As long as we now have a certified MS Flight Simulator expert in-group,
with MXSMANIC, I may as well ask some sim advice...

Every Tuesday night we have "Movie Night" at the inn, where we show
free aviation movies in our theater. The theater has a 104" screen,
with a high-def projector hooked up to DVD/VHS -- and a PC.

Before (and, sometimes, after) the movie, we hold flight simulator
sessions, using both MS Flight Sim and X-Plane. This is a lot of fun
(that big screen is WAY cool for sim flying!), but the joystick
generates a significant number of "complaints" about how unrealistic
the controls are. And I agree.

Bottom line: Flying a Skylane with a joystick is just....wrong.

Sooooo...I've purchased the CH brand of yoke/throttles and rudder
pedals, all of which should be delivered early this week. These will
go a long ways toward making the flight experience a LOT more
realistic, but getting the controls into the correct ergonomic position
for users will be difficult in the theater, soooo:

See: http://www.avshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=6531

I tested this unique rig at Oshkosh this year, and found it to be
PERFECT for the task, and I'm thinking about either purchasing one or
having my A&P weld up something similar. Before I go to this extreme,
however, (well, what *I* think is extreme) how do YOU "fly" your sim
set up? What, in your opinion, is the best cockpit set up for
"piloting" a sim?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"