Home Flight Simulator for Sale, 7 Ways to Choose

7 Ways to Choose the Best DIY Flight Sim | Home Flight Simulator For Sale

You’re looking for a home flight simulator for sale and you come across two similar DIY projects. How do you tell the two apart? The DIY Deluxe Desktop Flight Sim and the DIY Triple Screen Flight Sim are similar, but there are some significant differences too. Here are 7 ways to choose the best multi-screen DIY Flight Sim for you.

Note: for brevity, you’ll see me refer to the projects by their item numbers.
Item #D250: DIY Deluxe Desktop Flight Sim
Item #T440: DIY Triple Screen Flight Sim

1. Adaptability

The D250 Deluxe is much more adaptable than the T440 Triple Screen.
D250: You can build the D250 with a yoke and throttle quadrant, or pair it with one of the DIY floor frames so you can use HOTAS style controls or even a helicopter collective. Match the D250 with the #F311 Side Joystick Frame, the #F321 Center Joystick Frame, or the #F331 Easy Helicopter Collective.
T440: On the other hand, the T440 is great with a yoke and throttle quadrant as originally designed. But if you want a joystick and side throttle, you would need to invent some modifications.

 

2. Recent Work

The D250 instructional video is much newer than the T440.
T440: I produced the T440 video in 2011 as a part of a successful Kickstarter campaign. I had a very short amount of time to design and build the project and a short time to film, edit, and publish the video. It’s still a great project though.
D250: I produced the D250 video in 2016 so it has better lighting, better sound, I used a better camera, and I had more experience editing than I did in 2011.

 

Deluxe Desktop Flight Sim with Side Joystick Frame
Deluxe Desktop Flight Sim with Side Joystick Frame

3. Displays

The D250 has larger screens.
D250: I used 32” HDTVs for the three main displays. The combined screen width is over 6 feet wide.
T440: I used 24” monitors for the three main displays. The combined screen width is less than the D250, but still impressive.

 

4. Keyboard Modification

The T440 was designed to have an overhead panel like an airliner. For this reason, the T440 Triple Screen bundle includes the DIY Airliner Keyboard Modification. The D250 doesn’t have a place for an overhead panel.

 

Home flight simulator for sale, how to choose the best
Home flight simulator for sale

 

5. Styrofoam

The T440 has Styrofoam, the D250 does not.
Builders use ½” styrofoam sheets when constructing the T440 Triple Screen project. Styrofoam may be cheap or expensive depending on where you live in the world.

 

6. Instrument Panel on a 4th Monitor

T440: You will see several builders in the Customer Gallery added a 4th monitor to display the flight instruments. I didn’t include anything about that in the instructions, those clever builders modified their projects on their own.
D250: I included instructions to add an optional 4th monitor for the flight instruments.

 

DIY Easy Helicopter Collective
DIY Easy Helicopter Collective paired with the Deluxe Desktop Flight sim

 

7. Ease of construction

I think the D250 is easier to build than the T440.
D250: The project doesn’t require gluing any Styrofoam panels in place. But the D250 does include 1×8 boards. If your saw won’t cut 1×8 boards, you’ll need to get that done at the store when you buy them.
T440: The project doesn’t require you to cut any lumber wider than a 1×6. You do cut Styrofoam with a utility knife, but it is not difficult just a little time-consuming.

 

Home Flight Simulator for Sale

You have a lot of choices when it comes to your home flight sim project. I hope this comparison helps you.

3 Comments

  • Jackson

    looking to build a flt sim for single 43″ flat screen & iPad w/center mount yoke – thinking the D250 – what are your recommendations?

  • Dwight Radnor

    I am going to purchase most likely the triple screen with the overhead. How do you get the 4th monitor displaying flight instruments? Is that in the program you buy? I’m trying to decide whether its best to purchase each individual flight instrument as in some of your pictures or have it completely displayed on a screen. Seems like it would be less expensive that way. Thanks!

  • Grae Hughes

    I just came across your site while doing a search for split screening. Great site and great work on your part.
    Thanks immensely!
    I plan to use surplus monitors laying around.
    Hope that’s going to work vs TV

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