say it? “Insidious in its onset.” Yeah, I’m gonna go broke doing this but here it goes.

I’m already looking at a bezel in which to mount the PFD side of the G1000 sim. Well, then a started thinking there’s a PFD and an MFD for the Garmin, right? So I’m going to need a second bezel. Oh wait, so I need another iPad.

Well, this is all very silly becuase I don’t even have a simulator program. So I jump on Amazon. Of course there’s Microsoft. And there are some others and they all appear to integrate with the two bezelled iPads I haven’t yet bought. Oh, what’s this? For $170 I can get a yoke and a throttle quadrant? Well I don’t want to slip in my turns so I’m gonna need to somehow step on the ball. You see where this is going.

So, here’s the challenge and the question: Show off your home sim setup, describe why you chose the components you did, and if it’s not too personal, tell us where you got them and what you paid.
 
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Careful....it can get out of hand.....4B7974CA-16F1-421B-97F4-2CA974B125D1.jpeg XPlane 11 on...

Master (win10) i5-9600k@4.5 Z390-a 16G-RAM 1080FTW EVGA-CLC Redbird-controls 50"-4k TV homebrew switch panel SSDs

Left / right wings (mint 20.2)...my first store bought XP computer!...XForcePC RTX box 2x50"-4K TVs SSDs

Dev / IOS (mint 20.2 / win10) i7-6700k@4.0 Z170-a 16G-RAM gtx970 Noctua-D115s SSDs

iPad... Foreflight / RXP GTNs (via Duet)
 
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Yup... mine really got out of hand once I discovered the Arduino Leonardo (or Pro Micro clones) and that I could replicate every switch, lever, & knob in the cockpit and make it work correctly in the simulator.
 
I've powered my (admittedly minimalist) switch panel from an Arduino. I was just looking for the switches that make real-world sense...DG, HSI, autopilot, etc. Running the GTNs on a touchscreen or ipad saves a lot of hassle button-wise. Didn't care to spend the time soldering more. One of these days I'll wire up an FMS to match the one in the better half's C550.... or not :)

Jim

PS- To the OP....a good starter set would be a desktop computer with most any monitor, a joystick with a twist function (for rudder/nosewheel steering), and XP11 (or XP10 if your PC is a wimp). I started the current project years ago with a single desktop re-purposed from computer forensics exams. The flight dynamics for XP are much better than anything else out there (ducks and covers!!).
 
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As a side note, in X-Plane 11, make sure to turn on Vulkan in the graphics settings. Somehow I missed it and holy cow what a difference. My GeForce 1070 went from 100% to 21% ...and that's after maxing out all other graphics settings with 3 1080p monitors.
Exception is anti-aliasing. Had to drop it to about 50% or so.
 
I went with the modest Logitech yoke, pedals, and throttle. I was able to get that for around $300, but it's leaps and bounds above flying with a joystick. I need to mount the pedals on a piece of plywood and keep it from scooting on my hardwood floors as easily. Other than that, I really just want a bigger monitor.

I'm running Flight Simulator 2020 on a AMD 3600 with an nVidia 1650 Super and 32GB of Ram with a fast SSD drive. Since Flight Simulator has been updated to include Xbox One support, the codebase has been cleaned up a bunch. This has made the program more stable and helped it run better on lesser hardware.
 
I have what I consider the most bang for the buck. I have a graphics laptop running X-Plane 11 with Logitech yoke and pedals. I have the G5 additions for X-Plane, which allows it to closely replicate my airplane. I use FF, and have it set up to get position information from X-Plane. You can do a complete approach almost exactly like you would IRL.
 
flyerfocus said:
Today I downloaded the Simionic G1000 simulator for the iPad so I could learn it to fly for CAP and for my own learning. But we are pilots and we are proud and because we are proud pilots we know this is simply how it all starts. How does the FAA say it? “Insidious in its onset.” Yeah, I’m gonna go broke doing this but here it goes.

I’m already looking at a bezel in which to mount the PFD side of the G1000 sim. Well, then a started thinking there’s a PFD and an MFD for the Garmin, right? So I’m going to need a second bezel. Oh wait, so I need another iPad.

Well, this is all very silly becuase I don’t even have a simulator program. So I jump on Amazon. Of course there’s Microsoft. And there are some others and they all appear to integrate with the two bezelled iPads I haven’t yet bought. Oh, what’s this? For $170 I can get a yoke and a throttle quadrant? Well I don’t want to slip in my turns so I’m gonna need to somehow step on the ball. You see where this is going.

