Homemade Motion Simulator Is Like a Spaceship in Your Living Room

DIY flight simulators have been around since the desktop PC became affordable. Some hobbyists go all out and build a recreated cockpit using large displays as windows to simulate flying, which is incredible in itself but doesn’t really give the pilot that feeling of flight.

To get that feeling you would normally turn to professional simulators that move hydraulically and feature realistic flight controls. Since those types of simulators are usually restricted to professionals, some hobbyists such as Gago Meisler turn to the technology at hand to create their own realistic homemade motion simulators.

Gago designed his DIY 6-DOFMotion Platform using a wooden carriage that moves and tilts using a series of linear actuators and different Unite motors. To get that feeling of flight through movement, Gago programmed his actuators to move in sequence with the Flightsim controls, almost in the same fashion as professional mockups.

The setup looks bare next to other simulators, however Gago doesn’t need a myriad of controls or massive displays to simulate flight. Instead, he makes use of the Oculus Rift VR headgear, which features immersive views no matter where you turn your head.

Home made Actuator without security housing.

Platform fully assembled.

Lower end of the actuators, tightened to metal to provide stability.

Gago’s cockpit consists of Saitek flight controls and a PC keyboard to fly virtually.

The Oculus was paired with Lockheed Martin’s prepar3D and DCOC-Extension for head tracking while using Flightsim software. This lets him ‘see’ virtual controls and airspace as though he was sitting in a real cockpit, which judging from the YouTube video looks impressive to say the least.

For more details on how he built it all, and many more videos, check out his site.