I posted about a week ago that I had located where I had stored my Ch rudder pedals about 5 years ago when I retired from FS9. I hooked them up, calibrated them with the new CH software, and they work great. As I have been flying around the last few days, I realize that I am not using them very much, taxi and takeoff, aerobatics, which I don't do much of ( yet) and landings, especially crosswind landings. Total time maybe 1-2 minutes out of a flight that might be 1-2 hours. ( It probably was about the same with FS9, since I flew mostly heavy jets)

 

Prior to resurrecting the pedals, I was using the twist grip on my Extreme 3D pro for rudder control. My question is, being that the pedals are around $125-150, do you feel it is worth the investment considering how little they might possibly be used flying around?

It depends on the plane, for me. I'm all over the pedals in the Stearman, use them a fair bit in the Maule, and barely touch them in the RV-6.

 

I seem to remember our resident RV-6 builder/owner referring to the real thing as a "feet on the floor" kind of plane, with little or no rudder input needed for most turns.

 

But anyway, I would not want to go without them. I can't slip well at all with a twist-stick, and would really miss the toe brakes.

twist grip is never an option for me, it feels so unnatural....and with FLIGHT I've been mostly using the mouse and the "A" / "D" keys for rudder inputs. The damping is so well done that I can align with rw axis enough to get me gold on the landing challenges, even under considerable x-wind components...

 

That said, I decided I have to get back my rudder pedals... Saitek Pro... It's just a question of time. I am sure I will use the x52 Pro a lot more when I get them back :-)

A lot! Part of the skill is to keep the ball centered in a coordinated turn...not sliding sideways. Some airplanes require substantial rudder to keep them coordinated.

If yar wanna simulate flyin then yar gotta simulate flyin :Peace:

A lot! Part of the skill is to keep the ball centered in a coordinated turn...not sliding sideways. Some airplanes require substantial rudder to keep them coordinated.

 

"Step on the ball" my CFI said .

I think it would be impossible to do consistently well on Amy landing challenge without proper use of the rudder pedals. frankly, I think a scoring glitch would have to reward poor technique.

I think is will always be a personal choice - whether to fly with rudder pedals or not. As far as I know, there was only one airplane built that did not have rudder pedals - the Ercoupe. A friend bought one and asked if I would check him out in it. It was really scary on final in a cross wind with no real method of last minute runway alignment. The ercoupe had super stong landing gear that swiveled once it hit the ground. Made an awful noise and could break you back in extreme conditions.

 

I have never considered not having pedals, I have the CH pedals in the attic, Saitek Pro's in the closet and Saitek Combat Pedals hooked up. I recommend you try pedals for a week or so, even in MS Flight. One of the most experienced real world airline pilots is also probably the most experienced MS Flight user only uses a mouse for fllght controls. Go figure.

 

Ray

One of the most experienced real world airline pilots is also probably the most experienced MS Flight user only uses a mouse for fllght controls.

 

Whow! I am not alone in my exquisite taste for mouse use in MS FLIGHT!!!!... or... is he a PIG?!...

Whow! I am not alone in my exquisite taste for mouse use in MS FLIGHT!!!!... or... is he a PIG?!...

 

I'm not sure what you mean with your comments. He is Fred.

 

Ray

I'm not sure what you mean with your comments. He is Fred.

 

Ray

 

AH! A Real Pilot then.... thought you were joking... (When Pigs Fly....)

 

That's great to confirm! And yes, now I recall his answer to my other thread regarding the use of mouse for flying....

 

So, I am not alone, although I intend to start using the x52 when I get the rudder pedals... But, if he finds the mouse to be a good controller, then I believe we should really accept that it was very well programmed into MS FLIGHT, and that was one of my points with that thread...

 

I find it too, just as I did with Condorsoaring... The mouse in that other sim provided much more realistic input than the joystick I had by that time, a Saitek CyborgX and no rudder pedals. I also used the keyboard for the rudder inputs because Condorsoaring has an option to turn off autocoordination, and I really preferred to use the mouse for pitch and bank, and the keyboard for the yaw. Well, MS FLIGHT allows it too, although it still inputs some autorudder...

I have the Saitek Combat Pedals - and I use them mainly when taxiing, taking off, and landing - along with the toe brakes now that we have them to help in ground steering.

I use my Saitek Combat rudders all the time. In fact I use them so often that I doubt if I am using them as I should... Since the last update the airplans tend to roll left a lot more and I notice that, almost without thinking about it, I am using rudder to keep the plane level all the time. I sometimes fly on and on with a little bit of rudder and even some cornering without touching my joystick... I doubt if the rudder is meant for that but as I said, I almost do it without thinking. Keeping the rudder a bit left or right for a long time is so easy to do while holding the joystick slightly left or right is annoying...

 

I used to use the twist rudder on my joystick but I never liked it because it was too rough: it was very hard to do (and hold) minor corrections, while it's a breeze with the pedals.

 

So, yes, I use them a lot. All the time. Too much maybe (maybe a RW pilot can tell me if that's so or not).

I use my Saitek Combat rudders all the time. In fact I use them so often that I doubt if I am using them as I should... Since the last update the airplans tend to roll left a lot more and I notice that, almost without thinking about it, I am using rudder to keep the plane level all the time. I sometimes fly on and on with a little bit of rudder and even some cornering without touching my joystick... I doubt if the rudder is meant for that but as I said, I almost do it without thinking. Keeping the rudder a bit left or right for a long time is so easy to do while holding the joystick slightly left or right is annoying...

 

I used to use the twist rudder on my joystick but I never liked it because it was too rough: it was very hard to do (and hold) minor corrections, while it's a breeze with the pedals.

 

So, yes, I use them a lot. All the time. Too much maybe (maybe a RW pilot can tell me if that's so or not).

 

When I flew a C-152, and 172, I used to practice flying with just the rudder pedals for directional control Figured it might come in handy if something happens to the aileron control, which thankfully never happened to me. Causes a bit of uncoordinated flight but you can keep the wings level that way.

 

The one thing I noticed with the twist grip on my 3D Pro, is that I was sometimes applying rudder when I didn't want to, as I was moving the ailerons.

AH! A Real Pilot then.... thought you were joking... (When Pigs Fly....)

 

. . . . That's great to confirm! And yes, now I recall his answer to my other thread regarding the use of mouse for flying....

. . . But, if he finds the mouse to be a good controller, then I believe we should really accept that it was very well programmed into MS FLIGHT, and that was one of my points with that thread...

 

 

I don't necessarily buy into the fact that one user's choice of controller confirms anything about how very well programmed something is.

 

I do know that MS Flight is marketed and promoted for the use of a single mouse as the controller. Just knowing that one could expect that a mouse should work properly in the game.

 

Got a Mouse? You can Fly! is the main slogan for MS Flight so I would fully expect it to be well programmed as you say.

 

Ray