Like all of those who have been in the Aviation Simulation community for a while, I had always heard about the hardware products put out by Precision Flight Controls. But having looked at the prices PFC gets for its state-of-the-art flight control products, I have always had to pass. But when the opportunity came to review the PFC Throttle Console, I was quick to jump at the opportunity. And as anticipated, I was not disappointed.
Installation
Actually, all I knew is there was a PFC related throttle product on the way. I was not sure what that meant, nor was I very familiar with the PFC Throttle Console itself. This made the wait for the box to arrive a bit like Christmas. When the box did arrive and it easily measured out to a cubic yard with quite a bit of heft to it; there was little delay in digging in.
What I found was the base throttle console, a power supply brick, a serial cable, a floppy disk, six throttle handle configurations and a single sheet of paper dealing with installation. While the variety of handle configurations and the console were everything I had expected, the serial cable and lack of more documentation worried me a bit. But these concerns would also be quickly appeased.
While many of you may have had bad experiences with using COM ports and serial connections for hardware in the past, this install went just like it was supposed to. However, at the cost of this product, one would hope to instead find a USB connector and full Plug and Play. I went the extra mile and sent Precision Flight Controls a note posing that very concern. The manufacturer apparently understands this as well and a USB version is already in the works. But once again, I had no problems at all with the serial port setup.
Software Setup
As for software setup, there was some initial concern here as well. The single install sheet did not refer to this at all. That left the floppy disk. Located on the disk were all the answers: The PFC.dll module to interface with FS2000 via Pete Dowson's freeware FSUIPC and a PDF document covering the setup of the entire suite of FS2000 compatible products from PFC. As for computability with FSUIPC, no problem there since Dowson also wrote the PFC.dll module for Precision Flight Controls. Just drop the file in the FS2000 modules folder along with the current version of FSUIPC and way you go. Well, almost.
Configuration In my case, everything went as predicted and when clicking on the PFC menu item, I selected options from the dropdown selections. This opened the Main Options tab of the options menu. Here, you can enable the various components you have and set a couple other options. If you just have the throttle console, you will have just a few items to deal with here. Most of the items dealing with the Throttle Console selection and calibration are found under the Throttle Quadrants tab. Once on the Throttle Quadrants page you can make the selections needed for your aircraft. You can let the software choose the proper handle set, but must remember it assumes you have the entire set and cannot tell which set is actually bolted on the front of the console. Say we were going to take the Cessna 182RG up for a spin. With the preliminary configuration out of the way and the computer and the console talking back and forth, we select the basic single engine handle set and using two thumbscrews bolt it to the front of the console. All you will see on the front prior to putting the handle set in place is a series of steel pins inside the two thumbscrew holes. Select the proper set on the configuration page and you can then calibrate the set. Calibration Calibration is quite easy to perform and spelled out step by step in the documentation. Since we need no custom configuration, this is all that is involved. Just remember that calibration is always performed within the PFC Options pages on the FS2000 dropdown menu. You do not use the Joystick Calibration from within FS2000, nor do you go to Control Panel and use the Gaming Options procedures used with your normal joysticks. The PFC software will override your other controllers for the specific functions in question after you configure them within the Options pages. Operation Operation is a thrill. The sturdy design and construction makes for a very smooth operation of the various levers used in the handle set installed. This also translates into a very smooth operation of the aircraft. The throttle handle provides the user with the ability to easily select any power setting wanted. In the case of multi-engine aircraft, you can do this for all of the engines. The other lever controls work just as well, be it prop RPM, fuel mixture, spoilers or whatever. The gear and flaps controls work just as easily, with the gear handle locking the setting in place and eliminating the chance of an accidental actuation. While I could go through each of the handle combinations and the many different functions they handle, it would quickly get repetitive. This hardware delivers what it promises, regardless the option one chooses. The one other function I would like to cover though is the ability to customize what the various handles will do for you. While you can go with what is labeled, and will do so in most cases, there is wide latitude included to change the function of any of the handles. For example, I decided to try the customization by using the four-engine jet handle set with a Cessna Citation X. Obviously, I only needed two throttle handles for this twin-engine corporate jet. But I don't have any rudder pedals, which often makes it difficult to taxi around airports. So I went to the customization page in the PFC Options menu and assigned the right-hand two handles as throttles and the left-hand pair as right and left brakes. Within 10 minutes, I could maneuver around the tightest of airports with no problem, while still having the flawless throttle control of both jet engines. There must be a good two dozen different functions you can control in this way. And in most cases, you can do this for up to four engines. This provides the icing on the cake as far as I am concerned. It is going the extra yard one expects when they put out this kind of money on a product. Conclusion The Precision Flight Controls' Throttle Console and its add-on handle combinations are everything they promise to be. While the price will still keep them out of range for many, if you can afford them I do not know if you will find a better product out there. Other than the cost factor, the only deficiencies I could find are mentioned above in the lack of USB Plug and Play and printed documentation. While the latter is becoming more common on disks as a cost-cutting measure, that would not seem to be needed in the case of such a quality and quality priced product. But these concerns are minor and being addressed. Bottom line: This is one fine product line. You can get more information on this and all of the PFC product line by clicking on the PFC logo at he top of the page. For pricing information and availability, you can also check in at the AVSIM Store by clicking here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
