Possible upgrade to PFC Cirrus Saab Yoke

[oemlegoem 29]

hey Ray,

Have a look at this video as well:

Being a yoke butcher, I was particularly interested in the access at the back of the yoke handle: video at 1:00.
The back has a cover plate on part of the back. There are screws for the top plate. I would think I could install some more switches. And add a Leo Bodnar controller that is frequently mentioned to solve the Saitek dead zone problem.

Might not be your cup of tea though. 

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,921]

29 minutes ago, oemlegoem said:

hey Ray,

Have a look at this video as well:

Being a yoke butcher, I was particularly interested in the access at the back of the yoke handle: video at 1:00.
The back has a cover plate on part of the back. There are screws for the top plate. I would think I could install some more switches. And add a Leo Bodnar controller that is frequently mentioned to solve the Saitek dead zone problem.

Might not be your cup of tea though. 

 

Hi oem,

Yes, already seen Froogle's video. He made the same point that two others did. The clamp isn't big enough. They should look at that.

I wouldn't want any modifications done to the Yoko should I buy one. It would probably invalidate my warranty. In terms of additional buttons Froogle uses one of these...

https://www.razerzone.com/gb-en/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-orbweaver-chroma

But I also have the option of another GoFlight P8 module that has 8 buttons. There seems to be a lack of quality 4 engine throttle quadrants. The Virtual-Fly TQ3 or TQ6 don't have enough axes. Any ideas apart from PFC?

[Ray Proudfoot 8,921]

I've been continuing to research possible yokes and I got it down to two - the Yoko and PFC Cirrus. Both have their pluses but also minuses. They are:-

Yoko Pluses.

Plenty of movement on elevator axis; Clamping facility; Price

Minus

Too few buttons.

PFC Cirrus Plus

Plenty of buttons

Minus

Price; Very large box; no facility to fix to desk

But that's only half the problem. I'm also going to need new throttles and the choice is not great. I've looked at and rejected CH and GoFlight. That leaves PFC and TQ6. The former is very adaptable as it's modular but you have to buy the console and then a suitable throttle quadrant. The PFC is the only real option as the TQ6 cannot be adapted for a four-engine jet. It's essentially a two-engine quadrant mainly for a turbo-prop.

So here's the bottom line. There is no stand-out yoke and throttle quadrant. The cost of the PFC is also extremely high - around £2.5K. For that price it would have to have virtually no drawbacks. Sadly for me it does.

I've decided to buy another Saitek Yoke and two throttle quadrants. I know the internals are not the best quality but that is the only minus. The throttle quadrants are adaptable; plenty of buttons and for a few years are problem free. And the Saitek is a tenth of the cost of the PFC.

The final deciding factor was the amount of time I would actually be using the yoke. Because I fly Concorde (and possibly a 737 to follow) around 90% of the flight is on autopilot so I wouldn't be using the yoke and throttles much anyway. I'm not a GA pilot and if I was then these quality yokes might make more sense. But as things stand I'll lose more than I'll gain.