I have a Microsoft Sidewinder Precision 2 joystick. Lately it seems I have to recalibrate it quite often. The axis control seems to be the one giving me the most problems. When I go to takeoff the plane will not lift up. I also had a problem with the slider control, where the throttle would stick at about 60 percent and would not throttle down. Could I have a defective joystick? Thanks.

I never need to calibrate the MS Sidewinder joysticks.... in fact, I didn't think it was possible!Is that the Force Feedback stick, like mine?If it is USB, unplug it, reboot and then plug it back in again.If you are using Windows XP or 2000, use the built-in windows drivers and forget about the odd Sidewinder control panel software thingy. You shouldn't need the CD... go to the game controllers dialog (from control panel) click 'add' and select your product from the sidewinder list. That should install your stick with the default windows drivers. They're the ones I use and they're faultless.Make sure you don't have any other controller drivers installed that might interfere with the MS ones.Check all your plugs and make sure they're connected firmly and cleanly.Is the problem only occurring in FS2002? If so, you need to check FS2002, not your stick. Have you tried it with any other programmes? How about the test window? What results are you getting?If your problem still isn't solved, I would suggest that it is a hardware problem and you should use your warranty.I hope that helps a bit.