Took a chance and saved big bucks

[CharlieZ 0]

About 10 months ago my AETI yoke and throttle quit working. I did not open the case for fear of voiding the warranty. After weighing the cost of shipping this heavy yoke by UPS to Precision Flying Instruments PFC and not knowing what they would charge for repairs, I finally decided to open the case. I was in luck, since it was only a blue wire which had probably been stripped to severly and had broken loose from the variable poteniometer. I stipped the wire and resoldered it and now it works better than ever. I am now able to use my yoke and thottle and Cirrus pedals, and put my joystick on the shelf.Now it is as real as it gets.

[someone 0]

After seeing that pic, I don't see how they can justify selling those things for over $500. It looks like my old CH Virtual Pilot Pro on the inside. I haven't opened up my new CH Flight Sim Yoke USB yet.Yeah, so it's metal and not plastic. IMO that's a negative point to have to lift that heavy thing and mount it to a desk each time I want to fly.It costs $550 and you only get a 1 year warranty! I paid <$100 for my plastic CH USB Yoke and I have a three year warranty.

[Guest cw1011]

Have you ever used a PFC yoke? Actually, this picture makes me want to ask how you could justify charging $100.00 for the CH yoke, which is just a plastic housing with a rod going through it and one thin slinky spring giving resistance for all axis. I bought a CH yoke, flew with it for about for about two hours, and sent it back. There was no sensitivity with it at all - the resistance provided by the spring was very "springy" and upredictable and it was just horrible trying to pull out or push in the yoke for elevator control. It was impossible to do anything with any kind of precision. I have had my Cirrus yoke from PFC for two years know and am thrilled with it. I do not regret for one second returning the CH yoke. And the warranty is a lifetime one - not one year. Colin

[spotlope 0]

That's funny that you had that reaction. I had my CH Flightsim yoke open recently, and when I saw the above pic, my first thought was "my, what a beefy looking piece of hardware"! I only wish I could justify that amount on a yoke; it'd be on my desk in a heartbeat!

[Guest]

Am sorry but the price there selling there yokes is still way to high. even ch products one i cant belive theses people charge so much money for things like this not all of us simmers have that much cash going around.

[Guest]

If these people started selling their products for a more afforfdable price, they would sell a lot more product.Paul Meyer - Morris, C09http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/dcforum/Us...7b45404593a.jpg

[Guest]

Charlie, That wire may have gotten into the springs and was pulled off. Make sure and check all movements of the yoke and check where all wires move.,if in fact the wire do move. Would like to have AETI however I have two CH jokes in my dual cockpit and both work just fine...I guess its a matter of choice...and money....FOX

[someone 0]

>And the warranty is a lifetime one - not one year. >>Colin Quoting from their website:[ul][li]Progressive response tension system for the "heavy feel" of a large aircraft[li]Molded from the actual SAAB 340 commuter-airliner yoke.[li]USB Compatible... with connector for Gameport Rudder Pedals and devices[li]Heavy-duty steel base and mounting brackets [li]Compatible with all throttle systems [li]High quality steel and aluminum construction & components[li]Full one year warranty on parts & labor[li]Works with all flight simulators[/ul]

[Guest]

I know what you mean paul i know many of us would love to have this yoke and it would sell faster and better if they were cheaper. :(

[CharlieZ 0]

It did not appear to have gotten caught in the springs, but appeared to have been stripped to deeply and cut some of the wires during assembly. AETI is now VMax and moved from California to Alabama. I have had this yoke and trottle assembly and Cirrus pedals for over four years and would recommend them to anyone who can afford them. To me flight simming is not a hobby but an obsession, and since I am a retired bank vice president, I am able to devote my time and money to my satisfaction. I have never had a CH yoke, so I cannot compare them to my yoke, but I am sure glad to put the twist handle joystick I had been using for the past ten months on the shelf.My personnal computer tech LOL, my son who is the senior tech with the Information Systems Department with the city of Scottsdale, AZ, Is currently building my new computer.This is what he is replacing. I can hardly wait.ATI RADEON 9700 PRO 128MB AGP DDR (Retail) $327.58 INTEL PENTIUM 4 2.4B GHZ W/512K CACHE $201.33ASUS P4PE/R/Gb L/F/SATA INTEL 845PE CHIPSET $147.34 WD 120GB WD1200JB EIDE W/8MB BUFFER $143.00 SKY HAWK PSR-4609 (JUPITER) ALUMINUM $ 68.50 ANTEC TRUE430 430W (PENTIUM 4 READY) $ 78.00CORSAIR CMX512-2700C2 512MB CAS2 DDR DIMM $155.52 SONY DUAL DVD+RW/+R DVD-RW/-R 4.7GB 24X/10X/32X-CDRW DRU500AX EIDE INTERNAL $349.00 COMBO ________ $1470.35 Shipping $55.00 Total $1525.35Life is short, enjoy it while you can.

[Guest byoung]

Currently building your computer?It is a half hour job if you have all the parts (assembly wise).....Not rocket science, thats for sure...Barry

[michal 44]

>it back. There was no sensitivity with it at all - the >resistance provided by the spring was very "springy" and >upredictable and it was just horrible trying to pull out or >push in the yoke for elevator control. It was impossible to >do anything with any kind of precision. >>I have had my Cirrus yoke from PFC for two years know and am >thrilled with it. I do not regret for one second returning >the CH yoke. I guess experiences do vary. I never owned any yoke so after hearing constant complaints about the CH yoke I decided to give it a try at Tahoe Avsim conference last Spetember. I was pleasantly surprised how it felt and operated (no, I did not look inside). Also I never felt any "sticking" another constant complaint on this forum. I also flew with some epxensive all-metal yoke (I think it was Cirrus) and was amazed how little resistance (read: not enough) it provided. Cosnidering the price difference I had little doubt which yoke I am going to get. Michael J.

[Guest drobson]

"If these people started selling their products for a more afforfdable price, they would sell a lot more product."That may sound reasonable to some, but you also need to take into consideration the cost to produce it. If I understand correctly, CH builds their own molds, circuit boards, etc. There is a considerable investment by them just to get things situated so that they can make them. I wouldn't expect that they are making much profit on them at the price they are sold for. After all, game products is not there main business.Darrell

[spotlope 0]

I wholeheartedly agree that it'd be great if they were a little cheaper. Heck, I'd probably be able to make a case for even as much as $250-$300, but over $500 is over the top for me until I win the lottery. But in the immortal words of a fine fellow that I served as an apprentice photographer to many many moons ago, "you have a choice in your billing... work a lot for a little or a little for a lot". That pretty much sums it up.

[CraigC 0]

If you can put together a pc from scratch all the way from the case up in 1/2 hour (consistently, without breaking anything), Id be immensely surprised. Ive put my last two together, and there is no way that I can see it being done in that amount of time. Also, some people just dont know where to start when it comes to building pcs, and its just like driving somehwere foreign for the first time with no map. Absolutely clueless. I would even go as far as to say that a person that builds pcs for a living couldnt do it in a half an hour, let alone want to.Craig