CH Products Flight Sim Yoke USB ( 200-615 )
by CH PRODUCTS
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List Price: Our Price: $104.77 You Save: $45.18 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $65.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of CH Products Flight Sim Yoke USB ( 200-615 )
Customer Review: Absolutely the best flight sim setup available
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start by saying that this setup is not for the typical gamer or the flight simmer that likes to yank n bank. This setup is more for fans of Flight Sim, and other more "serious" simulators out there that focus more on reality than action. That being said...For the price this setup cannot be beat. I treated myself to the CH Yoke Pro USB and USB Rudder Pedals about 8 months ago, and I am still greatly enjoying them today. I probably paid about twentyfive more for each (Fifty total) at that time, but even at that price it was a great deal considering the quality and entertainment I've received from them. I've always been a big fan of flight sims and I must say that this rig in conjuntion with MS Flight Sim 2004 is the best commercial flight sim there has ever been. The level of realism increases immensely with the use of the yoke and rudder pedals.
Also, with the number of buttons and levers on the yoke, you almost don't need to use the keyboad at all. Just about everything you need is right at your fingertips; Throttle, Mixture, Prop Pitch, Gear Up/Down, Flaps Up/Down, 8-Way View Hat, Rudder Trim, Elevator Trim, plus 4 other misc buttons to do more stuff with. Note that all of the buttons and levers can be customized to anything you like. MS Flight Sim immediately recognizes this yoke and sets it up with a default set of controls that does just about everything you need.
Another really nice feature is the rudder pedals have independant variable braking (something I didn't know that real planes even have) which means you can break the left and right wheels independantly. This is done by each foot pedal being pushed in the typical way a gas or break pedal would work on a steering wheel setup. This is not only used for braking, but also as an aid in steering. Of course the pedals also slide forward and back for rudder control, all exactly the way a real plane works. This adds an even higher level of realism that no joystick can reproduce.
A review would seem biased if I didn't mention something I didn't like about the product, but I can honestly say that I am perfectly happy with it, and have nothing bad to say. The yoke and pedals are built solid and meant to last, and the performance is flawless. So all I can say is if you enjoy flight sims, or if you're toying with the idea of getting your pilots license, then this setup is a must. I have no regrets on my purchase, and it's even cheaper now. I hope that doesn't mean they are going away, but if it does make sure to get one before they do.
Customer Review: Fly like an eagle!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
First of all, let me commend Amazon for such fast shipment. It shipped Jan 2nd at 6:58pm and I was hooking it up on the 3rd at 6:30pm.
I've been playing with flight sims for all my life, starting with the good old Sublogic Flight Simulator II on Commodore 64. Yes, that's 5fps and the plane sounded like a mad bumblebee, but it was afterall a flight sim. I had FS98 for a while but got rid of it because I was into racing games. Well, FSX comes out and I'm absolutely amazed that such a program could suck up 2gigs of ram and every last bit of processor at the highest quality graphics.
At any rate, I got back into flying. Forget fast cars and shooting games, there's nothing like taking to the sky on a 15" widescreen laptop (the real thing's too expensive). I was currently trying to fly with my Logitech G25 steering wheel... Good for cars, bad for planes. Yeah, I could "steer" but had no elevator control (unless I used the gas and brake as the "elevator" but that's not real).
Enter the CH Flight Sim Yoke USB. This is the most SIMPLEST thing to install. Just clamp it to the desk and plug it in. Windows detects it and it's already calibrated. I fired up FSX and without any major configuration, I was able to throttle up and fly. Many of the buttons are also configured for you such as flaps, landing gear, flour bomb (LOL), directional hat, views, and rudder trim. There's also an elevator trim wheel on the unit.
While it doesn't have force feedback, it feels very real. The springs are very tight and you have to PULL to make the plane take off. Flying is a breeze (pun intended) and feels as real as it's going to get on a computer.
My only complaints with the unit are the plasticy throttle levers and toggle switches. They should have given the throttle some kind of resistance like a real one and those toggles should give you a good "click-click" when used. I guess maybe a trip to Radio Shack and a little warranty-voiding might do it some good.