So, here’s the challenage and the question: Show off your home sim setup, describe why you chose the components you did, and if it’s not too personal, tell us where you got them and what you paid.
Click to expand...

Just some feedback on the Simionic apps and bezels. I have them and the GMA 1347 comms panel for exactly the same reasons. In retrospect, I would not buy them again. Instead, I'd get the Real Sim Gear panels.

The positives - they're portable. I pull them off my computer take then to CAP meetings and teach new MOs and pilots about the G1000. Simulators are OK (no they aren't!) but nothing replaces turning actual knobs.

They're pretty good from a fidelity standpoint. You can do 95% of everything we do in CAP and what you can't do is mostly SAR related.

The negatives - they come from China and there are language and timing barriers to getting support. I once asked a question and got a pretty good runaround to discover later that there was a misunderstanding of something I said early.

The developers are still developing and are constantly building. Because they're based on an ipad, they will eventually age out. Sooner or later, you won't be able to upgrade the OS on the ipad and shortly after that, you won't be able to use the app on a simulator.

Last, they don't work well with MS2020. The autopilot in particular is bad and if I engage it, fly for a while and then disengage it, about half time I'll be in a steep trim dive on disengaging.
 
Also curious if anyone is using their sim on a Linux box. I would really prefer to run this off of Ubuntu assuming there are no losses in feature.
 
Yup, two of my three linked sim boxes are running on Linux Mint...an Ubuntu derivitive. The only reason the third one isn''t is the RXP GTN add-on. It requires Garmin Trainer in the background, which is strctly Winders. Linux is more efficient, IMHO.
 
I got XP11, with older CH yoke, throttle quadrant and pedals, along with the Logitech switch, autopilot and comms panels. I have a 49 inch wide monitor that makes it nice to fly it. My PC is an i7 with 32 gb ram and a 1080 (I think) card with 8gb. It runs pretty well at close to max settings.
I tried MS 2020 recently but it didn't like my controls and panels, so I stayed with XP11
 
flyerfocus said:
Good stuff! Keep it coming. I'm still at the point of deciding which sim software to buy. Is the consensus X-Plane 11 or Microsoft? Are there different versions? Looks like there are ... https://www.amazon.com/s?k=x-plane+11&crid=11QYBHGY4UZQV&sprefix=X-Plane+11,aps,394&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10
Click to expand...

What's your goal? If you want pretty pictures, go with MS2020. If you want a good flight sim, it's X-Plane. MS2020 might make it in a few years, but it's a very pretty flying game right now.

There is really only one version. But you have installs for Mac, installs for PC, and an airport library.
 
Oh, and before someone jumps on it, there IS another version of X-Plane for commercial simulators. It only has a couple of extra abilities around guaranteed frame rates and other checks the FAA wants to be assured of. Otherwise, it's the same.
 
Oh I’ll join this as I just went down this rabbit hole. Logitech yoke, throttle, and pedals that my wife got me, an i9 10500k processor, 3080gpu, with 32gb of ram, NVME SSD, and I’m waiting on the Samsung G9 49” ultra widescreen monitor now. Overkill? Maybe. But I still think that MSFS2020 is going to challenge that PC. I may still add Xplane too.
 
Apparently I'm wayyyy behind the curve.

I am still limping along on a home-built dual-core Pentium D (2.80/2.80) with an older PCI graphics processor (ATI Radeon HD 5450) - all stuffed into a repurposed eMachines box. It has 6 GB RAM and OS is Win7 Home Premium. It does a very good job of running Microsoft Flight Simulator X Steam Edition though. Everything runs at high settings. The 27" Acer monitor is a bit small though. I have the Saitek/Logitech yoke/rudder/throttle quadrant. I lust for the Honeycomb yoke and the Thrustmaster TPR rudder pedals.

But, as clunky and dated as this system is (like me, sigh), it has proven useful in my training. While studying for the written exam, I was able to set up the exact questions when it came to VOR and plane position, and then look at the head and compare the OBS setting with the test answer choices in the supplement. That is an amazing teaching tool there. I watched for the UNOS/ANDS compass response, and it doesn't seem to be as well modeled as presented in the study materials. Oh yeah, Ron Machado's training sequences are useful, and somewhat entertaining. I'm not a real big fan of dry wit though.
 
Has anyone looked at or using the stuff that have over at https://dofreality.com/
I was mulling some options and these looked pretty cool. The option of a VR setup I think would be just plain fun
 
Nick Pilotte said:
Oh I’ll join this as I just went down this rabbit hole.
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Same here, but I went with the prepackaged XForcePC PilotWorkshops prepackaged setup. Should arrive this week. I also added the Honeycomb Alpha and Bravo yoke/throttle combos.
 
