In this post, I want to share with you my week of building a flight simulator in a trailer. And let me tell you, it was an intense but super rewarding experience.

I was hired by a company called NextUp Aviation to build a fully functional sim in a 32-foot trailer they were customizing for events and training. They already had all the hardware ready to go, and my job was to bring it all together. The catch? I had just 6 days to do it—all while juggling space, tools, and an unfinished trailer build.

This build was packed with high-quality gear from some of the top names in the sim world:

Hardware

✔ Xforce PC – Comet System
✔ Altimeter Motives – Cessna 172 Full Panel

✔ RealSim Gear – Audio Panel and GTN750
✔ PropWash Simulation – Autopilot, Dual Radio, Transponder
✔ Desktop Aviator – Switch Panel, Parking Brake, Trim Wheel, Fuel Select Panel

✔ Redbird – YK1 yoke, TH1 throttle, RD1 rudder pedals
✔ Next Level Racing – Flight Seat Pro
✔ Buttkicker – Gamer Pro

✔ TCL – Three 65” TVs + Nine 32” TVs
✔ Acer – 23.8” Monitor
✔ Flight Sounds – DualPro-GA

✔ Logitech G – Extreme 3D Pro Joysticks

Let’s break down how the week unfolded.

I arrived in Victorville, CA, on Monday evening, grabbed some of the hardware, and started working right from my hotel room. That night, I installed the graphics card in the PC and got to work installing all the necessary software:

Air Manager

RealSim Gear plugins

Altimeter Motives drivers

PropWash Simulation plugin

And of course, X-Plane 12

The next morning, I visited the trailer, but it wasn’t ready! The custom build crew was still working on finishing the walls, ceiling, electrical, and lighting. Since space was tight, I waited for their lunch break to unbox the larger hardware and assembled the Flight Seat Pro.

I used that time to plan the layout, take measurements, and make a shopping list of everything I still needed… USB hubs, extension cords, HDMI cables, DisplayPort adapters, and other build essentials. That night, back at the hotel, I started assembling the Altimeter Motives panel.

This day started with a trip to Best Buy, Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s to grab the gear on my list. Unfortunately, the trailer work still wasn’t done, so we had to work around each other, which definitely slowed things down.

Still, I got to work building the bottom half of the desk using MDF wood. Because the sim would be transported inside the trailer, everything needed to be sturdy and secure. My focus was on building a flight simulator with a solid base for the components that wouldn’t budge in transit.

By day four, I realized I was running out of time. So I put the camera down and got to work… no distractions.

I finished building the upper frame to mount the Altimeter Motives panel, then painted the entire structure black. While the paint dried, I installed the TVs and secured the desk. I spent the rest of the day organizing cables, connecting everything to the PC, and testing the hardware. Once everything powered up, I started mapping controls in X-Plane and configuring the avionics layout.

The final two days were all about tightening everything up. I focused on configuring the triple monitor display, adjusting graphics settings, and dialing in the basic sim functions. Here’s what I got done:

Instrument Panel Setup

Triple monitor setup for immersive visuals

Buttkicker installed and running

Installed custom scenery and weather plugins

Tuned some flight model settings in PlaneMaker

I couldn’t fully replicate my home sim’s depth of detail, but I prioritized reliability and core functionality.

Final Thoughts

Building a flight simulator in a trailer in just one week was no joke! Between the tight space, working around construction crews, and a hard deadline, there were definitely moments of stress. But seeing it all come together and hearing how impressed people were at the first event made it totally worth it.

If I could do it again, I’d definitely set aside two weeks instead of one. But I’m proud of how it turned out, and it’s cool to know that something I built is now being used for aviation outreach and training events.

Want to see how the final setup turned out? Check out the footage in the video from NextUp Aviation’s first event… it’s a beauty.