Simkits Simulation Hardware - Avsim

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AVSIM Hardware Review 

SimKits Simulation Hardware 

Rating Guide 

Description: A complete home-built aircraft for your home. 

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Simulation Type: 

FS 2004 

Reviewed by: Eric Rosebrock, Contributing Reviewer 

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Items Independently Rated by Reviewer


Introduction 

The AVSIM Commercial Rating System: 1 Star to 5 Stars (with 5 stars being 

exceptional) Please see details of our review rating policy here . 

When you think of public Flight Simulation nowadays, you probably envision your favorite simulator, Fly!, XPlane, Microsoft 

Flight Simulator, on a desktop PC with possibly a joystick or a yoke / rudder pedal combination. This is the standard 

configuration for most end users. Now, a company called The Real Cockpit (SimKits) out of the Netherlands has taken an 

attempt to revolutionize the home simulator experience with their innovative products. 

SimKits has a wide range of products that target enthusiasts who desire to build their own home cockpits with moving 

instruments, switches, throttles, circuit breakers and more. Targeting the hardcore simulation lovers out there, they have 

come really close to pushing the edge with their technology. 

In the past, only large companies such as Frasca, military and commercial simulators have had the physical moving 

instruments available. This of course came with a price tag that was unreachable by many enthusiasts. SimKits has 

unleashed an entire new market which has allowed users such as me to take the dive and build their own dream cockpits. 

In this review, I will discuss my experiences with their products and company, both good and bad. In addition, I will 

provide you with insight to finding the resources you may need to accomplish your goal in building a cockpit solution that 

you can enjoy. 

Planning Your Cockpit 

Sold! 

When you plan your VFR cross-country flight to your favorite $100 hamburger joint, you take many things into 

consideration: weather, airspace, airports, your skills and etc. About the only difference in planning your home cockpit is 

that it may not be harmful, but it could cost you dearly if you make a mistake. 

You should carefully review all of the available options. There are many alternatives than going solely with one company, 

and I would like to emphasize that. You do not need to buy all of the parts you need from one place. There are many 

compatible parts that can save you a lot of money in the long run. 

When I planned my cockpit, I had researched for almost a year. After watching the SimKits website, and researching their 

forums, I decided to give their company a shot. I bought my fuselage from a local salvage company and then purchased 

the SimKits equipment I needed. This is an expensive hobby, so it must be taken very seriously before you purchase! 

There’s a lot of hidden things that I discovered at later stages of my building that created obstacles which I wish were 

avoided. However, the level of complexity allows for an interesting project; it could have been easier all along with proper 

guidance. 

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Simkit Instruments 

From the left seat The whole console 

As innovating as they appear the SimKits instruments work fairly well. In this section, I will discuss each of the instruments 

and how they work for me. There are some problems I have with a few of them, but overall they work well. Keep in mind, 

these are my own opinions, and you or someone else may have an entirely different experience than I have. 

Attitude Indicator 

The attitude indicator is fairly nice. It indicates a maximum of 90 degrees bank on each side. If you roll the aircraft, the 

attitude indicator stops on one side. When you roll through the opposite bank angle, the indicator snaps to the other side. 

This is simply the way it was designed, and it’s not a flaw. You really shouldn’t be rolling a Cessna anyways. 

Assembly Note: I did not like the fact that I had to paint the aircraft reference indicator. Many other instruments I 

received from SimKits had painted needles; however this one required an orange paint which I had to put my instrument 

on hold to go find. 

When I received mine, it was missing the knob to adjust the aircraft reference indicator. This was later replaced by SimKits 

in a subsequent order. 

I give this instrument a 9/10 rating for operation. 

Altimeter 

The altimeter is the most dreaded instrument by many SimKits builders. I’ve read quite a few people discussing how 

complicated it was, so I waited until last to build this instrument. I wanted to hone my skills at building the other 

instruments before I took a shot at this one, however the story goes on. 

