I was one leg into the Rio fly-in when I decided that I needed controls more appropriate for a multiengine turboprop, rather than a Warthog. Having not seen them for the better part of a decade, I decided to drag out my CH Flight Sim Yoke and Throttle Quadrant from the back of the storage room. A couple of legs later I came to the realization that while the CH gear was getting the job done, it was beginning to feel very toy-like, and the yoke lacked precision in the flare. I tried spraying the shaft with silicone. but that helped only marginally, not to mention that the roll axis pot has gotten spikey.
A little research revealed that the Saitek is not really an improvement.
The thing is, the cost of regularly getting in a cockpit for fun these days is rather prohibitive, especially with 3 kids to put through college. Girls too, so that probably means at funding at least one wedding.
And in case you think that I haven’t considered aircraft ownership, here are those plans in a photo.
I also thought about CAP, but I’ve already given a few years to Uncle Sam and I don’t really have the free time anyway.
So, in the short term, exercising my rights as a certified airman will be limited to going flying with friends or simming. Neither are bad gigs, but if simming is by far the most accessible of my options, I should have good gear right?
So, I’ve been looking at PFC and wondering if they are worth the 3 to 5 times the cost of CH. Anyone have experiences good or otherwise? Other options?
