For those who think the captain's home simulator is a red flag due to how complete it appears, take a quick look at Viperpit(s).org. You'll see multiple examples of F-16 cockpits that put the captain as well as Hollywood to shame, complete with fully operational displays, gauges, buttons and switches, all connected to free software (BMS 4.32) that does a damn good job of simulating an F-16C Block 50/52.
The photo's I have seen of the Captains sim indicate to me it is little more than a toy.
I do NOT understand why someone with as much experience as this guy flying the real thing would build such a box, let alone use it! He could have used the Sim's at work, clearly he was senior enough to probably even bring friends in if he particularly wanted to.
I understand fighter combat sims and the like - they are good fun, but it is always acknowledged they are toys. In fact the 'good' sims to my mind are the ones that don't pretend to be anything else.
I accept there might be weirdo anorak wearing pilots out there who might want to make a cardboard (although cardboard is accurate, and most pilots have used them in basic training), milk carton, string and elastic band box painted to look like the one you are forced to spend 1000 hours a year in, but in 30 years I have NEVER met one personally. He clearly spent money on it, and for what it is its no doubt good, but if you have kids and don't fly I would liken it to something 'Mr Maker' on TV would create in comparison to a real FFS, let alone the aircraft.
That sim would give you basic terrain awareness - though no more than Google Earth and I would assume Flight Management Computer functions. NOTHING else would even remotely be like 'the real thing' nor even the 'real' MAS sim the guy could access whenever he wanted to. Any 'practice' he would get from that construction would be considered (IMHO) 'Negative Training'. In other words, using it would lessen your physical flying skills on the 'real thing'.
Ive got 15,000 odd hours in Boeings and extra in full flight sims. The last thing I would be doing is building one at home so I can pretend I am at work when I am at home. I have enough manuals to read already without having to create others myself to explain to me how to fly a box I built for fun
As an aside, I spoke with a mate of mine who flies tripplers and I asked him how his gold stealing plans are progressing. He said he would have 50-60 tonnes on board every time he takes off from one particular airport but T7's are actually quite hard to hide. He's not giving the problem his full attention obviously, but it's not something you would just wake up one night and think 'Ive got a really great idea to try sometime'...