The attitude indicator is a very complex piece of equipment. A handful of gears, two servo motors, and a photo sensor go 

into it to make it all work. It is a masterful design; however it still needs some attention in my opinion. 

The altimeter is designed to automatically return to a Zero altitude during startup. To achieve this, SimKits uses a photo 

sensor to read the position of the altimeter. From my understanding of this mechanism, it aligns on the edge of a gear 

wheel. There’s a black sensor at the top and a white sensor at the bottom. As the gear spins around, the teeth in the gear 

create a strobe affect by momentarily blocking the view between the two sensors. A measurement is taken by the software 

to gain its bearings and determine where the actual gear should be positioned at Zero. This is supposed to ensure that the 

calibration works properly, however it has caused me many headaches. 

During my first assembly attempt, I noticed that the pressure scale was incorrect. It appeared that the Inches of Mercury 

(Hg) scale was printed upside down. After further inspecting it, I also noticed a misprint of the scale where the numbers 

were out of sequence. Even further investigating made me realize that the scale was not the same increments that most 

General Aviation aircraft use. The scale was of odd increments such as: 28.95, 29.09, 29.24 and etc. The actual altimeter 

in Flight Simulator 2004 corresponds with the real aircraft: 28.9, 29.0, 29.1, 29.2, etc. After reporting this to SimKits, they 

agreed to make a computer graphic available to me which I printed out and put on the pressure scale wheel. This fixed the 

incrementing issue, and I made a suggestion to enhance the calibration software to take finer measurements during 

calibration. Currently 30.18 on the pressure scale is 29.92 in the simulator. I simply resort to using the “B” key to auto set 

my altimeter until this fix arrives. 



The other problem I have with the Altimeter is that I cannot get it to stay calibrated very well. After taking it apart so many 

times, I managed to break the photo sensor and I ordered additional ones to have on hand in the event the replacement 

breaks again. The ten thousand foot indicator, which is the small inner wheel with the very small pointer, never points to 

the right altitude unless I’m at zero foot elevation. As you start to climb, the spread of the indicator becomes less accurate. 

When I’m at 4,000 ft MSL, the ten thousand foot indicator reads more like 8,000 ft MSL. I’ve calibrated this instrument 

over 15 times and I’ve just about given up on it. In the Cessna 172, you don’t go near 10,000 ft, so it’s not a major issue 

for me. 

Overall, when the Altimeter wants to work properly, it’s a good instrument! 


Heading Indicator 

I had quite a few problems building my heading indicator. Mostly, the compass card and the heading bug would get out of 

control and start spinning together. This is basically a one shot assembly, meaning that once you put it together, there’s 

not a whole lot you can do to fix it. You have to take a soldering iron and melt some plastic tabs down to secure the 

compass card to the gear wheel it mounts to. This also secures the heading bug, and in turn makes the assembly mated 

for life. If you take it apart, you’ll need new parts to fix it. 

After failing miserably at assembling the heading indicator, I ordered spare parts for it, and at the same time, I ordered an 

assembled heading indicator. The heading indicator I received assembled by SimKits works OK. 

One of the complaints I have about the heading indicator is the Push-to-Turn heading bug. The push-to-turn knobs on the 

real instruments require you to push in about ¼ inch to turn it. It’s almost not even noticeable that you have to push them. 

To set the heading bug on the SimKits altimeter, you have to push the knob about ½ to ¾ of an inch inwards against a 

spring. When the spring is compressed, the gearwheel on the knob makes contact with the heading bug wheel and then 

allows you to change heading bug. Many times while setting the heading bug, the compass card turns with it. When you 

have the bug set, the compass card sets back to the heading you’re on. This whole process puts a lot of effort into 

changing the heading bug and it also appears to put a lot of stress on the instrument. 

To change the SimKits Heading Indicator compass card (gyro drift) heading, you do not have to push the knob inwards to 

change the heading. The knob turns easily and freely and so does your compass card. 


