Building a home flight simulator cockpit

15 November 2026

After passing my flying exams yesterday, it’s time to consider the next couple of months and my flying goals.

I have surgery coming up and because of this, my instructors and I agreed that my knee is giving me way to much pain to continue flying, until after I have recovered from surgery coming up next month.

So it’s time to refine my skills with a flight simulator to fill in the blanks.

X-Plane 12 is installed, instruments have started arriving, I’m looking into a decent screen then perhaps a PC upgrade to run it if my laptop can’t.

While I wait for all the bits to roll in, I got started today on building the cockpit. I have heaps of 3mm thick aluminium sheet left over from the Viper trailer build, plus the big sheets of aluminium shelving that I removed from the truck. I’ve heaps of steel SHS, angle, tube, bolts, screws and RHS lying around. The welder is full of argoshield and a fresh spool of wire. I’ve got plenty of spare paint to give it all a nice lick once finished. I shouldn’t really need to purchase much of anything except more instruments.

I’ve started with the chair and I’m modelling the layout much like the Bristell that I am actually learning to fly in. Every dollar I spend on this is money I will save on flying lessons, as I will be able to practice all my checks, procedures and radio protocols at home as often as I like for nothing.

It’s tough trying to bend 3mm thick aluminium by hand, but I know enough tricks now to provide the best leverage and with targeted heat annealing and carefully placed chamfered holes, it bends quite easily without tearing.

This cockpit will be modular and built in sections that can get through a standard household doorway, to be bolted together once inside.