Sunday, February 05, 2012
The hardware is great
by Philip from Franklin TN USA
Pros: The controls are worth the money
Cons: Flight Simulator is not worth the time or money
Review: The yoke, throttle and rudders are great for training. Microsoft Flight Simulator crashes frequently and generally without warning. That has been very frustrating since the program has been around for years. Most of the fixes I found online don't work.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
I'm loving it
by Travis from Redmond WA USA
Pros: Clock/stopwatch. Good button selection. Good feel and response.
Cons: PS2 connection, not USB, for throttle quadrant. Can't see how to gang them. Fear for durability of plastic pedals.
Review: I picked just the right bundle for me. I wanted to try flying a simulator using something better than the mouse and keyboard. I spent a couple hundred hours in Cessnas 30 years ago, and flying the 172 with this setup feels plenty realistic to me. I would have gone for Saitek's Cessna gear, but was hooked by the clock/stopwatch in the ProFlight yoke. Couldn't be happier with it. The one thing I really want is a trim wheel, which I plan to add and should be able to mount on the same base, below the throttle quadrant. I love the versatile mounting system for the throttles, to be on or in front of my desk. In the meantime, though, I use the prop speed lever to control elevator trim, which really helps me fly the higher performance planes.
Friday, January 27, 2012
My son loves it!
by Marie from Lake Mary FL USA
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: none
Review: My son (11yrs.) is in a aeronautics class so I bought him this flight simulator for practise. He loves it! It can easily be used by any child even though they have never had flight simulation classes.
Monday, January 09, 2012
by padre from Bucyrus OH USA
Review: This has been the most fun I have had since I quit flying 20 plus year ago. Everything is terific, it exceeds my expections. Works well , easy to install.Very realistic. I find myself waiting to get off work so I can come home and fly. Thanks , Padre
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Works OK
by Raymond from Alameda CA USA
Pros: Seems like the basic controls reflect the reality of flying
Cons: It isn't flying. Adjustments to the controls to make the experience real are somewhat crude.
Review: I really have no other simulator to compare it to, but it does have the basic functions of an airplane. I am an old pilot getting back into flying and the controls are more or less realistic in the sense that it does what a real plane does--not necessarily in the same pace or extent. I think the whole process has limitations---the tweaking of the program to make the controls have real reactions is not necessarily intuitive and there is really no helpful booklet. But it does give you the general idea of flying and it is helpful. The instruction and lessons are very rudimentary. I am not sure how you could improve the experience--but the "hat" switch process of looking sideways and back (in vfr flight) is a pain in the butt.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
My grandson is thrilled!!!!
by judy from knoxville TN USA
Pros: Excellent Product
Cons: none
Review: My grandson is 9 years old and is obsessed with airplanes.He got this today as a Christmas gift and immediately wanted to go to his house and try it out.My son just called me and said he is using it now and it is AWESOME!!Thank you for making my grandsons Christmas,in his words,the best Christmas of his life.A VERY satisfied customer!
Monday, October 31, 2011
I would certainly buy this product again.
by Bruce from Fresno CA USA
Review: This is a great product for refreshing and keeping your skills sharp. For a beginner there are many values to the program coupled with the controls.
Monday, October 24, 2011
I would by this again
by A Customer from Lincoln NE USA
Pros: yoke and throttle work wonderful
Cons: rudder pedals need better traction on carpet to keep from sliding
Review: I have seen a lot of reviews about random button presses but i have had no such trouble. The yoke is very smooth and reacts better than i imagined it would. The throttle quad is very nice. The only issue I have is that the pedals slide on the floor very easily, there needs to be a spike strip on the bottom to keep it from sliding on carpet. with a strip of velcro on the bottom, it stays in place as long as you aren't rough with it and i don't think this is enough of a problem to warrant deducting points. overall I think this is a great product and i would buy it again in a second if i didn't already have it
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Better Than a Joystick
by Joseph from Little Elm TX USA
Pros: Realistic
Cons: Came with two pieces without instructions as to how to used them.
Review: I appreciate it handling like the simulator at the airport. I received this yoke and rudder as a graduation gift to replace the joystick I had been using for years. It took some use to get the feel of it, but after I buttoned the thrusters I felt good about the lessons I was taking all over again to get the feel of realism.
