I mostly fly the big jets with flight yoke, but have always struggled when it comes to steering aircraft on the ground. What does everyone else use as a tiller (hardware wise)?

I use my rudder pedals.

I have a Microsoft Sidewinder forced feedback 2 joystick. It has a spring loaded twist left and right. typically it is used for Yaw (rudder control) but I use rudder pedals for that. It makes an excellent tiller.

This made me think back to when I started flying. To learn to taxi, I had to take my hands off the yoke, because as long as I had them on the yoke I would want to steer the aircraft like a car.

Live and learn, as long as you learn! 

If you have a car racing steering wheel, that might work if you can get it to connect to your sim.

I've seen a photo of a guy that strapped a steering wheel onto the side of his chair and used it as a trim wheel.

i do use an usb car racing wheel, microsoft sidewinder racing wheel. Works fantastic, you can explore getting one second hand (you may even replace the hand plastic wheel by an airliner like custom build handle)

 

Whatever you choose, i think it is very important it has a large ratio/degree of movement (airliners have around 80 degree of travel in each direction) so when you manipulate your tiler you have a nice natural feeling and granularity.

 

If you do use a short travel axis hardware, the nose wheel control may become way to twitchy.

3 hours ago, skully said:

If you have a car racing steering wheel

I have a logitech momo. I'm sorely tempted to give that ago!🤣

A Logitech F310 Gamepad, inexpensive and practical.

I use Cessna Pro Pedals.
Takes a while to dial in and get right as far as deadzone but once you find the sweetspot they work great and just add another level of immersion to flight simming.

I completely forgot but I remember FSX (ESP) does not have a separate control for the nose wheel tiller right? 

The other simulator does and I assign the twisting handle of the joystick for the nose wheel tiller if available by design in the specific jet and I leave the pedals for rudder. In fact the behavior of the jets is like in real life where the rudders have no effect on the ground at low air speed... The tiller steers it... even on take off until reaching a specific air speed you transfer...

So I will be surprised if this aircraft behavior is not implemented in MSFS for jets.

I suppose the Alpha testers will certainly ask for it when they try the A320 Neo if it is not already there...

Edited April 19, 20206 yr by Claviateur

Made my own with a pot, connected to a Board (Arduino like).

I can't post a pic here.

I can't believe that there isn't an out of the box tiller for the sim on the market :-) My money is on Honeycomb to be the first one.

When I installed the NGXu I remembered I had a hardly used Saitek Cessna Pro Trim Wheel.  What a fabulous tiller!  It has ultra-fine resolution w/ a massive range so is just ideal in this role.  I had been using it as a stop on left side of my keyboard which sits on top of my yoke body, and use the Saitek TQ as the right side stop to hold my keyboard in play.  The trim wheel did not work well as a trim wheel so glad I found something to use it with now.  They have a nice feel, the wheel action.