hardware suggestions?

[ozbeowulf]

Hi, Tom...

Yes, living on a boat introduces some pressures on one's flightsimming. Fortunately, "Beowulf" has a big enough wheelhouse to accomodate a cozy setup. Not enough room for multiple monitors, though.

Thanks, Thomas...

It's actually not too difficult to build a console of any size and shape you want, although soldering skils are necessary and a bit of electronic experience is helpful.

Basically, my rig is just a USB keyboard with various switches replacing the keyboard keys. No other circuitry is needed, as long as you use only momentary switches and buttons. It is possible to devise sub-circuits to reliably use multiple commands (Shift + 2 or Ctrl + E, for example) without pushing two buttons. It's also possible to use simple variable resistors for throttles, props, etc. (The computer treats them as another joystick.) So far, I haven't built anything that complicated, though.

I found many good ideas on the net. Google "keyboard emulator" or something similar to see what people have done. A good starting point is... www.buildingasim.cjb.net/

If you decide some day to have a go at it, contact me if you want to chew over any details. I found a few ways to simplify some steps in the construction process.

Computer recyclers sell old keyboards dirt cheap, so it's a relatively inexpensive project. The only significant cost is for the switches and you can beat that problem if you get lucky. Look around for a really old keyboard with keys that click when they're pressed and grab it. Those black square buttons with white centers on my console came out of such an ancient keyboard. Almost 100 momentary buttons for $5 is an unbeatable deal.

Cheers,

Glenn

[birdguy]

After a dozen years of of trying out all kinds of yoke/stick devices from the Microsoft Sidewinder to the latest Saitek yoke/throttle system and the CH yoke I have settled on the Saitek X52 stick.

As a pilot with several hundred hours of flying time and a commercial rating I find it more difficult to land a flightsim aircraft than any real one I have flown.

The Saitek stick gives better control than anything else I've tried. The twist handle eliminates the need for rudder pedals and it has enough buttons, lever switches, hat switches, and rotary controls to handle everything I need.

Maybe my preference for the stick is because I learned to fly in a Luscombe 8E with a stick and more than once when flying an aircraft with a yoke I have wished I had a stick.

Noel

[Maarten]

Apr 16, 2009 11:57:35 GMT -5 birdguy said:

As a pilot with several hundred hours of flying time and a commercial rating I find it more difficult to land a flightsim aircraft than any real one I have flown.

Hi Noel,

We had a discussion on that issue in the old forum last year (just tried to find the thread, but couldn't trace it.
Conclusion was that most of those who also have real flying experience find it more difficult to land flightsim aircraft than real ones.
My own flying experience is with gliders. However in March last year I made my first two landings ever in a motorglider (with nose wheel) and I was astonished how much easier it was than landing the flightsim version of the same type (Super Dimona).

Cheers,
Maarten

[qar02]

I was able to get the new Saitek Yoke and add a Quadrant...at low intro prices in 2007.

I've flown all of the Starliner mods and the old 749's with this arrangement.

It is a bit slow to set up because you have to slip back and forth between the Yoke and the Quad' fields when using the assignment functions.

After that, it's great. Singles and Twins just use Throttle 1 or 1 and 2.

A small advantage comes when manuevering on fields with "tight" taxiways...differential throttle makes the AC swing easy. Also makes tail-draggers somewhat easier.

v/r

qar02

[birdguy]

I was working on a glider rating before I lost my Medical Maarten. I was flying a Schweizer 2-32. I really loved winch launches. They were pretty exciting.

Noel

[ozbeowulf]

Hi, Noel...

As Maarten mentioned, that "Why is this #$%@ flightsim bird so hard to land?" feeling comes to all of us, regardless of real world flight time. Don't feel bad about it. Jesse has twice my flight time and he reports the same effect.

Fwiw, I did notice one interesting thing. Aftermany months of using my Saitek X-52 stick and twisting for rudder movement, I finally added a set of Saitek pedals. That change made a surprising difference. Maybe it was just me, maybe not, but flightsim landings got a lot smoother. Not perfect, mind, but better.

Cheers,

Glenn

[Maarten]

Which brings me to the following frustrating experience. Whenever I am on family visit aka holiday in Northern Ireland (couple of times per year, lucky me) I struggle along joy-stick-flying at my mate's flight simulator (he made me start flightsimming in the first place; bless you, Norris).

It seems that I really need pedals in order to do anything sensible with airplanes other than just flying straight ahead. Makes me feel really stupid and making other people very amused at the same time. ;D

So I guess I'll stick to the yoke and pedals (although in some case such as simflying motorgliders or gliders, stick instead of yoke would be most welcome too).

Cheers,
Maarten

[stansdds]

Reasons that I think flying a sim is harder than flying a real aircraft:

1. In a sim, your body is not moving so there is no real sense of speed or vibration from the aircraft. You cannot feel a stall buffet in a sim.

2. In a sim, you are looking at a monitor which presents a 2 dimensional image of a 3 dimensional world, it's really difficult to get any sort of depth perception with a monitor.

3. Monitors are quite small in comparison to the field of vision provided by the human eye so you simply do not have the peripheral view of the world in a sim.

4. There is little to no force feedback in our sim controls. You can at least partially overcome this with a force feedback stick and rudder pedals.

[Maarten]

Very true.

[birdguy]

I gave up on rudder pedals because I just can't fly FS aircraft without rudder and ailerons uncoordinated. I use the X52 twist stick for ground steering only.

Has anyone ever been able to make an FS aircraft slip using opposite rudder and aileron control? I've tried many times but it just doesn't work for me.

Noel

[Maarten]

Hi Noel,

Oh yes, I did slip quite a few times. With gliders (e.g. ASK13, K8B, K6E) and with the Tiger Moth. No problem at all, although you don't physically feel the braking effect and hear the noise it makes in real life when you slip. But it certainly does slow the planes down.

Cheers,
Maarten

[emfrat]

Hi -
The Eric Dantes Stampe can be slipped. The other week, I was trying the Victoria Falls scenery recommended with the retro Livingstone airport and managed to get under the bridge after a massive slip into the gorge from the upstream side.

Unfortunately the Falls scenery needs TMVL=21, and if I use that setting in my Classic install, it banjaxes the underpass at retro Orly, so I can only use it in my 'modern' one.

ATB
MikeW

[stansdds]

My rudder pedals allow me to slip. If it wasn't for good rudder control, I wouldn't make a lot of landings as I have a knack for picking destinations that always have a strong crosswind.

[birdguy]

I'll have to download some of those aircraft and try them for myself. Right now the only aircraft I fly is the MAAM DC-3 and Lyons' Luscombe on floats (the plane I learned to fly and first soloed in...from San Francisco Bay on floats).

Noel

[davidm]

I did the same thing as Bill (single mixture and prop control with separate throttles) on a CH throttle quadrant. Works well, but eventually I'd like to set up anther quadrant (or two) for separate mixture and props.
DaveM