I also was given an initial Cessna training flight as a gift that week at the local airport. They had a simulator I had to use before going up that had a yoke and rudder. This made me feel good about mine as it was the same and also easy to use.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
by John from Staten Island NY USA
Review: I found the software and hardware to be top notch. There is a lot of flexability with the hardware in regards to choosing what functions can be assigned to the controls. I also found the construction to be very sturdy. This is the first flight sim that I ever purchased and there are so many different ways to use fsx that I am sure it will keep me occupied for a long time to come.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Excellent Training Aid
by John from Freeport FL USA
Pros: Excellent value, much more than a game
Cons: Need smoother operation with yoke when leaving center position
Review: Great for learning the basics plus saves a load of money with refresher training. I was most impressed with just how close it was to real flight training. The only thing I would like to see improved is smoother operation on the yoke from center. It has just enough resistance to cause some over control when first moved forward or back.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
by barnabas from amarillo TX USA
Pros: I very much alike the layout of the buttons and controls on the yoke
Cons: I don't like the fact that it quits functioning for no apparent reason
Review: I was very pleased with the setup. I very much liked the yoke and where you placed the various a button controls. In what I did not like, is I could not get to function all the time. It would shut down in the middle of flight or as on one occasion and just as I was about to hit the runway it stopped working. I tried configuring it several times, and twice as I was trying to configure it, it stopped working. I have been using a saitek flight control system for some time and have had absolutely no trouble with it. I wanted to try the yoke and petals as some flight simulators recommend.
Monday, May 02, 2011
I like it, some feedback
by Patrick from Henderson NV USA
Pros: work well, make FSX very realistic
Cons: Rudder pedals could be improved
Review: I like the controls. They actually make FSX quite realistic. Only comment is that the rudder pedals are slightly unrealistic in that it doesnt allow you to put your heels on the ground. Aside from that though, very simple to set up, easy to install the software, and I feel that it has added a ton to the simulation experience. Great buy for the price.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Best move I made for flight training practice
by Elliot from Trinidad CO USA
Pros: cost effective, fast shipping, got what I asked for
Cons: none that I can think of
Review: Before I bought this product, I researched online for weeks. I did not have much extra money and I needed something dependable, from a reliable retailer. I read several reviews about how hard it was to set up and program etc.etc.etc. I deceided to go with mypilotsstore.com because they had several bundle deals and I had ordered several items from them in the past. My saitek bundle arrived on my porch in three days.
I had it out of the box and hooked up in about 15 minutes. Getting the proper control assignments and feels were hit and miss but I eventually figured things out. I did not have much time until the weekend to work on it and set it up. The first "flight" was really odd. Turned out the toe brakes somehow were programmed for roll and the rudders were set for pitch, of course opposite rudder to each motion. Left rudder (pitch down) right tow break (roll left but once I figured out what was going on the controls are fairly precise.
I am very happy with the product. It was a fair deal and the customer service is great. Also velcro works very well if you don't want to drill holes or put a clamp on your furniture or floor.
Monday, March 28, 2011
by A Customer from New York NY USA
Review: Just as described...works well
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Well constructed and sturdy
by Will from New Bern NC USA
Pros: Construction
Cons: Documentation
Review: The products definitely met my expectations. Where they lacked, however, was in the documentation as regards the set-up of the equipment. I looked on the boxes and through trial and error was able to figure it all out. It would've been nice, though, to have a detailed diagram of how best to set up the yoke in particular.
Having said this, I have been very pleased in general with the performance of the Saitek flight simulator bundle. I plan to add on a HOTS combo in the not to distant future.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Not a good buy
by olga from cresskill NJ USA
Review: Came on time, but that's it. Software key code is not active. Support center closed, can't download till present day. Can nor return WAISTE OF MONEY.
Still siting in the box, No not recommend to anyone.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Great at getting it here quickly during the holiday season!
by A Customer from OLYMPIA WA USA
Review: It is meeting the goal for which it was purchased.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Pretty good, but had to do some work to get it right.
by Timbo from Lewisville TX USA
Pros: Reasonably accurate flying experience
Cons: Quality control needs to be improved.
