So...What did Santa Bring you?

You'll like it. Rudder pedals make a world of difference in crosswind
landings!

Yes, and rudders help takeoffs too. But I use FS to practice instrument
procedures and scan, so while it may feel good to land after an
approach, if I did a good approach, I really don't care whether I crash
afterwards or not.

That said, I do like it. It takes some getting used to though - I had
to adjust the sensitivites and re-train my hands. Also I can't use this
stick in the same casual manner I would use the other one. My first few
approaches were pretty crappy on this stick, but once I got it all
straightened out they got lots better. The rudder helps me make small
course corrections on approach, although the ball jiggles around a lot.
I'm more coordinated with real rudders than with this twist thing (and
that's fine).

One nice feature is that Logitech's driver can send a whole bunch of
commands on one button press, and can also cycle through commands on
each press. This makes radio work much easier - without my hands
leaving the joystick I can tune any radio fairly quickly and easily. In
fact, it would be great if =real= aircraft radios had the capability of
a software interface.

I set the trigger button to cycle through the Mhz and Khz of each radio
of interest (there are two) and two thumb buttons take care of up and
down. Real airplanes have more radios of interest, but it wouldn't take
much (conceptually) to do something similar that would include them all.

At the very least, it would be nice to be able to program the GPS from
the yoke!

And I'm here to tell you that racing the jet truck in an Extra 300
(alongside Patty Wagstaff in HER Extra) is awesome!

No, Jay. It's just a simulation. It's not real. (Smacks Jay around
some). IT'S...NOT...REAL!

Now, get Patty Wagstaff in the Kiwi in person - THAT would be awesome!

Jose
--
He who laughs, lasts.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 02:09:21 GMT, Jose
wrote:

Whad'ja find in *your* Christmas stocking?

I got a Logitech extreme 3D Pro joystick for Flight Sim so I can
practice my approaches with a twist rudder and a higher quality control
system. Haven't tried it yet (we hosted Christmas) but I'm looking
forward to it.


Lemme know how ya like it...That's what I have , but I haven't tried
it out yet...gotta be better than the cheapie Logitech (next model
down) I had before.

Now if I can just program the trigger for guns...

--Don
Don Byrer KJ5KB
Radar Tech & Smilin' Commercial Pilot Guy
Glider & CFI wannabe
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...smack-smack-smack-smack..."

I got a Logitech extreme 3D Pro joystick for Flight Sim so I can...
Lemme know how ya like it...

I like it. However, it is clearly a right-handed joystick, and I fly
with my left hand, so many of the buttons are on the wrong side, and the
fist support is ineffective. It would be nice if they made it more
ambidextrous (and it wouldn't be all that hard either) but they didn't.

One nice feature (of the driver) is that you can program any button for
an entire sequence of commands, or to cycle through commands (a
different command on every press). I set the trigger up for the radios
using that feature.

It has a stronger spring than the other joystick and I'm still getting
used to that, but it operates smoothly. Once I got used to the twist
yoke that was nice too (though my ball still bobbles).

This joystick has a more solid base, so I can't just use it in my lap
like the other stick I had. However, I managed to figure out an easy
temporary way to set it up near my computer (one clamp, and move the
keyboard) and that works well.

Jose
--
He who laughs, lasts.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Jose" wrote

This joystick has a more solid base, so I can't just use it in my lap like
the other stick I had. However, I managed to figure out an easy temporary
way to set it up near my computer (one clamp, and move the keyboard) and
that works well.

Try mounting it on a piece of wood, say 10" x 18", with a pedestal about 8"
high, just big enough to mount the base on, and put a couple clamps of some
design to hold the base firmly on the pedestal.

That should let you sit on it with your legs, and have it high enough to be
about the same height as a normal stick. Put a little padding on the
plywood, if you need more comfort.
--
Jim in NC

Try mounting it on a piece of wood, say 10" x 18", with a pedestal about 8"
high, just big enough to mount the base on, and put a couple clamps of some
design to hold the base firmly on the pedestal.

That should let you sit on it with your legs, and have it high enough to be
about the same height as a normal stick. Put a little padding on the
plywood, if you need more comfort.

Good idea, but I already have a satisfactory solution. I have a piece
of plywood that my keyboard sits on, on top of another piece of plywood
for the (large) monitor. When I want to use the joystick, I just remove
the keyboard, and clamp the plywood pieces together (further out, which
is why I need the clamp) and put the joystick on the plywood. It stays
fine.

Jose
--
He who laughs, lasts.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.