Which is better GO Flight Yoke or PFC Yokes?  Are there any specific issues with the Go Flight or PFC in particular?  I live in Australia and I can get the go Flight for around $1000 AUS whereas PFC will be at least $1200 probably more. 

 

There isn't enough detailed reviews on the Go Flight I can find.  Can anyone give some more info?

From what I read, the PFC yokes are better then the GO Flight yoke. But even better is the Yoko yoke. There has also been a recent discussion on high end yokes here on AVSIM. Here is video from Froogle on Youtube on the Go Flight:

 

From what I read, the PFC yokes are better then the GO Flight yoke. But even better is the Yoko yoke. There has also been a recent discussion on high end yokes here on AVSIM. Here is video from Froogle on Youtube on the Go Flight:

 

 

froogle is pretty enthusiatic about alot of things...  do you know if theres any difference in the rotation angle and elevator throw between the two yokes?

froogle is pretty enthusiatic about alot of things...  do you know if theres any difference in the rotation angle and elevator throw between the two yokes?

 

No, sorry. But I think that was also discussed in the recent topic which I also referred to in my above statement. See here:

 

http://www.avsim.com/topic/485698-looking-for-a-mid-to-high-end-yoke/

Best one is probably the Brunner CLSE Yoke :o

I have a YOKO and PFC Beech Yoke. The YOKO is a lot better in my opinion. It has much more travel in the pitch and roll so it's more precise. They both feel great to use, but the PFC is pretty disappointing in its range of motion. I would have a very hard time recommending them for that reason, especially when the YOKO is in the same price range.

Best one is probably the Brunner CLSE Yoke :o

 

I would agree, and I've owned all three.  I first bought a PFC Cirrus yoke, all pimped up with Hall sensors at the premium price the charge for that option.  Mechanically, it's a smooth yoke, but after about 6 months, the USB circuit board where the USB connection is made gave up.  PFC tech support mailed me another one which I installed myself, and that lasted another few weeks before quitting.  I paid out of my pocket to UPS the whole thing to PFC, where they kept it a month or so, and then just shipped it back with another circuit board in it.  Finally got the thing back and it soon failed again.  I gave up, chalked the whole nightmare up to experience, and the yoke is now in the landfill.  Life's too short.

 

I then decided to try a GoFlight yoke.  I still have it; it's better than the little plastic fantastic things from CH, Logitech, and the rest, but it's a cheesy design with springy return-to-center action that's nothing like the feel of a real aircraft yoke, and the roll axis stop mechanism is metal sliding on metal as the yoke moves in and out, very poor.

 

After much research, I decided to invest in a Brunner CLSE FFB yoke, and it's quite well done.  In addition to the force feedback it provides, the yoke software features hundreds of options and adjustable settings, including what happens to the yoke when the airplane is on the ground and parked, which blew me away. 

 

In a real airplane parked on the ground, gravitational forces on the elevator tend to pull it down, and the yoke moves forward with it.  With this feature enabled in the software settings, this yoke does that.  Then, as airspeed increases during the take-off roll, the elevator comes up, and the yoke gradually "comes to life" and moves to the center.  This yoke does that too, just like the real thing.  Pretty amazing, and it shows how much thought went into designing it.   And it's fun to watch as it moves in response to autopilot commands for pitch and roll.

 

Expensive, yes, but as usual, you get what you pay for.  My Brunner yoke is what I use now.

I gave up, chalked the whole nightmare up to experience, and the yoke is now in the landfill.  Life's too short.

 

   

 

I'm sure someone like myself would have liked to take it off your hands and try to DIY hack it to prevent further issues...

I gave up, chalked the whole nightmare up to experience, and the yoke is now in the landfill. Life's too short.

 

 

 

I'm sure someone like myself would have liked to take it off your hands and try to DIY hack it to prevent further issues...

 

This.  For anyone who cares to delve into a wee bit of electronics and isn't scared of a soldering iron, the best cost effective solution is a PFC yoke.  They've been making them for some time, and with a bit of perseverance and / or advertising, it is possible to pick up an old serial port equipped model. for a very reasonable price.

 

Which is exactly what I did. I bought a older PFC Cirrus II console from a member here on Avsim for a decent price - the shipping actually cost more than the yoke did - and then I preceded to completely gut it of it's old circuit board and wiring.  I picked up two USB Bodnar boards, and rewired all the switches, making the most out of the double throw switches in order to have separate buttons for 'on' and 'off' on all the major switches, and separate buttons for the keyed rotary mag switches (I actually had to take those to a locksmith to get them rekeyed).  It doesn't have hall effect sensors on the yoke, but I matched up the pots and bought good quality replacements (and spares) for very cheap.

 

What I have now is a custom built PFC console that works like a dream, and has now for almost a year?  Total cost for everything was right around $500.  As much as I would love a FFB yoke, my budget just doesn't allow for it - this one does just fine. :smile:

This.  For anyone who cares to delve into a wee bit of electronics and isn't scared of a soldering iron, the best cost effective solution is a PFC yoke.

