INTRODUCTION

   If you grew up in the 80's like i did movies like Firefox, Airwolf, Top Gun, Iron Eagle and Firebirds (even though this was released in 1990) probably made you want to be a fighter pilot when you grew up (and some of you probably did). Well, i know they had that influence on me and even though i never did follow up on that i always found comfort playing all the latest flight and space simulator games, not only in the Amiga 500/Plus but also PCs. Still back then we had no serious flight sticks and even though Thrustmaster did eventually equip us with some there was always the need for better positioning something which one couldn't really achieve with a chair and a desk (even mods didn't help much). Fast forward to today however and things are vastly different, not only due to the large selection of available flight sticks in the market but also due to the introduction of simulator cockpits both for flight and racing simulator fans. Next Level Racing is pretty much the pioneer in this specific segment of the market and today I’ll be testing their popular F-GT Simulator Cockpit.

   Founded in 2009, Next Level Racing is the world's leading simulation brand revolutionising simulation with its industry leading product range. The clear focus of the award winning brand lies in innovation and quality to meet the demanding need of sim racers and gamers. Next Level Racing® continues to lead the market with innovative designs and technology. As well as a strong presence and partners in the global gaming industry Next Level Racing® also is an official PlayStation® licensee and official Global Sales Partner with Thrustmaster®. As a company Next Level Racing® has pride in challenging the industry with world-class products and has a passionate and innovative global team that continues to push boundaries. The Next Level Racing® range of products are sold in more than 40 countries and stocked by major retailers around the world, check out our BUY page to find your closest reseller. For more information, visit our contact page and follow Next Level Racing on Facebook and Instagram.

   The F-GT is primarily a racing simulator cockpit (made out of carbon steel) which means that aside its seat which can be configured in two different positions (for GT and Formula 1 racing) it also comes ready with a center mount for a racing wheel, side mount for a gear shifter (can be placed either left or right) and of course a front mount for pedals (which can be configured in 3 different positions). After that you can choose to pair the F-GT simulator cockpit with several different types of monitor mounts the most "compact" of which is the F-GT monitor stand (also made out of carbon steel) which i decided to get for this review. This particular model gets attached at the front of the simulator cockpit and can be used to mount either a single 65-inch screen or up to three 27-inch ones (60Kg max weight limit). Obviously since flight simulators are just as important for me as racing simulators i also got the Combat Flight Pack by Next Level Racing which packs two side mounts, one for a flight stick (you may also decide to use the center mount for this) and one for the throttle (basically replacing the gear shifter mount). Needless to say, simulator cockpits still need to be equipped with many things to become functional and luckily as you'll all see later on thanks to EIZO, Thrustmaster and Club3D i have everything i need for that.