sclearman

Hello K51. I would like to know which of your collectives would be closest to KA50 to use in flight sim pit build. thanks you

Thanks folks, really mean it. With ongoing research I've really started leaning towards the hornet. It appears to be well supported in both software and components. Flight model appears to be easier to a degree as well. And of course can play with the carrier ops. If I understand correctly thr hornet has air to air as well as air to mud.

No, I dont own any yet. I haven't had a flight sim for a few years. I was hoping to decide which to build first, then buy the module and play while i build. I only plan on having one, unless I also do a helicopter, and then I think it's hands down a KA-50

Well played, I walked into that. New additional criteria: 'modern' aircraft, circa 1970's to present Military aircraft open to helicopter as well

My basic question is which aircraft would be 'easiest' to build a realistic cockpit for? I've been 'flying' sims for many years, since the late 80's, early 90's anyway. I have always loved them. Now that I am in a position in life where I have both time and some funds, I want to do what I've always wanted....build a sim pit to fly. But I don't know which one. things I would like in a pit in no particular order: single pilot aircraft, want to be able to play alone "realistic cockpit", meaning it looks right. No stickers and fake panels like the old Thrustmaster cockpit or arcade games. I would love to be able to flip switches for aircraft functions instead of using a keyboard for commands. Having said that, I'm not going to be upset it my cockpit is not perfect. For instance if the real thing has a front panel that is 27" wide, im ok if mine comes out 25-30". But I want it to 'look right" even if not to scale. Hope that makes sense. in addition to analog switches, I would love to be able to have working displays in the panels. I dont want to have to switch between views while flying, not wanting to have to pull up a command screen while on a mission. Of course sound I would love wrap around displays with short throw projectors, or something similar. and whichever aircraft I choose I want to have plenty of missions and chances to play and fly. Just from what little research I've done it appears an F35 would be great for a build since one large display handles most of the controls. But, F35 is not a playable aircraft in DCS which seems to be the best supported environment. I know some will ask what abilities I have to pull from. In the early 90's I worked as an electronics tech for a few years. I'm good with soldering and wiring boards, and power supplies. I am not familiar with how to program Arduino but from talking with my son who is an engineer, I think it's totally within my capabilities after some reading. So, if you have made it this far, I'm open to suggestions for which aircraft, and which cockpit to build. And I would be really interested to hear your reasoning for your suggestions.