Plastic buttons aside, this is THE controller if you want to fly. I know there are others WAY more expensive than $109.00 but this one is about as fun as it gets.
Customer Review: Not what I was looking for...
Summary: 2 Stars
I have owned both a Microsoft Force Feedback and Force Feedback 2 joystick. Both of which I love for the accuracy in which they faithfully translate my input to what I deem realistic movement of the flight controls. This is to be expected by a digital joystick which all Force Feedback controllers are.
I purchased the Flight Sim Yoke USB and Pedals because I realized when I decided to start actual flying lessons, my familiarity with the flight controls of a Cessna 172 wasn't instinctual. This was not an issue until I was performing cross-wind landings and had to "think" about what I needed to do with my feet and hands to hit the touchdown marker aligned with the runway to "take out the crab".
For the price of a single flight lesson, I purchased the CH Products yoke and pedals in order to practice my flight control inputs to the point they would become instinctual. However since these devices are analog, they do not respond as well as the digital devices I was accustomed to. I found myself having to increase the "dead-zones" as the yoke would not necessarily return to neutral and therefore I had to make more accentuated movements simply to control the plane. This became a much less realistic experience than expected and thus a bit of a disappointment.
In the end, I have gone back to using my Force Feedback 2 as it is a much more pleasurable experience and I will wait (and hope) that someone introduces a digital flight yoke and pedals so that realism and accuracy are both accomplished. I would even pay 50%-75% more to have this feature as in the end it would have value as well as ROI when compared to the cost of actual flight time.
Customer Review: Best yoke for the price...and just plain great!
Summary: 5 Stars
See my full review with photos on my website (look it up by my name).OPERATION: I used the CH Products Flight Sim Yoke with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 A Century of Flight. Flight Simulator immediately recognized the yoke at startup and already had all the buttons mapped. I changed them to my preferences using the setup panel in FS. On my first flight I noticed that the elevator was really jumping around. It wouldn't stay where I put it! I really thought the yoke was broken. Then a very distant memory began to emerge from my checkered past. I recalled that I still had my old Gameport joystick plugged in...problem solved. These USB devices do not work with Gameport devices.
The yoke felt very much like the Cessna's that I fly (C172R), albeit a bit lighter weight. The resistance was a little surprising, very stiff, which is good for cross country flying. It took a little getting used to the button locations, especially the hat switch, but after a few hours it falls right into my grasp. Having an 8-position hat switch sure makes the landing pattern easier to fly, and with all the buttons on the yoke I don't need to touch the keyboard. The trim wheel was very stiff, so I wouldn't use it to trim the airplane, just to adjust the joystick centering during calibration.
SELF CENTERING OR NOT???
I was concerned about the lack of center detent when I initially read the literature. But this doesn't mean the joystick doesn't self-center. It snaps back to center with about 1/4 inches of center play, just like in a real airplane.
Customer Review: This is so cool!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered the yoke and rudder pedals for my 45th birthday and got FS2004. First I want to mention how fast they came. I ordered them both on Sunday afternoon. I received the rudder pedals on Tuesday afternoon (yes, two days) and the yoke on Wednesday (three days). The amazing thing about that is that it came that fast even though I used the free shipping option.
I has FS2000 several years ago and had a joy stick to use. That was nice but I wanted it to be more realistic. That is why I got these things. They work great. I plugged them in and everything was pretty much set. I tweaked the sensitivity and the null zones a bit and that was about it. The yoke and pedals make the whole fight sim seem more realistic and enjoyable. Now I am not a pilot so I cannot speak with authority at to how realistic it makes things but it at least seems more realistic. I am thoroughly glad that I made the plunge.
As to the quality of the products, they seem fine and sturdy to me. Yes, I did have to use a 1/2" x 2" x 18" piece of wood I had laying around as a shim to get the yoke to attach to my pull out keyboard tray but it works great. The only complaint that I can really come up with is that the elevator trim wheel does not give the full range of trim, only a short way up and a short way down. Not a horrible thing seeing as the buttons can be programed to be used as the trim. Not as realistic, but I can certainly live with it.
Overall, they are great and I certainly would recommend them.