How to start a Flightsim
Dear flight simulator enthusiasts!
We are constantly being asked: How much does a flight simulator actually cost? Well, if you look at the ready-made solutions on the Internet, you quickly end up with a price tag of around €43,000 to €65,000. Yes, you heard right, that's a lot of money! Sure, you get a virtually ready-to-fly aircraft in return. But that also means a lot of money goes up in smoke. On the one hand, that was too expensive for us, and on the other hand, we thought: Why not do it ourselves?
So we rolled up our sleeves and decided to take matters into our own hands. That means you'll now become an engineer, designer, electrician, programmer (not really), and, last but not least, a pilot! This means you'll be learning how to use a 3D printer, a laser, and a CNC machine, how to create 3D objects, develop circuit diagrams, and laser panels. On top of that, you'll learn how to solder a switch and LEDs together. All of this was on our flight plan.
Incidentally, we spent €8,500 on all our equipment (you can find links to all the equipment we used here), as well as wood, three displays, three projectors, two PCs, many kilos of filament, spray cans, Plexiglas, a whole lot of switches, LEDs, rotary switches, and push buttons. However, we also paid some tuition fees for the development. If you leave out the equipment and the tuition fees, you could end up spending €5,000 if you build everything yourself. That's assuming you have this equipment or know someone who does. But you don't have to spend this amount all at once. The most important thing is a computer and a yoke so that you can always take off.
But what exactly do I need?
Well, what we know is that you need a good PC with a decent to very good graphics card. A few USB ports wouldn't be bad either. Feel free to expand your horizons with a USB hub. These ports are important so that you can connect the Arduino modules. With these modules, we can control the individual input and output devices with the flight simulator. And then, of course, which flight simulator software will you choose? Click here to learn more about software. So, let's take to the skies!
Here you will find some articles to help you get started.
Arduino & MobiFlight - take your flight simulator to the next level
You’ve been in the flight sim world for a while and now want to take your experience to a whole new level? Then ...read more
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