VOR Indicators 

The VOR indicators work very well despite the sensitivity. When you are adjusting the compass card at a reasonable rate, 

the needle can swing through a radial rather quick due to the delay in receiving information from the simulator to the servo 

motor. You have to turn the knob extremely slow. 

The indicators have TO / FROM, Off Flag, Glide Slope indicators to make it a very realistic instrument. 

I give the VOR instruments a rating of 8/10 for operation. 

ADF Indicator 

The ADF Indicator has not been so friendly for me. There are a few things I would like to point out. 

First, I had to repaint the needle because you could see where the painting was not so good from the factory. I could see 

the black plastic through the yellow paint, so I had to touch it up. 

Second, you have to push-to-turn to change the compass card. I’ve still yet to find an aircraft ADF that does the same 

thing. 

Third, the needle turns the compass card with it. This is probably my fault somehow. I have to take it apart to try and fix it 

(again), but it’s almost the same setup as the Heading Indicator except there’s no heading bug. 

I give this instrument a rating of 3/10 until I can fix it. 



Turn Coordinator 

The turn coordinator is one of my favorite instruments produced by SimKits. Its brilliant design makes for flawless 

operation. There’s barely any lag that I could notice and both the needle and the ball work as intended. This is a sharp 

looking instrument! 

I give this instrument a rating of 10/10 for operation. 

General Instruments 

The General Instrument kit is very impressive. Basically, SimKits was brilliant enough to release an instrument with around 

20 different faceplates. You can have one as your Tachometer, another as your Vertical Speed and so on. There are 

faceplates for all types of variations of aircraft, including Cessna 172 / 182, Beechcraft and others. Each General 

instrument you buy comes with a complete set of faceplates, so if you don’t use them you can pin them on the wall or 

make coasters out of them! Dual purpose design! 

There are a few instruments that have lag in them. I feel this is due to Flight Simulator 2004 pushing the information to 

the screen. Somewhere I read that the instruments update at 3 frames per second, and that’s apparent in the VSI 

instrument in my SimKits panel. I am aware that the VSI is a lag instrument, but the effect I’m seeing is the jerky motion 

of the servo / needle. 

Some of this jerky motion has been attributed to using non-powered USB ports. I’ve tried 3 different powered USB 2.0 

hubs from CyberMedia, Dynex, Targus and even the direct connection to the computer. I have still not been able to 

overcome this. 

The assembly of the general instruments is very easy and you can’t really mess it up. 

I give these instruments a rating of 9/10 for operation. 

Small Instruments (Fuel, AMP, EGT) 

These small instruments have always worked flawlessly for me. Each instrument utilizes two servo motors to turn the 

needles. They are extremely straight forward and they calibrate very well. 

I give these instruments a 10/10 rating for operation. 

Overall Instrument Comments 

One of the things that bugs me the most about the instruments is the poor lighting. All of the instruments use 5v lamps 

and they are extremely dim. They create a “cone” spanning from the top of the instrument to the bottom, so you actually 

can only see about 60% of the instrument when lighted. In my simulator, I installed some Glare Shield lighting to help with 

this. 

Next, a big complaint other SimKits builders have made is the fact that you have to glue the instrument together. Now, this 

is in the process of being fixed. Some of my instruments VOR1, VOR2, ADF have a long screw and a nut that affixes the 

front plate to the lower housing and allows you to avoid the glue. 

Overall, I think SimKits is on the right track to creating some really cool products. I just wonder how long before the quirks 

are ironed out. The only way to truly find out is to see what someone else has to say at a later date. 

Simkits Other Parts: 

In addition to instruments, SimKits also has other parts you’ll need to build your cockpit. Let’s take a look at them now. 