Review: The yoke gave me a lot of trouble at first as it kept pulling to the right. The windows configuration interface didn't show any problem and I couldn't figure out if it was something I didn't set up right or mis-set aileron trim (on a 172?) or what? Finally, I installed the configuration software that came with the yoke ( I had avoided this due to warnings about a phanton key issue ) and found that the yoke was, indeed, off-centered to the right. It was also quivering slightly on this axis. Not wanting to have to ship the whole mess back and wait for a return, I decided to check it out myself. Upon internal review, I found that the horizontal axis servo had a loose locking nut. Tighting this nut corrected the issue and it now works perfectly (at least as perfectly as a non-feedback game controller can work) but the quality control is obviously not what it should be. As to the final functionality; I am a pilot and I purchased this to practice instrument approaches as I work towards getting my instrument rating (much cheaper to fly this than an airplane and I can do it anytime). The system, as a whole, is very valuable for this purpose but the yoke does not feel like a real airplane. Springs just don't provide realistic feedback, especially in the yoke. Not a real big deal since I already know how to fly and just want to practice instruments. It's close enough that it would still be of value to the student pilot as well.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Real World 172 Pilot
by Michael from Taylorsville UT USA
Pros: Good way to experience flight stress safely.
Cons: A few minor bugs between controls and software. Can work around though.
Review: There is a bug between the throttle quad and software with the Cessna 172 at take off. The first 400 ft climb is good then the rate of climb goes to 2000 ft per minute (or more) and you have to throttle back to idle before even turning crosswind in order to avoid climbing into (simulated) restricted class C airspace. This is irritating and not realistic if you fly out of a tightly controled urban airport. The yoke and pedal control sensitivity levels need to be set to about 3/8 to come close to real world feel and function. If you are not aware of real world control feel, it would be difficult to transfer experience from the sim to the airplane. MyPilotStore gets cudos on service and delivery. Everything got here on time and in good shape. A fun package that allows good practice, especially with nav skills using VOR and the Garmin 500 GPS. I found it to be a very realistic training experience, especially setting way points into the nav radios and getting the vor and gps going in flight. This is the "sensory overload" that most new pilots find most difficult to master, so it is good to able to practice driving the airplane with your feet while fighting charts and facility directories. I setup the Z axis of the throttle quad to trim the plane and the y axis as the flaps. This is nice.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
very habit forming....lot of use out of it
by Dave from Wellsville NY USA
Pros: very realistic if its set up properly..
Cons: not an x box type toy..u need to take time to set it up realistically and tweak the controls .expensive but worth every penny
Review: I live up north & because of the weather, flying is sporadic during these months. It's great to keep pilot skills sharpened. Best if you use a T-square and ruler and build a realistic cockpit panel. I anchored and measured everything out. If its all centered and anchored it is almost as good as being up for real..added gauges and control panels too. Don't get discouraged tweaking the system it takes many minor adjustments to optimize performance..a lot of fun..as a pilot. I am well pleased with it.. I fly out of KELZ (Wellsville NY) the simulator matches the true terrain features and landmarks.. it's very realistic including towers etc...panels also add a lot (don't need the mouse).. gauges cost & are not necessary but if money is there, they are worth it. I got 4 right now.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Perfect for practice
by Peter from Sydney, Australia
Pros: Good quality and feel, very close to real thing
Cons: Tricky to set up, sensitive.
Review: Excellent training aid, I use this every day. It will and has saved me money on my actual pilot training as it gives you realsitic practice of scenarios. I will be looking to upgrade my flight sim cockpit in the near future with extra guages and switches.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Yoke, Quadrant and rudder
by David from New Milford NJ USA
Pros: very realistic
Cons: Rudder could have better design so they don't slide all over
Review: The first rudder set was broken but the replacement works great but took a little twiking to make it work right. Yoke and Quadrant works great too.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Just like flying just a lot cheaper !! A student must ! You can even fly actual instrument approaches,has working VORS' and GPS. Incredible, got me how all that works but it does!!
by PETER from MURPHY NC USA
Pros: Works great!!!
Cons: Takes a lot of computer to run it all and a little more power to run all the accessories.
