Building a full-scale home cockpit rarely comes down to a single dramatic piece of hardware. More often, it is the accumulation of smaller decisions: panel dimensions, wiring standards, firmware, manufacturing methods and the redesigns that follow the first prototype.
525Charlie has relaunched with the aim of documenting that entire process in public. What began as Michael Badger’s personal build log for a full-scale Citation CJ4 cockpit has developed into a wider resource for builders, makers, pilots and flight simulation enthusiasts, centred on sharing the engineering behind the project rather than only displaying finished hardware.
From Build Log to Technical Resource
The redesigned website places the CJ4 build inside the Project Hangar, a structured journal covering the cockpit from its early concepts through CAD work, electronics, PCB development, 3D printing and final assembly. The project is being documented panel by panel, including prototypes, revisions, manufacturing decisions and lessons learned during development.
Alongside the journal, the expanding Tech Pubs library is intended to collect material that often becomes scattered across private folders. As individual components mature, 525Charlie plans to publish CAD files, KiCad projects, PCB manufacturing data, firmware, MobiFlight profiles, wiring diagrams, reference material, assembly notes and revision histories.
“The engineering work and lessons learned were just as valuable as the finished cockpit,” Badger explained in the project’s relaunch announcement.
A Community Built Around the Process
The new Crew Hub provides a searchable forum for technical discussions, tutorials, build logs and community projects. The goal is to keep useful information organised and accessible rather than allowing solutions to disappear inside fast-moving chat channels.
Free member accounts also connect the technical library and forum with My Hangar, a personal dashboard that currently allows users to add a home airport, link a VATSIM CID and manage aircraft and tail numbers. Further project tracking, build-log and flight-related features are planned as the platform develops.
525Charlie will continue sharing its underlying documentation openly, while professionally manufactured cockpit components are planned for builders who would rather purchase completed hardware. The site also offers custom airport artwork, with proceeds helping fund continued development of the cockpit and its freely available technical resources.
Although the current build focuses on the Working Title Citation CJ4 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, many of its design standards, electronics workflows and manufacturing techniques are intended to remain useful across other home cockpit and custom hardware projects.
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