Annunciator Panel 

The GPS 

SimKits has designed a great looking Annunciator Panel replica for the Cessna aircraft. This is a great addition to the 

simulator and it works as designed. Full Test mode lights up all of the segments. There’s also a dimmer so you can flip it to 

dim. I’ve had occasions where the annunciator panel lit for low fuel, low voltage and etc, and I find this to be very cool! It’s 

also a checklist item to test it! 

I give this panel a rating of 10/10 for operation. 

Digital Clock 

A replica of the Davtron 800 Electric clock, this SimKits clock is very neat. You can watch your outside air temperature, 

voltage (even drops when the alternator is turned off), flight time, local time, enroute time and etc. The clock has a timer 

and works just like the real thing! 

I give this clock a 10/10 for operation. 

Flap Handle / Indicator 

The flap handle and indicator are also one of my favorite toys from SimKits. They are replicas of the Cessna 172 indicators 

and they work like a dream. The flap handle requires you to push the handle out of the detent and then change the 

position. It uses spring loading to do this. The flap indicator is a needle/lever mounted onto a servo motor which allows 

positioning that corresponds with your flap settings. I am highly impressed with this setup! 

The flap handle receives a 10/10 rating for operation! 

Trim Wheel and Indicator 

The trim wheel is a fair piece of equipment. Its size is scaled down to fit into the TRC472 panel that SimKits sells. It’s about 

1/3 the size of the real trim wheel in the aircraft. The wheel has about 7 turns of rotation and it spins a potentiometer to 

send the signal to the computer. 

The trim wheel indicator is basically a mechanism that uses a pin guided by the position of the trim wheel. When I received 

my trim wheel, the pin was missing, and I had to fabricate something to fix it, instead of waiting around for a pin to come 

in. The indicator is also complicated to determine if it’s positioned in dead center. You have to make a marking on the 

panel because there is no center mark. I would recommend putting an arrow pointing to the pin so that you can find the 

center. 

I give the trim wheel an 8/10 rating for operation. 

Throttles / Mixture 

The throttles and mixture controls are as real as they get. They’re the real thing! SimKits took the real controls and cut the 

cable off at about 8-10 inches of forward travel. They devised a mechanism which connects the throttle cable to a sliding 

potentiometer. 



One problem I had with the throttles and mixture is the retaining “collars” that they used on the throttle cable to guide the 

slide potentiometer were too small. This allowed the potentiometer tab to slip out of place and the throttle position would 

not change the potentiometer. I found some larger “collars” from a local hobby shop and put a washer on the inside of 

each collar to prevent the potentiometer from slipping. 

I give the throttles / mixtures a rating of 10/10 for operation – after I fixed them. 

SimKits Yoke 

The yoke is interesting. The price is rather high too, considering you have to assemble it yourself and its not much more 

than a few pieces of tack welded metal and some bushings. The standalone yoke can be purchased for around $415 US. 

The one major advantage of this yoke is that it can do full 180 degree turn (90 left, 90 right), which most commercial flight 

simulator yokes only do around 90 degree turn at 45 left, 45 right. This is what makes all the difference in realism and feel. 

One complaint I do have is that the handle is extremely cheap quality. It’s made out of very light weight plastic and the 

yoke itself has no weight. It just doesn’t have the same feel as the real airplane, or even the competing yokes on the 

market in the same price range. The handle itself is barely the quality of a CH Yoke handle. The SimKits Yoke does work 

well, but overall I would say it’s satisfactory. You’ll also need some type of controller to run this yoke, so plan to spend 

money on the central control board as well. There is no USB or even serial connection; you must have an external 

controller. Gotcha! 

No buttons, no POV hat, nothing. It’s just a basic yoke handle. You can install your own, but then you’ll have a headache 

figuring out how to hook it up to something. You’ll need a Phidgets (http://www.phidgetsusa.com) card or an Epic card to 

get the buttons working. 

One more thing to note: there are no crossover connector mechanisms for two yokes. That is something that you’ll have to 

design on your own. I’m working on one right now and I’ll post how I did it on my website in the future. 

