SimHQ.com - Air Combat Zone - Review: Sim Cockpit System SCS-F3

The unit is low profile and takes up little space. This is where I ran into a problem. My chair only reduces to 16”. When sitting at the cockpit the controls are too low for me to manipulate comfortably and I had to hunch down to see through the fresnel lens. The unit does have adjustable feet and this is a great option for uneven floors. However, the range of these feet, approximately one inch up or down, was not enough to remedy my problem. Kurt suggested the Saitek Gaming Chair might be what I would need. However, I don’t own one so I decided to add a quick modification. I took 3 ½” bed risers (commonly found at hardware and furniture stores) and placed the unit on top of them. Once this was done the cockpit was much more comfortable for me. The height issue is personal preference and is sure to vary with each user.

Another point to note on the compactness of this unit is the width between the throttle and stick panels (See Interior Width above). A large person may find this cramped. At 5’ 10” and 180lbs I found the area to be adequate.

The small stature of this unit is a bonus for people who have limited floor space. The unit barely takes up more than one square yard / meter.

The central stick platform comes with spacers that elevate it ½” to 1” higher.

The board on which the rudder system rests has three positions for varying leg lengths.

The unit is very stable even when lateral forces are at work. I could ham stick the HOTAS violently and the unit, or HOTAS, did not wobble in the slightest. The combination of tight fitting HOTAS straps and four individually adjustable feet make this unit rock solid.

Configurations

The unit can be configured in two ways: a central stick position similar to many WWII type aircraft, or a side mounted stick reminiscent of fly-by-wire aircraft. The HOTAS is attached to the cockpit by long Velcro straps. These either wrap around the desktop (for the throttle and stick in the central position) or wrap around the stick and feed through pre cut holes (fly-by-wire configuration). The straps are strong and the HOTAS is secure if attached properly. I used a Saitek X-52 with the straps and they didn’t interfere with the toggles or MFD. There was some overlap of the straps onto these but it was acceptable. Optimally I will be drilling holes through the desktop and attaching the stick with tapered bolts.

I am not fond of the central stick configuration. The reason for this is that the stick base interferes with my rudder operation. I use CH Pro USB pedals. These have a narrow gap between the pedals that dictate keeping your legs close together. The board that the stick rests on is 7 ½ inches wide. The combination of these two factors had me rubbing my legs against the corners of the stick mount. After an hour or so this became uncomfortable. Wider rudder pedals may alleviate this problem.

In the central configuration the keyboard and mouse are on the right desktop and are easily accessed.

Sim Cockpit System central stick configuration.

Sim Cockpit System fly-by-wire configuration.

The fly-by-wire configuration is the one for me. This is achieved by removing the central stick mount and attaching the stick to the right side desktop. I feel much more immersion from this set up. Also, the controls just felt more comfortable this way. Of course this is personal preference bred from habit. Even though I fly WWII aircraft primarily, I have had my setup in the fly-by-wire position for most of my simming years.

The only drawback to this position is that the keyboard has to be behind the stick.

Uther's mod - how I plan to make my keyboard more accessible.

This is how I plan to make my keyboard more accessible.

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