Airbus A320 Flight Control Unit Build

Why I Built an A320 Flight Control Unit

My interest in aircraft started long before I ever opened a circuit board — it began with the idea that thousands of aircraft fly overhead every day, guided by complex systems that look invisible from the ground. When I first started flying the Airbus A320 in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I was fascinated by the cockpit layout. The Flight Control Unit (FCU) immediately caught my attention — it’s the brain of the autopilot, helping pilots control heading, speed, altitude, and vertical speed with precision.

At first, I used only the mouse to interact with the FCU in the simulator, but it quickly felt limiting. Pilots don’t drag a cursor; they interact instinctively with knobs and buttons. I wanted the same tactile feel — something closer to the experience real pilots have.

DIY Airbus A380 Flight Control Unit (FCU)

This project wasn’t only about aviation — it was about bringing software into the physical world, and proving that even a simple idea can take flight when you build it yourself.

Through this project, I also learned about Arduino interfacing, hardware-software integration and signal mapping in flight systems. More importantly, it taught me how to solve problems with creativity and available resources.

My Ferrero Rocher FCU might look unconventional especially with the finishing look it now has, but it perfectly does the job and I enjoyed learning throughout its making process.

That’s when the idea formed: why not build my own FCU?

I didn’t have a 3D printer or premade chassis, so I used what I could find — including a Ferrero Rocher chocolate box as the enclosure. Inside, I installed rotary encoders, push buttons, an Arduino Mega, and a 16×2 I2C LCD. Using Mobiflight, I mapped every control to the A320’s systems. It took a lot of debugging, rewiring, and improvising, but the first time I turned a physical knob and watched the aircraft respond instantly — it felt real.