BUILDING AN F-18
SIMPIT FOR DCS WORLD
A practical guide to building a DCS F/A-18C home cockpit — from a HOTAS on a desk (deskpit) to a full pit frame with physical panels. No upselling. What the pit building community has figured out over years of build threads.
Start with where you are in the build
The most common mistake in pit building is buying phase 5 hardware when you're at phase 2. Before committing to any hardware beyond a HOTAS, be clear about where you are:
- Deskpit: HOTAS and pedals on a desk, DCS on a monitor or in VR. No frame. This is a legitimate and functional setup — many people fly this way permanently.
- Dedicated setup: A sim chair or basic frame, head tracking or VR, starting to add physical panels. Phase 3–4.
- Full pit: A frame built to F-18 dimensions, working toward eliminating keyboard use entirely. Phase 5–6.
The goal most pit builders describe is being able to fly without touching a keyboard or mouse — "stop using the VC." Getting there takes time and happens in stages.
Phase 1 and 2: HOTAS, pedals, and head tracking
Nothing else matters until these are right.
Stick and throttle
- WinWing Hornet set: F-18-specific grips, solid SimApp Pro integration, currently the most value-for-money F-18 HOTAS available.
- VirPil MongoosT-50CM3 + WarBRD + F-18C grip: Higher quality, more adjustable, higher cost.
- Thrustmaster Warthog: The A-10C grip doesn't map as well to the Hornet. Functional but not the right choice for a dedicated F-18 pit.
Rudder pedals
Don't use twist-stick for rudder. VKB T-Rudder or MFG Crosswind are the standard recommendations. Either will last years.
Head tracking
- TrackIR 5: Still the standard for monitor setups. Fast, reliable, plug-and-play.
- OpenTrack + webcam: Free or near-free. Works well with a decent 1080p webcam.
- VR: The best DCS cockpit experience. Needs a capable GPU (RTX 4070 minimum for acceptable performance). In VR, physical panels matter more — you can't see a monitor without breaking immersion.
Phase 3: Console panels
Once HOTAS and head tracking are sorted, console panels are the next meaningful step. They're what starts to make the setup feel like a cockpit rather than a desk rig.
The key difference to understand is sync direction:
- Input-only panels (TekCreations, WinWing, most community builds): your switch inputs go into DCS, but DCS state doesn't come back to the panel. APU READY doesn't light up. Master Arm doesn't confirm. You check the screen.
- BuildACockpit panels: your inputs go into DCS and DCS state comes back to the panel via DCS-BIOS. APU READY illuminates. Master Arm confirms. Fuel low warnings appear on the panel. Particularly valuable in VR. Powered by the DCSPitHIDC board from DCSPit.com.
Phase 4: MIP and displays
- DDI displays: Secondary monitors running DCS exported displays via Helios or DCS-BIOS. OpenHornet community has DDI templates.
- UFC: Capt Zeen UFC kit is widely used. OpenHornet has an open-source UFC design.
- IFEI: OpenHornet's IFEI board is actively maintained.
- MFDs: Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs for a quick solution. OpenHornet or custom-printed frames for accuracy.
DCS-BIOS: how it all connects
If you're adding any hardware beyond a basic HOTAS — panels, UFC, displays, button boxes — you'll use DCS-BIOS. It's the open-source protocol that makes physical hardware talk to DCS. Install it before you start wiring anything.
DCS-BIOS is free: github.com/DCS-Skunkworks/dcs-bios. The Hoggit wiki has setup documentation.
Phase 5: Frame and seat
Desktop mounting
L-brackets from a hardware store or 80/20 aluminum extrusion are enough to hold panels at the right angle before committing to a frame. Many builders spend months at this stage proving out their layout.
Frame options
- OpenHornet: Open-source F-18 cockpit frame. 3D printable panels, community-maintained, most accurate to real F-18 dimensions. High build complexity. If you want to go full pit and don't mind a long project, this is the community's preferred path.
- TekFrame / Czar frames: Commercial aluminum extrusion frames. Dzus panel compatible — BuildACockpit panels fit directly. Faster than OpenHornet.
- Custom 80/20: Flexible, slower to design. Lots of examples in the ED Forums home cockpit threads.
A note on dimensions: the builder in the ED Forums thread at forum.dcs.world/topic/342370 worked from NATOPS plans blown up 400% and still found inaccuracies. Cross-reference multiple sources. The OpenHornet team has done the most rigorous dimensional work publicly available.
Phase 6: Motion (optional)
The BuildACockpit 3-axis motion platform reads DCS telemetry and moves in pitch, roll, and heave. Useful for carrier operations. Not required for the panels to function — it's a separate add-on.
Build order and rough costs
| Phase | What to buy | Rough cost | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOTAS + DCS + rudder pedals | $500–$900 | Functional flight controls. The foundation. |
| 2 | Head tracking or VR headset | $200–$800 | Situational awareness. Required to fly DCS properly. |
| 3 | Left + right console panels | See pricing | Physical console controls. Starts eliminating keyboard use. |
| 4 | UFC, DDI displays, IFEI | $300–$700 | Main instrument panel functional. Less reliance on the VC. |
| 5 | Frame + seat | $500–$2,000 | Correct physical layout. Dedicated sim space. |
| 6 | Motion platform (optional) | See pricing | Physical G-force feedback. Carrier ops feel. |
Community resources
- ED Forums — Home Cockpits: forum.dcs.world/forum/181-home-cockpits/ — 3,700+ topics, build threads, DCS-BIOS support
- OpenHornet project: openhornet.com — open-source F-18 cockpit plans, active Discord
- r/hoggit: reddit.com/r/hoggit — main DCS subreddit
- r/homecockpit: reddit.com/r/homecockpit — dedicated pit building subreddit
- DCS-BIOS GitHub: github.com/DCS-Skunkworks/dcs-bios — documentation and releases
- DCSPit.com: Board documentation, standalone board purchase, config app
- PrototyperLab.com: Custom panel fabrication for builds beyond the standard BuildACockpit range