 

Well, I'm not exactly sure what "This." means in your post, but, nevertheless, good for you.  I'm glad that your DIY project was a success. It's always a good thing when the outcome is positive.

 

I'm capable of a "wee bit of electronics" - as it happens, I've been a licensed US amateur radio operator for decades, an hold the highest license class offered; soldering is child's play for me, even with the micro-circuits nowadays.  But I don't have the time or patience for diddling around with stuff anymore - either it works, or it's gone.  I was willing to give PFC the opportunities to make it right, and they botched them (as in, plural).  They diddled around with the dangling dong of destiny.  Money talks, and BS walks.

 

Oh, and BTW - the Brunner yoke is so far beyond any of the springy/center detent/bungy cord variety of yokes out there, it's not even a contest.  I'd buy another Brunner in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't give a thought to anything PFC has to offer.  A Brunner FFB yoke is the REAL THING;  the rest are just wannabes.

Well, I'm not exactly sure what "This." means in your post, but, nevertheless, good for you.  I'm glad that your DIY project was a success. It's always a good thing when the outcome is positive.

 

I'm capable of a "wee bit of electronics" - as it happens, I've been a licensed US amateur radio operator for decades, an hold the highest license class offered; soldering is child's play for me, even with the micro-circuits nowadays.  But I don't have the time or patience for diddling around with stuff anymore - either it works, or it's gone.  I was willing to give PFC the opportunities to make it right, and they botched them (as in, plural).  They diddled around with the dangling dong of destiny.  Money talks, and BS walks.

 

Oh, and BTW - the Brunner yoke is so far beyond any of the springy/center detent/bungy cord variety of yokes out there, it's not even a contest.  I'd buy another Brunner in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't give a thought to anything PFC has to offer.  A Brunner FFB yoke is the REAL THING;  the rest are just wannabes.

 

Wow.  I guess I should of been a bit more clear.  Sorry if my post caused you offense, but I think that it would be obvious that anyone who can afford to both toss a PFC Cirrus and then purchase a Brunner FFB in addition to the money spent PFC wouldn't of been the target of my post.  At all.  Since you can afford it, and it works for you, then great.  If could afford to, I'd have a FFB yoke sitting on my desk as well.

 

My 'This' was to agree with the other poster I quoted; your post was quoted to show the example of there being used PFC yokes out there that make excellent DIY projects. If a simmer is operating from a budget, and I'm assuming that anyone trying to decide between a GoFlight and a PFC yoke is indeed trying to save money, then perhaps a DIY project is their best value.

Well, I'm not exactly sure what "This." means in your post, but, nevertheless, good for you.  I'm glad that your DIY project was a success. It's always a good thing when the outcome is positive.

 

I'm capable of a "wee bit of electronics" - as it happens, I've been a licensed US amateur radio operator for decades, an hold the highest license class offered; soldering is child's play for me, even with the micro-circuits nowadays.  But I don't have the time or patience for diddling around with stuff anymore - either it works, or it's gone.  I was willing to give PFC the opportunities to make it right, and they botched them (as in, plural).  They diddled around with the dangling dong of destiny.  Money talks, and BS walks.

 

Oh, and BTW - the Brunner yoke is so far beyond any of the springy/center detent/bungy cord variety of yokes out there, it's not even a contest.  I'd buy another Brunner in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't give a thought to anything PFC has to offer.  A Brunner FFB yoke is the REAL THING;  the rest are just 

 

What him and I were trying to say is:

 

Why oh why, did you simply throw it away?  You could have posted it for sale or free on Avsim or eBay for a bargain.  Could have made someone very happy, instead of just tossing it in the trash.

What him and I were trying to say is:

 

Why oh why, did you simply throw it away?

 

Because by that time, I had spent months fooling around with PFC tech support which ended up being wasted time, and I had also spent a lot of money to ship it back to them - those yokes are heavy and expensive to ship.  IMO, PFC should have been willing to pay both ways shipping, but they wouldn't.  I had totally lost interest in it, and didn't want to spend MORE of my time trying to sell a defective product.  I had simply exhausted my patience with the thing, and the sooner it was out of my sight, the better.

Because by that time, I had spent months fooling around with PFC tech support which ended up being wasted time, and I had also spent a lot of money to ship it back to them - those yokes are heavy and expensive to ship.  IMO, PFC should have been willing to pay both ways shipping, but they wouldn't.  I had totally lost interest in it, and didn't want to spend MORE of my time trying to sell a defective product.  I had simply exhausted my patience with the thing, and the sooner it was out of my sight, the better.

 

I understand.  Glad that you've got all your stuff working good and are happy now!  :smile:

I understand.  Glad that you've got all your stuff working good and are happy now!  :smile:

 

Yeah, pretty much.  I'm a licensed pilot, so I'm picky about my sim controls.  With more than 2,000 hrs of logged PIC time, the majority of them in my own aircraft, I know how controls are supposed to feel.  If my sim controls aren't anywhere close to the real thing, it's tough to get any enjoyment from it.