Honeycomb Alpha yoke and Bravo throttle, custom built radio stack with Real Sim Gear audio panel and GNS430, Propwash sim KX 155 look-alike radio and transponder, and a custom monitor mount on the yoke with Air Manager displaying a one-off 172 RG panel. Thought I had a pic of it but it was a previous version before I redid the radio stack. Originally had the logitech rudder pedals but couldn't resist and upgraded to the Thrustmaster TPRs. Soooo worth the price of admission. Computer was originally build for VR gaming so it's pretty stout. Really looking forward to Xplane 12 and the improvements they're making.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Too bad none of these awesome setups are FAA approved.
Click to expand...

that is mostly a matter of paperwork, the development of the system definition document. Unfortunately, the FAA’s process to certify even a custom BATD for the first time requires them to spend extensive time in person evaluating it. They don’t have the manpower to certify everyone’s home systems.

given the component nature, I believe it’s a matter of time before there are 3rd party certifications available. Buy my certification document, then buy components A-Z from the defined list from anyone and you have a certified system.
 
flyerfocus said:
...I would really prefer to run this off of Ubuntu...
Click to expand...
I run XP11 in Steam on top of Ubuntu 16.04. The machine is pretty old: Core i7 @3.4 GHz, 8 CPUs and 15G of memory. GeForce GTX was required to make performance acceptable. I have the Logitech yoke, pedals and throttle quadrant. I sometimes use a tablet and pull the GTN 650 simulator onto it for touch screen interaction. Mine is not a high end setup but it cost effectively meets my needs.
 
XP11, HC Alpha/Bravo, FlightSimbuilders 530, PilotEdge (very important) and my IFR training went a lot faster as a result. All on 20.04 LTS.
 
It doesn’t take long to dump a fortune into a nice PC and various accessories to run the sim. I’ve just got a basic monitor and joystick, enough to run FS2004 to practice instrument type stuff. Rather take the dough I’d spend and throw it at the real thing.
 
flyerfocus said:
Today I downloaded the Simionic G1000 simulator for the iPad so I could learn it to fly for CAP and for my own learning. But we are pilots and we are proud and because we are proud pilots we know this is simply how it all starts. How does the FAA say it? “Insidious in its onset.” Yeah, I’m gonna go broke doing this but here it goes.

I’m already looking at a bezel in which to mount the PFD side of the G1000 sim. Well, then a started thinking there’s a PFD and an MFD for the Garmin, right? So I’m going to need a second bezel. Oh wait, so I need another iPad.

Well, this is all very silly becuase I don’t even have a simulator program. So I jump on Amazon. Of course there’s Microsoft. And there are some others and they all appear to integrate with the two bezelled iPads I haven’t yet bought. Oh, what’s this? For $170 I can get a yoke and a throttle quadrant? Well I don’t want to slip in my turns so I’m gonna need to somehow step on the ball. You see where this is going.

So, here’s the challenge and the question: Show off your home sim setup, describe why you chose the components you did, and if it’s not too personal, tell us where you got them and what you paid.
Click to expand...
I’m using x plane on a 13 year old computer and it’s not going well. I planned to learn the software and then upgrade the hardware if it seemed like something I would actually use for training/proficiency and preparation for real life trips. Instead I just head to the field. It seems any time spent learning xplane is better after ir ticket
 
Randomskylane said:
I’m using x plane on a 13 year old computer and it’s not going well. I planned to learn the software and then upgrade the hardware if it seemed like something I would actually use for training/proficiency and preparation for real life trips. Instead I just head to the field. It seems any time spent learning xplane is better after ir ticket
Click to expand...
Have you looked into Microsoft Flight Simulator X? It debuted in 2006 and will run reasonably well on older machines. There are freeware upgrades for the graphics too.
 
Is anyone using Microsoft flight simulator on Xbox series x? I just started it today and it’s pretty good.
 
I’m not a gamer, so it’s news to me you can run anything but flightgear on a Linux box. Is there a HOWTO somewhere?
 
X-Plane....

https://www.x-plane.com/kb/linux-installation-walkthrough/

The short course....load your OS...I've used Ubuntu or Mint. Download the installer from the x-plane site. Run that installer and you' ll end up with a fully-functional copy of X-Plane 11, limited only by 10 minutes of usage per start.

P3D and FS2020 don't play Linux....their loss. Have both sitting in a drawer :)

Jim
 
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