I give the yoke a rating of 6/10 for operation. 

SimKits Controller Boards: 

At the time that I write this review, there are three controller boards available. They are: Central Control Unit (CCU) Single 

Engine / Multi-Engine, Standby Avionics Controller and the Radio Stack Controller. I own the Single Engine CCU and the 

Radio Stack Controllers. 

The CCU is proprietary in my opinion. You can’t really do much outside the box with them. They are designed to work only 

with SimKits instruments and equipment. The software that drives these instruments is designed for the specific purpose. 

Unlike Epic Cards or Phidgets, you can’t program anything extra for them unless you understand how to use the SimKits 

Software Development Kit (SDK). 

SimKits has recently released an announcement containing information about input / output boards. From my 

understanding, these boards will allow you to map inputs to the simulator and use them for whatever you desire. Phidgets 

(http://www.phidgetsusa.com) also has the same thing, and for probably a lower price. At least we have options! 


Prepping for installation The "guts" are in


Controller Board Problems 

When I first received my CCU, I received an older version (CCU1) which had been modified (by SimKits) to allow other 

instruments to function properly, such as the VOR and the Digital Clock. However, there was something wrong with my 

CCU and the digital clock and the VOR did not work properly, so I had to RMA it to SimKits. They sent me a new board and 

digital clock with an order that I placed and I returned the defective board and the other digital clock that was not defective 

back to them. The new CCU they sent me was the CCU2 and it worked just fine. I’m not sure how I ended up with the 

CCU1 in the first place, but overall, I’m up and running with the replacement board. 

Now, as described later in this article, my Radio Stack Controller is defunct and not working properly. I await an RMA to 

take place to get it fixed. See “Radio Stack Problems” later in this review. 

TRC472 Panel and Glare Shield 

The panel and glare shields are nice. You have an option to buy only half the panel, or the full panel. They also have wood 

or metal panels and panel enclosures. All the switches and instruments mounted without problem in the panels and the full 

size panel mounted in the actual aircraft like a champ! 

Even if you don’t plan to use SimKits, I think their panel and glare shield are a must have! You can always mount other 

things, or affix a monitor behind it. 

Just for your information, there is an alternative by FlightDeck Solutions. While it’s not as nice yet, it’s much less 

expensive. 

The Radio Stack: 

The radio stack is an impressive piece of equipment. There obviously was a lot of time, research and development that 

went into this Bendix King replica. Each radio is a separate unit which allows you to simply purchase only what you need. 

The dimensions, look and feel are the same as the real radios, making it an exceptional replica. 

You can purchase an entire tower enclosure for around $3600 USD if you want a desktop solution. 

The radios available are the following: 

KMA28 Audio Panel 

The Radio Stack 

The Audio Panel (COM Panel) is interesting. However, its quality is still to be desired. When you have a button depressed, 

such as NAV1, you can see the light glowing through the other buttons. I have discussed this with SimKits and they offered 

me a replacement when they get a better product made. 

The volume knobs do not work with FS2004, so they are really just eye candy, but that’s also understandable. You can 

change which radio you’re listening to by pressing the COM1, COM2 buttons, so that’s pretty nice to have when you’ve got 

4 frequencies setup for your airport departure / arrival. 



KX155A/165A NAV/COM 

The NAV/COM panels are the most used and they are very nice. I’ve yet to have a problem worth noting with them. They 

have standby frequencies on all stations, navigational operation modes (built-in CDI), frequency swap buttons, pull buttons 

for odd number frequencies, channels and much more. Very cool product! 

KN62A DME 

The DME is not really one of my favorites either. Its quality isn’t that great, however it works and that’s important. The 

slider switch is difficult to move because there’s not enough of it sticking out of the panel. You practically have to use your 

fingernail to switch the mode. This particular radio is also brighter than all of the others, so that is kind of annoying as well. 

