Flight Simulator Cockpits

Hagstrom Electronics - if you are happy with glass displays for output, but need buttons, switches and knobs, get the KE-USB-108. It provides a method for toggle switches being turned on and off, rotary encoder decoder boards (for your knobs). The only problem with this approach is if you may want to turn LEDs on and off. It is the simplest solution I have found.

I received the acrylic panels in the mail yesterday.  I made the mistake of ordering white acrylic with 40-50% light transmission, and find that it transfers TOO MUCH light.  I have placed another order last night, but for a white acrylic with about a 20% light transmission.  That should allow the paint to stop the rest of the light.  I will then use a pantograph engraver to cut away the paint for the letters.  I found a used panto-engraver on e-bay for $350.  You can also build one very easily...just go to the instructables.com website for the instructions.  They show how to build o

Like everyone else here, I am building a cockpit.  I have a farily good background in simulation, since I was a staff systems engineer at Link Flight Simulation, and was a sim tech in the USAF.
My main problem is in the fabrication of the cockpit.  The electronics I am fine with.   I want to build a fairly generic aircraft around an F-22 or F-16 cockpit.  Unfortunately, I am not rich, and am not crackerjack with lumber....I am going to have to be careful.,,,but I hope I can do it.