Hey folks, I'm new here, so hello to one and all. I've tried to do my due diligence by searching and reading before posting questions, but please forgive me if I've missed an article or something in the FAQ which has already answered my question.Here goes: I'm an FSX user who is primarily interested in flying helicopters, and I want to upgrade from an on-the-desk joystick, but I'm not quite ready to spend a year and several thousand dollars constructing a DIY cockpit. What I want mainly is a joystick with its fulcrum near the floor instead of just below my hand and a collective control which functions semi-realistically and is located somewhat near my left hip. My prime candidate is the Pro Flight Trainer from Switzerland, with the runners-up being the spendier hardware offered by Flight Link, and also the simcontroller.com setup (pretty sure this last one is the same thing sold by "hrlaw" on eBay from time to time). I've scoured the web and have found one very positive review of the Pro Flight Trainer (the first version without throttle control) and found one forum post somewhere which complained about the Flight Link stick not having high enough resolution output to feel realistic, but being fine after the hardware was modified somewhat. I am not averse to work, and will spend money if I have to, but would be happiest with a turnkey, plug-it-in-and-it-just-works solution which doesn't cost a grand, doesn't have bugs I have to put on my thinking cap and roll up my sleeves to work out, and which folds up neatly and can be stowed when I'm not simming. In short, I think I want the PFT.So my question (finally!) is, do any of you have experience with any of these three products, other similar stuff, or even better, is there anyone here who has tried all of 'em?Figured I should perhaps do a bit of homework before I drop US $800 on a USB controller for a PC simulation!Thanks to any and all who reply and again my apologies if this topic has already been covered to death.-Scott

Being a rotorhead myself I have found the authentic controllers being too pricy, adding to that, I also enjoy fixed wing AC, so I got a yoke and Thrustmaster HOTAS, would get pretty crowded around my seat. BUT, my workaround for the relative hypersensitivity of controlling a helo with short sticks is setting a sensitivity curve for the cyclic in FSUIPC. At first I set it to 15, and in time I

Bjorn,Thanks for the response. Yeah, I've been here, there, and everywhere, but every little bit helps. At this point I will likely either do like this guy (sorry for not being all spiffy and embedding the link):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxWtyIQ1Wn4or just make the decision I've been blowing off for well over a year and just spend the $800, hoping I can recoup most of it should I decide to ditch flight simming or if I choose to sell so I can upgrade to something even *more* expensive!-Scott