KT76CT Transponder 

The Transponder is impressive. You have all of the modes of a normal transponder. In addition, you can see what flight 

level your transponder is squawking and you can also see a simulated radio sweep (the R) when the tower is painting you. 

One problem though. I’ve never been able to get my VFR button to switch to 1200. There is a CLR button there, and when 

I press that, it takes me to 1200. I think they may have cross wired or put something in the wrong place. 

KR87 ADF 

It’s an ADF! Since my ADF indicator doesn’t work well, I have not messed with this one that much. It does have a 

frequency swap and a standby frequency. SimKits is working on a new driver to handle the frequency changing a little 

better. Sometimes, you can skip numbers very easily, for example dialing 308 you can accidentally get 318 or 408 etc. It’s 

very sensitive to touch. 

KAP140 Autopilot 

The Autopilot module is also very nice. You have a complete range of functions. Altitude, Heading, Roll, Vertical Speed, 

NAV, APPR, and etc. It works very well and it’s a good module to have! 

Note: when using the Autopilot modules, you will have to center your trim wheel. There’s no interconnectivity between the 

two. The trim wheel has no inputs going to it to adjust the position based on what autopilot is doing. If you’re shooting an 

autopilot approach, and your aircraft is trimmed by autopilot, when you turn off the autopilot, you could get an adverse 

pitch in an instance. 

Radio Stack Problems 

I have personally had a few problems with my radio stack. For example, when I received the radios, the Autopilot 

segments would not light up. I decided to take it upon myself to investigate, so I took it apart and discovered that a 14 pin 

connector inside of it was misaligned and two pins were not inserted into the plug, while the other 12 pins were in the 

wrong slots. I was not very pleased with this because it obviously had not been tested before sent to me. To take the 

autopilot apart, I had to break apart a knob and then glue it back together. 

Next, I was overpowered by the brightness of the radio stack. The LCD screens were glowing so bright that I thought I was 

looking at the sun (mild exaggeration). After discussing it with SimKits support, I was advised to hook a potentiometer to a 

3 pin connector on the radio stack controller board to regulate the lighting. The board ships with a jumper across these 

three pins, grounding it out and making it full bright. After doing so, I was able to regulate the lighting down, but at the 

same time, I started losing the quality of the actual segments. I would still have this orange glow, although dim, it was still 

visible. The glow was the rectangular shape of the LCD. I am not pleased with the quality of the LCD segments and the 

ability to see the background. What is more displeasing, is the fact that the pictures on their website are 3d models and 

even their manual makes it look like a perfect product, when in reality, it’s of less quality. That’s one of the drawbacks of 

internet shopping. 

At one point, I had an RMA setup for my radio stack because the transponder stopped working properly and the audio 

panel stopped functioning. I fully tested everything out, disconnected and reconnected but no luck. After letting my 

simulator sit for a week without doing anything, it started working again. Luckily I was able to save myself an expensive 

shipping bill due to the issue magically sorting itself out. 

Dealing with the Company (Support, Sales, Customer Service) 



When building a project like I have done, you need close relations with the company who’s providing you with the product, 

especially if there are things that aren’t documented, or not easily found. Over the past 2 months, I have had good times 

and bad times when dealing with SimKits customer service / support. The bad times definitely could have been avoided, if 

they would have treated me with courtesy on those occasions they were annoyed at me for being so nit picky about the 

small details. 

Overall, the support staff answered my questions quickly, and most of the time gave me the answers I needed, even 

though there is a time difference of around 7 hours from East Coast USA to the Netherlands, and there’s also a language 

barrier. Overall, I think they’ve done a good job at answering straight forward questions. It’s the in-depth questions, or the 

problem reporting where the dark side shows. 

From my experience, they do not like you reporting (in private or not) defects or faults in their product (Altimeter, Radio 

Stack, etc) and things can get out of hand rather quickly. They appear to have a hard time accepting and end-user bringing 

light on a problem with their product. I have also had instances where attempts have been made to silence me on their 

forums and on my own personal website for discussing issues with the products in public. That is one thing that I do not 

respect in a company is when they try to censor people for discussing problems they’ve had, or discussing alternatives to 

their products. 

