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: Over six years of happy ownership and counting!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have this with the USB Pro rudder pedals, and both have performed flawlessley through three versions of MSFS up to FS9, three home-built PCs, three different MS operating systems, and three different desk designs. As a real world Cessna 172 pilot, I think this offers the best bang for the buck.
There are better and more realistic flight controls out there, but they cost 5-10x as much. Quick off-note about the pedals: I don't think the CH rudder pedals are very realistic because most aircraft rudder pedals are mounted in such a way that the heels of your feet are on the floor and you use the top half of your feet for rudder movement. You only plant your entire feet in the pedals off-floor when reaching up for the toe brakes (the 4 different types I've flown anyway including a 414 twin). However, for the money, the CH pedals are close enough.
But back to the yoke, yes, the mounting can be challenging, but every desk is designed a little different. You have to make adaptations for your application. On one of my desks, I had to use a small 1/2" piece of wood to make the clamps work underneath. In any event, if you can't find a way to mount this, then you are either in the wrong hobby or need to find a new desk that better mounts steering wheels and yokes. It's as simple as that.
Overall, this is an inexpensive way to get the feeling of what it's like to really fly. Of course, there's always the $100 introductory flight at your local FBO.
Customer Review: Great for flight sim enthusiasts
Summary: 5 Stars
As I've said in the title, this yoke is great for flightsim enthusiasts. As such, the review will frame it in this context.
There are two caveats and one suggestion, however:
(1) Numerous reviews here slight the yoke for its inability to clamp down on thin desktops. I used to have a solid, 2"-thick desktop when I used this (see my MS Flight Simulator 2004 reviews), and it worked beautifully. I could suggest using either a phone book or block of wood as a caul if your desk is thinner than about 1". I don't see why a bit of scrap wood and neoprene or a couple of large rubber bands wouldn't hold the yoke quite well. Remember - my experience with this is in flight SIMULATION - not combat - so I'm not violently jerking the yoke all over the place.
(2) The CH equipment (flight yoke and pedals) ate up 100% CPU on Windows XP PRO, SP1. This was fixed by installing the software drivers that came with the hardware. Simple fix, I know, but it was initially alarming to see the CPU get pegged by "a joystick device".
And the recommendation: Buy this with the pedals to get the full effect. With features like toe brakes, you can conduct more true-to-life turns and taxiway movement, to say nothing of applying correct rudder to slew around a turn. I would also recommend buying a powered USB hub with these two devices, as many people have more than just these two devices they'd like to plug into the computer at one time.
Customer Review: Flies so well it overcomes all else!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, I've found the quality control isn't great, the product has a cheap feel to it, and the desk mounting/design is somewhat lacking, BUT THIS CH PRODUCTS FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB MAKES FLIGHT SIMMIMG SO REALISTIC....IT OVERCOMES ANY OTHER ISSUE!
That's right, if you've spent any time at all in Cessna's or real general aviation aircraft, you CAN'T flightsim realistically WITHOUT this yoke! It's like being there, which after all is the POINT of flight-simming, right?
Problems specifically: 1. One of the holes which takes the desk-mount bolt was stripped in the first one of these I received. INEXCUSABLE. Shows that typical lack of quality-control disdain. What does it take to thread in one of 2 bolts before shipping? 2. The desk mounting system is unique but fails on some thicknesses/surfaces of tables. You pull back to climb...your dashboard pops off into your lap! End of flight. A long-bow C clamp system would eliminate this problem. (Email me CH.) 3. The cheap feel? Probably completely personal, and probably an unfair assessment...you should decide on your own when you buy this product...AND YOU SHOULD BUY THIS PRODUCT.
I own ALL of the stuff available in this field - I test it, try it out and, despite any complaints I might have: THIS PRODUCT IS THE SINGLE BEST PURCHASE I HAVE MADE RELATED TO FLIGHT SIMMING. Other than this opinion, I really like it too! You will too.
Customer Review: Whatta Christmas Gift!
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife got me this yoke for Christmas, not knowing whether I would like it or not. Truthfully, I didn't know whether I was going to like it, myself. I was very pleasantly surprised:
Installation was a snap. On Windows XP, I did't need to insert the driver disk. All I had to do was plug in the yoke to a USB port, and Windows XP installed the drivers from there. Calibration and testing was a snap, as was assigning the various buttons and controls to the yoke with Flight Simulator. My only gripe is that I had to then be very inventive (think: MacGyver) about how I was going to secure the yoke to my computer desk. Still, within 5 minutes of getting the yoke out of the box and plugging it into my computer, I was doing aerobatics with my new Flight Sim Yoke, making my wife dizzy in the process! :) I liked this product so much that I purchased the matching rudder pedals with some of my remaining Christmas money.
Flying with the yoke (and pedals) takes some getting used to, aerobatics aside, and I'm still getting a feel for all of the different aircraft. It's interesting to note that the bigger and heavier the aircraft, the easier it is to fly it. Go figure.
To summarize:
The pros: Lightning quick and easy setup. Fun!
The cons: You will need to engineer some kind of mounting system to secure the yoke to your desk.
Customer Review: Controlling Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
My review of this product is using X-Plane Version 9. In a previous review of CH Products Rudder Pedals, I spoke of my transition from keyboard control of flight simulators along my particular path. The next best thing to a control wheel is a joystick with twisting action. Having said that, there is still no real comparison to the CH Control Yoke, except maybe a real airplane control yoke.
I recently upgraded from an adapted joystick with few functioning inputs to the CH Products Control Yoke. What I was missing could add ten things to a long list of wishes.
It surprised me to feel and see the differences that this great device brought to my simulated flying. The Yoke has both centering aileron (roll) and elevator (pitch) inputs plus, 3-levers and 2-rocker switches on the main console. On the left hand grip there are 3-buttons and 1-rocker switch and on the right side there is a 8-way hat switch, 1-button. and 1-rocker switch.
I'm a licensed pilot, currently flying a Cessna 172. Adding a Control Yoke to my Flight Simulator adventures lets me realize how much I enjoy flying, whether be it for real or virtually real. The movement of the control wheel is smooth and right on. Having similar controls on the console lets me practice my movements in the real cockpit.
How nice it is to control reality flying with the Control Yoke!!