Review: In 1978 I got my private pilot's license and flew 100 hours and quit. I decided this year to come current and get back into it. I purchased this product and added the radio panel and switch panel and auto pilot along with 6 instrument panels. At first I thought the game had issues until I realized it was just a real rusty pilot at the controls. I did everything I learned as a student probably for about 80 hours and brushed up on all the new rules on the FAA website. I got a new plastic license, new medical, did 2 hours ground with a CFI for a review and 1 hour in the air in a cessna 172 which by the way I never flew before, I trained in the 70's in piper low wing. MyPilotStore is great too! Fast shipping and great prices.Your instructor will think you are taking lessons elsewhere.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Too sensitive for my liking
by Dennis from Maywood NJ USA
Pros: Great deal for the money.
Cons: too sensitive for the beginner
Review: The producer seems to be well made and everything was as advertised. The sensitivity of the yoke and pedals is way over the top for a novice. I found the 800 number help to be very informative and stayed on the line with me until I was completely satisfied.
Monday, July 12, 2010
by John from Providence RI USA
Pros: It looks good
Cons: controls are uncontrollable
Review: It is quickly becoming a paperweight. Control sensitivity is a huge issue. It is so slow and unpredictable that you are constantly over-controlling. Worst yet, there is no quick and easy way to make appropriate adjustments because instructions are either vague or non-existent. And online blogs are little help. So far I've had the unit over a month and have not yet had a satisfactory flight. I hold C-ASMEL-I certificates but have not flown in 35 years. I thought this might be a way to get a feeling for flying again. Wrong! It has been pretty much total frustration.
Monday, June 28, 2010
All the whiz, and all the bang!
by Shaun from Morton WA USA
Pros: All the buttons most aircraft need, smooth control input while flying two-hands-on, and the throttle quad is as close to realistic as I think I will ever get.
Cons: Yoke is awesome for General aviation aircraft, but a bit harder to use smoothly for "stick-and-throttle" types. Throttle quad is not a USB input, so it cannot be used seperate from the yoke. This means if you are using a flight stick, you don't have access to all the extra buttons and controls of the quad.
Review: All in all, this is a remarkable setup, and the rudder pedals are an absolute neccessity while flying helicopters. It is a little challenging to get smooth control input while flying one-handed, as in a Mustang or fighter jet, but over-all I think I got my money's worth with this package. I would like to see a flight stick that will take the throttle quad plug and pedals as this yoke system does though. It would make terrain-masking and low level flight much easier and more realistic while flying the "stick and throttle" type aircraft and choppers. Also, I think it would be the cats' meow if Saitek came up with a cyclic and collective system for helos.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Great practice tool
by Mike from Windham ME USA
Pros: lots of options
Cons: My wife says it takes up room on the table
Review: Like most student pilots, I have to work in flights around work and family and weather. Now I can still practice at home with the simulator.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
just like the real thing
by steven from houston TX USA
Cons: none
Review: I got to fly a cessna 172 on a discovery flight an I have to say the deluxe saitek simulator handles just like the real thing.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Good graphics!
by Lori from Davis CA USA
Pros: easy to install and realistic
Review: This is exactly what we expected. There are a couple of little glitchy things during flight, but nothing you wouldn't expect. Fun!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
It's a superb practice and training system. I already had two copies of FSX, and plan to give this one to my son (who is also a pilot).
by James from Yucaipa CA USA
Pros: Range of control capability is almost endless, and the system is very realistic.
Cons: Proper (location) mounting was extremely difficult for me. You should try to get this system (with rudder pedals) approved (by the FAA) for use in recording some training time in one's log-book.