My Overall Recommendation 

Overall, I am very pleased with the end results of my simulator. It’s been a long road to getting here, and I can tell you 

that flying my simulator is a great experience. Sure, I’ve still got quirks to iron out, but that’s the name of the game. 

If you want to spend the money on something as elaborate as this, then go for it. I’d give my recommendation for SimKits. 

I’ve discussed the small problems I’ve had with their products and their support, but in the end, I know they’ll make things 

right with their product if they listen to the end-user and avoid showing resistance to change. 

If you don’t want to spend the money on the products, grab yourself an input / output card from somewhere for the 

switches, and then grab some wood and make a mask to place over a flat screen monitor. Make your own panels. It’s much 

cheaper and takes about the same effort for nearly the same result in the end. 

Be patient! Take your time. This is a product and a company that requires extreme patience to work with. 

Looking into the cabin while in flight The view from the "back seat" The view outside 

The Last Gotcha! 

The one shocking thing that I found out about SimKits is this disclaimer / “General Conditions” that is at the bottom of their 

manuals you download from their website (no, they do not ship you printed manuals). 

“SimKit products may only be used for personal entertainment and may not be resold or used to create Flight Simulators, 

PC ATD's or PC FTD's for resale as complete products. You must agree with the SimKits General Conditions before opening 

the plastic bags with parts. Opening the plastic bags means that you agree fully with the SImKit General Conditions. If you 

do not agree, you are entitled to send back the unopened kit for a full refund. No warranty applies to kits.” 

From my perspective, if I purchase a product, it becomes my property. I should be able to do whatever I want with it as 

long as I provide the proper liability for it. I own the property, and it should be my rights to resell it or do whatever I want. 



I would not expect SimKits to support someone I sold the product to, so I don’t see what the big problem is. 

This is almost like going to a lumber yard to buy wood for building a house. When you’re all loaded up and driving out of 

the parking lot, you see a sign facing you saying: “You cannot use this wood to build a house, and you cannot resell 

anything you make from the wood.” 

I can understand SimKits reasoning for the PCATD or PCFTD, because they probably do not want liability for any kind of 

accidents or false training someone may receive, however you can’t build a Flight Simulator? You can’t resell it when you 

get bored with it? That’s quite an expensive investment for something you may lose interest in, or want to get rid of at a 

later date. 

About The Author 

I have been an aviation enthusiast my entire life. At 28 years old, I’ve been working in the aviation industry for ten years. I 

started out as a C-130H Crew Chief for the United States Air Force, and then progressed into a C-130E Flight Engineer, 

where I finished my 10-year career in the US Air Force. I have been given the best aviation training possible, including 

advanced systems knowledge, performance data calculations, instrument training and more. I’ve logged nearly 1,000 hours 

as a Flight Engineer in the C-130 and I also flew quite a bit as a Crew Chief in my earlier days. 

Now, I am a private pilot and I enjoy flying Cessna 172 R / SP aircraft for fun. I am working on my instrument ratings and 

may go all the way towards the commercial ratings when time permits. As my personal project, I have built a Cessna 172 

R / SP replica using SimKits equipment and other fabricated parts that my friends and I have made. You may visit my 

project website to find out more information about my findings, experiences, and where to get things you need. 

I take aviation seriously, and with that in mind, I treat simulation no differently. I believe that simulation, when used 

properly, can aide and assist you in real world scenarios and also teaches you proper habits. 

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Standard Disclaimer 

The review above is a subjective assessment of the product by the author. There is no 

connection between the producer and the reviewer, and we feel this review is 

unbiased and truly reflects the performance of the product in the simming 

environment. This disclaimer is posted here in order provide you with background 

information on the reviewer and connections that may exist between him/her and the 

contributing party. 


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