Sim Cockpit System is owned and operated by Kurt and Mike Gamnig. Kurt, a retired airline pilot, has developed several available cockpits. He has stated that his designs are inspired from the simulators he used while working as a commercial pilot. This review will feature the Model SCS-F3 with the Screen Magnifier FL-3 (fresnel lens).
Construction and Design
The entire system can be assembled with a crescent wrench and philips screwdriver. The directions for assembly are to the point and adequate. Construction time for me was approximately ninety minutes. Everything is straightforward and it should be easy for anyone to build this kit.
The unit is primarily made out of heavy gauge square steel tubing. The desk tops are made of laminated wood similar to what most office computer stations are made of. The framework is secured together with stout screws and hex nuts. Some of the framework has custom anchors fitted into the steel so that just a screw is necessary. This is a nice feature as there are no screws extending out to snag anyone brushing against it. The unit has four adjustable feet to ensure a good footing. The cockpit is built like a tank and should last any simmer a lifetime.
The system is designed for a LCD monitor. I did use a CRT with it but this is NOT recommended. The platform for the monitor is on the extreme end of the cockpit so a CRT’s weight can cause an imbalance and tipping may occur. A simple mod to alleviate this would be to add legs to the monitor support. Another alternative would be to make/buy a monitor pedestal instead of using the supplied board. The latter seems the best idea if you are going to use a fresnel lens. This is because you will have greater freedom to get your focal point with the lens.
The dimensions of the unit are below. (Please note that the desktop height is variable up and down by approximately an inch. Also, the Fresnel lens height is variable by several inches.)
- Length: 34 ½” (87.63cm)
- Width: 40 ¼” (102.24cm)
- Height: 20 ½ “ (52.07cm)
- Height with Fresnel Lens: 42 ½ “ (107.95cm)
- Interior Width: 18 ½“ (46.99cm)
- Weight: 41.5lbs (18.82kg)
- Fresnel Viewing Area: 19” x 15 ¼” (48.26cm x 38.73cm)
- 24 ½“ (62.23cm) Diagonally
