Pilot's seat + curved stick extension.

[WelshZeCorgi]

The problem I'm dealing with when trying to make a "general, budget cockpit", (without 1 to 1 replication, cause I don't have that kind of money) is that I want a floor mounted joystick with a stick extension. But in order to do that, I need to find 2 things.

 

A pilot's seat that doesn't cost $1000

 

 

and a curved joystick extension. The stick extensions I find are all straight, which makes the extension hit the crotch area of the chair when I pull back at full deflection...

 

Any affordable alternatives that I could buy that anyone knows of?

[Bazooka]

Its not real complicated but you didnt mention what your pit is modeled after or the stick you are using so its difficult to give you a complete answer. I suggest you start by searching the net and downloading MIL-STD 1333B Aircrew Station Geometry. That may help solve some of your interference issues. Not sure what seats your are looking at but there are a number of plans available to build an ejection type seat that dont require a woodshop to build and some folks opt for a car seat since they plan on spending a lot of time flying and comfort is a factor. Every stick has a limit on how much movement in each axis it allows. A little research on the aircraft you are basing your pit on will tell you the stick limits and will help you in joystick placement.

[Thadiun Okona]

 

 

 

https://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/111003-mechpit-ii-a-practical-approach/

[Goblin]

The problem with a curved extension is that you move the grip away from the center of gimbal rotation. So, everytime you move the stick in the x axis (roll) you are also subjecting the gimbal to a twisting force. And the plastic gimbal of the TM Warthog does not like twist loads. It’s just a matter of time before the small articulation sphere, inside the Warthog base, will crack.

 

VKB has a curved extension for their joysticks. See pic.

 

You can make a seat out of a car seat. There are several cheap options available. The question is how much DIY can you handle? ;)

Edited August 3, 2018 by Goblin

[Bazooka]

Thats not really what I would call a straight extension....more like an offset. I can guess its the offset piece on the rear thats banging against your seat. I think if you tried a typical straight extension you probably wouldnt be banging the seat when you pull full back...or move the stick base forward enuf so that it doesnt hit the seat at full rear deflection. Those changes do change the geometry but not enuf to be appreciable. Car seats work for many and are worth considering (unless your are a scale purest!).

[Mars Exulte]

 

 

 

 

There ya go. VKB curved extension MCG Pro Gunfighter on a PlaySeat Pilotseat. The seat costs about $500, and about $25 I think for the metal tubing and sheet metal I used across the front and for the mounting plate. There are adjustable platforms on the side for throttle and mouse, too btw.

 

 

-edit 1000th post, yay me

Edited August 4, 2018 by zhukov032186

[BlacleyCole]

One waytogoabout it. I went with a tm. Warthog stick added 2 of the extensions from the for sale forum. These are straight extensions and two brings it to the perfect height for an office chair on the lower setting since you need some leg extensions for the pedals I use vkb Myk iv rudder pedal. And the tm. Throttle makes a great setup . There’s a replacement spring for you fixed wing guys I like it with stock. Spring for my huey fill in usage and plan to keep it that way. For everything. Remember the longer the stick as it increases the accuracy

[Czech6]

VKB curved extension, which fits their base and not Warthog's. Intermediate height. Not tall enough for a floor mount

 

 

Rainman's floor length, curved extension for the Warthog. Pricey.

 

 

If you want to build one, I've been looking at some interesting ideas:

 

 

Bend steel electrical conduit with a conduit bender. You can rent the bender and steel conduit is not expensive.

 

 

Bend plastic electrical conduit with a Pipe Viper. It's a heavy spring that goes in the plastic conduit and allows you to bend it without kinking or cracking. Plastic conduit and the Viper are not expensive.

 

 

Curved electrical conduit from a home improvement store. I found two 45 and one 90 degree bends gives you a curved joystick which only needs a little cut off the end. There's also a 30 degree forward leaning Warthog joystick adapter on Shapeways. All are inexpensive and just require glue.

 

 

I tried a floor mount and settled on a 200mm extension for flying airplanes rather than a floor mount. Too much movement for full control deflection. But, I use a floor mount, curved, spring-less joystick for helicopter flying which doesn't require full deflection and needs finer control inputs.

[lucky-hendrix]

 

 

 

 

There ya go. VKB curved extension MCG Pro Gunfighter on a PlaySeat Pilotseat. The seat costs about $500, and about $25 I think for the metal tubing and sheet metal I used across the front and for the mounting plate. There are adjustable platforms on the side for throttle and mouse, too btw.

 

 

-edit 1000th post, yay me

Do you have a pic With someone sitting in this? Geometry seems way off. Your hand is supposed to rest in your lap here it looks way too high

 

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[streakeagle]

Pick an aircraft cockpit you like. Get its dimensions (i.e. stick, seat, and rudder positions relative to cockpit floor and each other). Model the seat/control arrangement in some free 3d software like sketchup. Simplify the design. Build it from wood. If you know what stick you have and what your extension options are, you can position the stick so that it will be exactly where it should be for the aircraft of choice and have nearly the same exact range of motion. The Warthog stick is a good choice for this type of design because it is designed to be mounted and several third parties make almost any extension you could possibly want if you can't make one yourself. If you have the time, tools, skills, and money to do something like this, it can be far more rewarding that buying existing seat and control mount solutions.

 

On the other hand, if you know exactly what arrangement you want and an off-the-shelf solution can provide that for an acceptable price, that is probably the quickest and possibly most cost-effective way to get a comfortable, functional sim pit.

 

In my experience, I was able to buy the material and build my seat and left console in a weekend. It only took another weekend or two to get it 100% functional and give it a decent paint job. I have been using it for over 5 years now. I tend to overbuild, which means I used heavier and more expensive wood and used tons of screw (effectively emulating the number of rivets used in the real thing). But that means I can climb in and out of my seat multiple times a day 365 days a year for years to come and the only maintenance I need is to wipe off the dust and to touch up the paint job every now and then (I am about due for my first paint touch-up).

[frogger]

if u mount the stick just below the cushion of your seat u can use a straight extension. then use axis tuning to make sure u dont need to rip it back into your balls.

[AeriaGloria]

Do you have a pic With someone sitting in this? Geometry seems way off. Your hand is supposed to rest in your lap here it looks way too high

 

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Russian planes likes Sukhois are supposed to have the stick near chest level and require more force than western counterparts. It’s a quirk of their designs some love some hate. One of the many reasons it’s important to know what modeling your cockpit

[lucky-hendrix]

Ah, interesting to know!

 

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[Mars Exulte]

Russian planes likes Sukhois are supposed to have the stick near chest level and require more force than western counterparts. It’s a quirk of their designs some love some hate. One of the many reasons it’s important to know what modeling your cockpit

 

In RL they have larger throw, according to people testing the German MiGs, required some adjustment to really working the stick around. Which ironically is the same issue I have after doing this lol

 

My grip is a few inches above my knees, works fine. I wouldn't want it much lower, or I'd have to sit spreadeagled to keep from hitting my legs.