![]() ![]() The final trick here is deciding on an order for the switches. (Shopping hint: It’s worth knowing the technical names of switches (SPST toggle, SPDT toggle, rotary, etc.) Search engines usually don’t know what you mean when you ask for “toggle switches.” A good place to learn about such things is here.) Most aircraft’s flaps also have at least three positions (the A-10C and the F/A-18 are examples), and those that only have 2 flap positions can use the 3-position switch just as well by only using 2 of the 3 positions. You could probably get away with just 2-position switches, but things like the jammer and dispenser controls in the F/A-18 are more immersive and true-to-form with a 3-position switch, and in some cases, it’s quite necessary, such as the Waypoint/Markpoint/Mission selector in the A-10C’s CDU. I used a spreadsheet to organize all those lists, and to line up 2-position and 3-position switches. It was also really handy to have them assigned to anti-ice systems like pitot heat and carb heat since those are things I frequently switch on and off. In other aircraft, like the 737 or GA aircraft, I used them for things like autopilot controls, external lights controls, emergency systems, etc. I hence added things like engine controls (engine run/stop, canopy controls, gear, flaps, etc.). During my prototype trial, I found I also liked having switches assigned to things I would usually use the keyboard for, as it increased the immersion noticeably. I recommend getting comfortable with a HOTAS before building a switch panel, as your needs may change based on your HOTAS. Ideally, this should include things that you need to access on short notice but don’t have room for on your HOTAS, such as master arm, backup flight control systems, jammer controls, countermeasure controls, etc. ![]() However, the idea stuck, and last summer, with nothing better to do, I figured I’d build my own. It was, of course, out of my price range, and I would have to do some serious re-labeling if I was going to use it for fighter aircraft, which is what I really needed a switch panel for in the first place. I’d seen a Saitek switch panel, labeled with general aviation style functions: external lights, magneto controls, landing gear, pitot heat, etc. This is when my brain called up a memory from a while ago when I was browsing flight sim hardware just for fun (my antisocial, nerdy version of window shopping at the mall). However, I’ve run out of buttons and switches on my HOTAS. Besides, I hardly ever use many of the switches in the cockpit, and even fewer are ones I have to access on short notice. I don’t have the money or time for a full-cockpit setup, and even if I did, I’m not going to build one for every aircraft I fly (there are many). After spending many years in the flight sim community and getting involved in ever more complicated aircraft, I found myself yearning for the ability to keep my hands on physical switches instead of trying to fly with my right hand while using the mouse in my non-dominant left hand to click little switches around the cockpit on short notice. ![]()
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