Review: The most difficult thing for me was finding a way to mount the yoke (box) in the correct location and height. Being a "Private Pilot", I am very sensitive to achieving a proper mounting location. My computer desk has a "lip" in front, so I found it necessary to shape a "board" to lower the yoke assembly so the yoke tube did not touch the "lip". I also found the mounting "clip" to be useless for this set-up. I fashioned some "clips" by modifying some small carpenter's clamps that would fit into the mounting holes. The problem with them is they restrict the yoke motion in the "pitch down" direction (i.e. the yoke will hit the clamps when pushed forward more than about a half inch). At one point I did try to mount the yoke on top of the table/cabinet with the display on-top of that, but that made the center of the yoke much too high, and the display even higher. The yoke should always be mounted so the center of rotation is approximately in line with at one's navel. That is the most "realistic" position.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
by Jack Hurt from Santa Rosa CA USA
Review: I like it. The teck support is good. I am going to have to change my computer desk so it will work better. Thanks Jack Hurt
Monday, March 01, 2010
Good setup for someone learning to fly
by Garrison from Lexington SC USA
Pros: quality construction, works right out of the box w/ no configuration, feels like the real thing
Cons: confusing programming software for customization, one weird bug
Review: I've been flying in a Cessna 182 with a pilot friend a few times, and I have to say this setup does a great job of immersing me. I don't play the missions in the game, just do takeoff, flight, and landing practices at local airports (from the interface, it looks like every US airport and some intl ones are represented, even private subdivision airstrips). I've found myself looking left and right instead of using the POV hat to turn my head in the virtual plane. Like anything, it takes some getting used to, but like the real thing, it's not easy (which I take as a great sign that it's actually helping me learn). The game is really pretty, and the controls can be tuned to the sensitivity level you choose.
Two negatives (keep in mind, these don't keep me from using the simulator): - The provided control-programming software is confusing for me, and I've played video games for over a decade and program for a living - When I press the brakes after touching down, the rudder pedals send a buggy signal as if the yoke is doing a full right turn. This makes perfect landings hard, because I have to use the keyboard to apply brakes.
Monday, February 15, 2010
CONTROL VERY MUCH LIKE REAL WORLD
by JOE C from POLK CITY FL USA
Pros: BUTTONS GALORE!! CENTERS ON RELEASE
Review: I AM A REAL WORLD PILOT, COMERCIAL,INST, SEL, MEL, WITH MORE THAN 5000 HOURS. THE SAITEK IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE CH PRODUCT. I HAD MY OWN AEROSTAR 601, AND 601P FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS SO FLYING IS NOT NEW TO ME. I DID NOT LIKE THE FSX AT ALL. AS A MATTER OF FACK, I DELETED IT AND RETURNED TO FS2004. MUCH FASTER !! I FIND THAT THE FLIGHT SIMULATER IS A REAL TOOL IN KEEPING UP FLYING SKILLS, AND SAVES A LOT OF AVGAS AND ROUTENE MAINTENANCE. MANY THANKS!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
by Robert from Little Rock AR USA
Cons: None yet.
Review: Great package for anyone that wants an almost real flying experience.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Easy to use but need some improvement
by Byeong from Los Angeles CA USA
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: Choppy control input
Review: It was easy to install and use it. A nice simulator and control for private pilot or student pilot, especially for IFR. But Microsoft Flight Simulator X did not support dual NAVAID in G-1000 mode. Also the control input was choppy, not so smooth as in real airplane.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Good Package Overall
by James from Fayetteville AR USA
Pros: The yoke feels good in the hands and is quite responsive as is the throttle.
Cons: The pedals are awkward to use. It is difficult to get into a position where my feet rest comfortably on the pedals without placing tension on the pedals when I don't want to do so. Maybe it will just take some experimenting and getting used to them. I can control the aircraft though; it just seems that I have to hold my feet in the air as if I were doing some sort of stomach-tightening exercise. The passengers don't have to worry about the pilot falling asleep.
Review: I really enjoy the package overall, especially the yoke and throttle. I'm still learning to get comfortable with the pedals, and that's exactly what I mean. I'm using a straight-backed chair (kitchen chair), and the positioning seems somewhat awkward; however, it functions well with regard to controlling the simulator. The yoke and throttle are completely intuitive and make flying lots of fun.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Sim Bundle
by Joe from Henderson NV USA
Pros: Has the feel of the real thing and the price is great
Cons: Erratic operation occasionally, but the best that I have seen for the price.
Review: I purchased controls to work with my Mac. After partitioning the drive, they work great. The rudder pedals are very touchy and the yoke can be "squirrly" at times. But everything works pretty good and I was happy to configure it so I could use it with my Mac.
|
- 
