A brand new piece of hardware will finally go on sale via Kickstarter tomorrow allowing simmers to have an authentic Airbus FCU hardware in their home. MiniCockpit has been hard at working on the miniFCU to give at-home simmers the chance to interact with Airbus controls in a realistic manner.
MiniCockpit has been founded by Airbus pilots Chit Lau and Geoffrey Wu, who felt there was a need for a realistic piece of kit that gave simmers the chance to recreate feeling of using an Airbus FCU at home. The miniFCU is a compact piece of kit, but still looks and will feel as close to the real-thing as possible. Take a look at the comparison image below.
The unit itself offers a plug-and-play feature for effortless use. Crafted with a molded plastic housing, the miniFCU incorporates custom buttons and switches to deliver an authentic experience. Its push/pull switches utilize advanced optical technology, ensuring a true-to-life feel and maintaining the same count-to-revolution specifications found in the Airbus FCOM.
Designed to closely resemble the real FCU, the panel is fully back-lit, and every button is meticulously crafted for maximum resemblance. The miniFCU’s LCD screen is custom-made to precisely replicate the Airbus FCU in terms of design, typeface, and color. The EXPED (Expedite) button, although less frequently used, provides added flexibility by allowing you to toggle between LS (ILS information) or FD (Flight Director) settings, adapting to your preferences when using the miniFCU.
The Kickstarter begins at 16:00 UTC on 31st May 2023 and you will be able to get your very own order in. On launch day, you will be able to get yourself one for just $99 USD. This is limited to the first 1000 units and only available for the first 24-hours. After that, pricing starts to go up
Pricing
Launch Day Special: US$99 (Limited to 1,000 units, available only for the first 24 hours of the Kickstarter campaign from 12:00 EDT on May 31, to 12:00 EDT on Jun. 1)
Super Early Bird: US$129 (Limited quantity, but NO time limit!)
Early Bird: US$159 (Limited quantity, NO time limit)
Kickstarter Special: US$199 (Available until the Kickstarter campaign concludes)
Kickstarter Bundle x2: US$298 (Limited quantity, but available until the end of the campaign)
Compatability
The miniFCU will be compatible with X-Plane 11 and Microsoft Flight Simulator. They have confirmed that for X-Plane, the following plans will work with it: ToLiss A319/321/320/340, FlightFactor A320, X-Plane 12 (Default) A330, JARDesign A320. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, the default Airbus A320NEO works, along with the FlyByWire A32NX and also the Headwind A330NEO. The team are in contact with Fenix and Aerosoft about their respective Airbus products.
Availability
The Kickstarter goes live tomorrow, with the first round of shipments to begin in November 2023.
