Pilot report / Vienna, Austria

A physical Hornet.
A virtual mission.

Known online as Armchair_pilot, this Dogfight Dynamics customer built an F/A-18C flight deck that can move between a triple-display visual system and Meta Quest 3 mixed reality.

Aircraft
F/A-18C Hornet
Simulation
DCS World
Visual system
Triple display + mixed reality
Armchair_pilot's complete F/A-18C home cockpit
Client installation / Vienna

Built to be flown

The hardware disappears. The aircraft takes over.

The structure establishes the physical geometry of the Hornet around the pilot. From there, illuminated controls, exported instruments, flight hardware, displays, and room lighting turn the installation into a complete operating environment.

This is a genuinely integrated build: Dogfight Dynamics structure and cockpit hardware provide the foundation, while the customer selected third-party avionics, panels, controls, displays, and software to match the way he flies.

The result works in two distinct modes. Triple displays make the cockpit easy to share, while Meta Quest 3 passthrough preserves the physical switches and controls inside the virtual DCS World canopy.

System briefing

One cockpit. Two ways to enter the mission.

The client’s public build log documents both the physical installation and its evolution into mixed reality.

Armchair_pilot's illuminated F/A-18C cockpit and triple-display system
Illuminated cockpit / Triple-display configuration
01Dogfight Dynamics foundation

Cockpit structure, canopy bow, and selected instrument hardware establish the Hornet’s physical envelope.

02Multi-vendor integration

The customer combined the structure with his preferred panels, avionics, controls, display exports, and lighting.

03Mixed-reality operation

Meta Quest 3 passthrough keeps the real cockpit visible while DCS World supplies the aircraft and outside environment.

Original field notes

Follow the complete build.

Photography / Build galleryF-18 Home Simulator CockpitReddit / Armchair_pilot ↗ Video / Mixed realityDCS F-18 with Meta Quest 3Reddit / Armchair_pilot ↗ Video / In flightFirst mixed-reality air refuelingReddit / Armchair_pilot ↗

Your flight deck

Build the cockpit around your mission.

Start with individual hardware or commission a complete turn-key system configured around your room, controls, displays, and flying style.