Thansk to a change of fortune, I can now rebuild my “cockpit”, and retire my old but ever more flaky Thrustmaster Hotas Cougar. I can afford new controllers, basically anything on the market.
But I’ve been out of the loop so long I barely know where to start or what to choose.
So I’ll start with my requirements.
Much as I would enjoy a full high fidelity cockpit simulator, that’s out of my scope. So let’s not go THAT far. However a stripped down cockpit frame may be an option.
Full F-16 centered HOTAS, with authenticity to the F-16 stick and throttle being important to me. I’m still pretty adept at using near-realistic control mappings on the Cougar HOTAS. Want to stay as close to that as possible.
Fully functional MFDs and ICP. Not just frames and buttons, but with fully functional displays.
Rudder pedals.
I can’t do a full cockpit but I CAN fabricate framework to place all devices in a reasonable approximation of correct relative placement.
Bonus points for being able to control all devices with LESS software rather than MORE.
While the priority is F-16 based simming, I’m going to fly other things, too. So having a throttle with 2 engine capability wouldn’t be bad.
I’ll be flying both BMS and DCS.
So what’s the best solution today that fits my requirements?