Just interested in peoples views - not strictly a hardware post because in affects how we fly our sims. I'm considering buying a yoke to use with the airliners and most civil stuff but keep the joystick for the mil and the Realair Spit etc. Was wondering if anyone has made the change to a yoke and whether it added to the overall fun and reality of FS9 or if it didn't really matter - I've got used to using a stick for everything - including the Boeings. If enough people can convince me that the yoke is the way to go I'll jump over to the hardware forum and find what yoke is best.Kev

Well it isn't exactly more realistic as many planes do feature a stick rather than a yoke in real life. Is flying a real-life Katana less realistic than flying a real-life C152?It does make flying those yoked planes feel a lot more realistic of course.Rudder pedals are more important IMO, especially with the yoke which has no way to control rudder (most joysticks have the twist-grip control). Without rudder control, you're limited to flying in perfectly calm conditions only and those corrections on final become really dificult.

Hi Kev,I used a CH Combatstick, Pro pedals, and Pro Throttle for years. I added the CH flight yoke USB about a year ago and have to say that, at first, I was disappointed. I could not fly as accurately with the yoke and I had some problems with the yoke "sticking" in the Y axis. After much experimenting, and some advice from fellow simmers, I got the Yoke to work to my satisfaction. I sanded and then polished the shaft on the yoke and added some silicone grease for lubrication. While I had it apart, I installed some slightly weaker springs which reduce the effort needed to get full travel. I use the registered version of FSUIPC to do my calibration and found that I needed a small null zone for both elevator and aileron axis to be realistic. Not everyone has the "sticking" problem and you have the option of returning it to CH under warranty - They are a quality company and will get it right or replace it. Also the springs are a matter of personal preference and not everyone would like my setup.I also added a CH Quadrant to get separate controls for each engine. This also freed up the levers on my yoke, which I programmed for flaps and speedbrakes. I kept my joystick plugged into a USB slot and I find I can use it for the SF260, etc, without re-calibrating.Overall, I am very pleased with the setup. It feels realistic (I was a KC-135A pilot in the VietNam era) and has lots of flexibility for different aircraft. If you are willing to spend some time dialing it in, I think you will be pleased with the result.Dale

Jimmi and Dale,Thanks for the replies. Dale, thanks for the technical stuff, I'll consider seriously the yoke - trouble is I need to paint some of the house!! I'm still Air Force - but not quite Vietnam era (but very close!.Kev

I learned to fly with a Yoke on a Cessna 152-172 and for me that is the most realistic. I have flown Airline motion sims and again the yoke is what is used, at least on the Boeing and MD planes. I did not have rudder pedals for years in FS, and now that I have them, I am sorry I waited so long. They are a must for cross controlling, aerobatics, and crosswind approaches and takeoffs.Regarding the sticking of the CH Yokes, I use a product made by Gunk Cooperation called Liquid Wrench Dry-Lube with PTFE ( Gunk makes several products like this, make sure you get this one http://www.usahardware.com/inet/shop/item/04110/icn/20-493452/radiator_specialty/l512.htm This can be purchased at most Auto Parts shops and good hardware stores. Most importantly, this Dry-Lube doesn't have a petroleum base which will eat up the internal parts of the CH Yoke, pretty quickly ( don't use WD-40 which does contain petroleum) . It comes in a spray can with an extension nossle for hard to reach places, and after you spray it on the yoke, it drys to a fine white powder and lasts forever, before a relube is necessary ( I am going on 1 year with constant daily use) . Sticky's are completely gone. If your yoke is sticking badly, and you are mechnically inclined and careful when you work on something, you may want to take it apart and give it a good spraying internally with this lube. There are some phillips screws on the bottom that you remove to split the yoke shell. Two of these screws are located under the rubber feet at the back of the yoke. You can pry these small rubber feet off and re-glue them when you are done, with some RTV. ( I just leave them off). You want to carefully split the yoke apart once you get the screws out, since there is a wire cable that connects the throttle to the rest of the electronics, and you don't want to damage the cable. You can unplug the cable at one end and then separate the yoke housing completely. Spray it, put it back together and you are done. If you have mild stickiness, just spraying the lub on the shaft as you go from full forward to full back several times with the yoke, should be sufficient, and you don't have to take anything apart. There is a channel at the top and bottom of the yoke rod at the rear of the rod, make sure you get plenty of spray in those channels.

The Gunk product sounds good because it is "dry" and won't attract and hold dust and dirt as easily. The product I use is from AE Team Associated, part no 6636 - it also contains no petroleum distillateswhich will attack the plastic. I found it at a hobby store where it is used for lubricating plastic gears in radio controlled cars.Another tip for anyone using CH Products - their documentation leaves much to be desired, but you can find lots at stickworks.com.Dale

>Just interested in peoples views - not strictly a hardware>post because in affects how we fly our sims. I'm considering>buying a yoke to use with the airliners and most civil stuff>but keep the joystick for the mil and the Realair Spit etc. >Was wondering if anyone has made the change to a yoke and>whether it added to the overall fun and reality of FS9 or if>it didn't really matter - I've got used to using a stick for>everything - including the Boeings. If enough people can>convince me that the yoke is the way to go I'll jump over to>the hardware forum and find what yoke is best.>The flight sim yoke is much more like the real world yokes than the joystick like a realworld stick.The benefit I saw in going from joystick (MS Sidewinder prec pro) toCH flight sim yoke was more buttons and axis. And also I think it's easier to control a plane, at least small control movement. But making large and fast manouvers is propably easier with a joystick.But it bothers me that I use a yoke in the Katana and SF260 when there is a stick in realworld