(Kickstarter now live!) MiniFCU announced, an Airbus-based autopilot panel for Flight Simulator

Updated, May 31st: MiniFCU has officially launched on Kickstarter and it’s taking the platform by storm! The crowdfunding campaign kicked off with an outstanding response, amassing over $230,000 in its initial hours, significantly surpassing the team’s goal of just under $13,000. Unfortunately, the opportunity to snag the device at the early bird price of $99 has passed, as the limited availability of these units was quickly exhausted. Currently, the estimated shipping date for the MiniFCU is November!

miniCOCKPIT has announced the development of a new autopilot control interface for flight simulators. miniFCU, created by two Airbus captains with a combined experience of over 18 years and more than 15,000 flying hours, will launch soon on Kickstarter, looking to offer unparalleled realism and support for various flight simulators, including Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The team behind miniFCU told us that this piece of hardware is designed to provide a true-to-life experience, replicating the same profile and control mechanism as the actual flight control unit on Airbus aircraft. The interface is 80% the size of the real thing, making it a near replica of the real world unit and seemingly a great addition to any flight simulation setup.

Featuring a custom-built LCD that is claimed to surpass generic displays, miniFCU promises to flawlessly emulate every intricate detail of the real unit. The typeface and color are represented with a great degree of realism, providing a rather impressive level of accuracy judging from the promotional images presented by the creators on the official website.

Airbus’s iconic push-pull knobs are also incorporated into the miniFCU design, embodying the elegant philosophy of human-airplane collaboration. Exclusive optical sensing technology ensures identical count per revolution as per the Airbus™ Flight Crew Operating Manual, with 32 clicks for surgical precision.

The launch of miniFCU is just the beginning. The creators plan to expand the functionality of flight simulation setups with other upcoming products like miniEFIS and miniECAM. This is most likely happening depending on the success of miniFCU, which is now available via a Kickstarter campaign. Prices will begin at $99, which is decidedly on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to this kind of hardware.

miniFCU presents a potentially interesting addition to the flight simulation market with its focus on providing a realistic control interface. As this project moves forward and approaches its Kickstarter launch, we will continue to track its development and provide updates on its progress. Stay tuned for future news on miniFCU!