The Viper Garage

For those tempted by the adventure, let me reassure you: building a home cockpit isn’t as complex as iFor those tempted by the adventure, let me reassure you: building a home cockpit isn’t as complex as it may look. At its core, a simulator is made up of a few essential building blocks:

• The structure: usually in wood, aluminum, MDF, or a mix of materials. This forms the skeleton of the cockpit and gives it rigidity.
• The panels: often cut from PMMA (3 or 6 mm) or MDF, they support the switches, knobs, and displays, andd can be backlighted
• The electronics: the brain that interfaces switches, indicators, and gauges with the simulator software.
• The computing power: one or more PCs running the simulation and managing the visuals.
• The graphics & immersion: ranging from a standard PC monitor to a large TV, projectors, or even VR headsets—the possibilities are endless.

Everything depends on your skills, the space available, your budget, and of course the time you’re ready to dedicate.

Over time, some pit builders have specialized in certain areas and turned their experience into small businesses. Most focus on the trickiest part for beginners: producing high-quality panels with integrated electronics. This can save a lot of headaches if you don’t want to dive into manufacturing everything yourself.

But if you’d rather stay fully independent and create your own panels, the recipe isn’t that complicated either—though it does require some tooling and a bit of practice. In my case, here’s the workshop I rely on:

• a Creality CR10S Pro v2 3D printer (not always trouble-free, but reliable enough),
• a K40 40W CO₂ laser engraver for engraving and cutting PMMA,
• a Sainsmart 4030 CNC for precision machining (MDF, aluminum, plastics),
• and the classics: drill, sander, jigsaw, soldering iron, and the venerable hot glue gun.

With these tools and materials—aluminum, wood, MDF, and PMMA—you can build almost any panel you need, experiment with different techniques, and slowly bring your cockpit to life.