About CockpitConnect
A hobby project where aviation passion meets engineering creativity — built in the Netherlands by Dennis van Dalfzen.
CockpitConnect is two things that share a name: a software product for home cockpit builders, and the personal cockpit builds of the person who makes it. This site keeps them apart — alongside general Learn guides on electronics, machining and techniques for any home cockpit.
The CockpitConnect product links physical cockpit controls to X-Plane 12 datarefs: ESP32 controllers on WiFi, a local Bridge, and the simulator as the source of truth — making it possible to swap between PCs without reconfiguring anything locally.
It is built for any home cockpit, not just the ones on this site.
The cockpit builds are Dennis's personal projects: a Boeing 737 MAX and a Cessna 172SP with a full Garmin G1000 glass cockpit, built from scratch and connected to X-Plane 12.
Each build is documented in detail: CAD drawings, part lists, wiring diagrams, firmware, and step-by-step build logs.
My name is Dennis van Dalfzen and I live in the Netherlands. I work as a professional software engineer for more than 15 years, which means I spend most of my working days in front of a screen writing code. The cockpit builds are the counterweight to that: a creative, hands-on hobby that gets me away from the keyboard and into the workshop.
The motivation is simple — I have always been fascinated by aviation, and I enjoy making things with my hands. Building a cockpit combines those two interests with everything I already know: 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, electronics, soldering, and writing software. No part of the build is outsourced; if something needs to exist, it gets designed and built here.
This site exists to document the process honestly — including the mistakes — so that other home cockpit builders can learn from what worked and avoid what didn't.
What Goes Into a Build
FDM and resin printing for bezels, knobs, brackets, and structural cockpit frames.
Precision MDF and acrylic panels with engraved legends, cut directly from Fusion 360 DXF exports.
CNC routing for larger wooden and acrylic structural parts that exceed what a laser cutter can handle.
Custom PCBs and hand-soldered assemblies with ESP32 microcontrollers, encoders, switches, and LEDs.
Working with physical materials — cutting, gluing, finishing, and painting panels and structural components.
Professional software engineer by trade — writing firmware, simulator integrations, and the tooling that ties everything together.
CockpitConnect is a place to document and share the work that happens in a home workshop in the Netherlands, built around a genuine interest in aviation and a drive to make things.
The name comes from the original goal: a reliable software layer to connect cockpit hardware to the simulator, without the fragility of USB-based setups. That goal grew into a full documentation site as each build became more involved and more worth sharing.
If you are building your own home cockpit and find something useful here, that is exactly the point. Feel free to reuse designs, steal ideas, and adapt whatever fits your project.