MiGMan
MiGPit F-117 Stealth Fighter
MiGPit Mk.VI Gallery | April 2023. Aircraft by Aerial Simulations.
I've made only incremental changes in the past two years. But many many many incremental changes. The devil is in the details!
With over 200 physical switch inputs now available to me, the challenge has been to make assigments that flow across the types I like to fly, which are fighter jets, single engined prop aircraft and helicopters.
In parallel with switch assignments and instrument postions I gradually develop checklists for each aircraft. As the fleet (inevitably) grows, the need to standardise the cockpit workflow increases. I want to learn routines for managing the gear so I can focus more on the glorious world that Microsoft Flight Sim has delivered to us!
Inside my F-117 cockpit on the ramp at Sarajevo. Microsoft Flight Sim.Left side
The WINWING Takeoff and Combat panels are a game changer. They have analog axes which I use for mixture and prop pitch, In the Harrier I can use one to rotate the nozzles.
You can see I've assigned (and expertly re-labelled!) Pitot, Anti-Ice, Smoke, Reverse Thrust and just off to the bottom left Brake Chute.I use the Jettison stitch to control the drone camera. Push to activate, toggle left to reset, toggle right to allow access to flight controls when in drone mode.
The mini-joystick below that:
- Controls drone direction
- Pans the FLIR camera
- Push to toggle Park brake, as per the label.
Wing Fold I use to control some of the lights.
Right side
Elgato Stream Deck mini controls Little Nav Map on a computer separate to the sim machine. LNM then broadcasts the moving map to the lower right MFD.
I put together several pages of commands and some funky Ace Combat meets F-22 meets F-19 Stealth Fighter icons. Really adds to the atmosphere and it works!
The panel is Air Manage on an android tablet. The reason I delegate the map to the lower MFD is I wanted the radar altimeter and G meter to be in my immediate field of view.
Top 3 panels are Air Manager, bottom left is Sim Dashboard, then an Elgato Stream Deck and on the right Little Nav Map running in Chrome.I also use the lower right MFD to read my checklist and flight briefings, and match the briefing pictures to what I am seeing out the window.
Now that I mention it... I could also multi-task the top right and top left MFDs to checklists and briefings too. Incremental improvements!
It doesn't take expensive gear to create immersion.
I use a paper scratch pad mounted on a springy arm. $5.00 at Officeworks.
High tech and low tech.In summary, I've finally achieved the fun I had in 1988 with F-19 Stealth Fighter on my Atari ST!
Definetely worth it!