33 minutes ago, MarkJHarris said:

I have the TQ6 ADV with the Boeing 737 levers fitted. to be honest I'm not that impressed.

Mark I think you are talking about the Goflight TQ6. The OP is asking about the VirtualFly TQ6 if I'm not mistaking.

https://www.virtual-fly.com/en/shop/controls/tq6

There is also FlightSimPM based in Italy. Their kit looks reasonable and cheaper than Throttletek. Here’s their 737. Option for it to be backlit too.

https://www.flightsimpm.com/web-store/737-Throttle-Quadrant-v2-4-p33600129

On 11/3/2020 at 8:38 PM, Samaritano said:

Mark I think you are talking about the Goflight TQ6. The OP is asking about the VirtualFly TQ6 if I'm not mistaking.

https://www.virtual-fly.com/en/shop/controls/tq6

Hmm, thanks for the clarification! I was starting to get depressed when Mark described the throttle as being less than exceptional! Which is how I have heard others describe it. Sure, I have never been excited about buying any GoFlight product, except their simple switch panels. I have looked at their throttle quadrant, but after seeing reviews on Youtube about the TQ6, I am sold. I'm just waiting to build up the enthusiasm to drop my hard earned cash!  To be honest, I'm pretty confident that I could make some handles/extensions which could be swapped between GA and the NGX when needed. It does look like a very tasty bit of kit 

On 11/2/2020 at 11:36 PM, Ray Proudfoot said:

When I visited the Main European flight sim show in Lelystad, Netherlands in 2018 I met the chaps who run VirtualFly and asked them that question. How about a 6 lever throttle unit designed for up to four engine aircraft.

Their reply was disappointing. They reckon there wouldn’t be the demand. That surprised me as there appears to be a gap in the market between Saitek at one end and PFC at the other. Even Throttletek are way beyond what I’m comfortable paying especially when it’s designed for one aircraft type.

What I would go for is something similar to the TQ6+ but hopefully British built so the exchange rate doesn’t make it prohibitively expensive.

I agree Ray, it would seem a wasted opportunity for them not to produce something similar to the forthcoming Bravo throttle, where it's possible to swap over handles for different aircraft. In fact, I did suggest such a thing in an email, but received no response!

18 minutes ago, Rockliffe said:

I agree Ray, it would seem a wasted opportunity for them not to produce something similar to the forthcoming Bravo throttle, where it's possible to swap over handles for different aircraft. In fact, I did suggest such a thing in an email, but received no response!

They’ve done 80% of the work. It just needs the middle four levers being equidistant to make it easy to handle all four throttles simultaneously. I just don’t understand them.

The more I look at the Honeycomb Bravo the more I shake my head in disbelief at its size. Why the enormous housing? So it matches the yoke? But the yoke needs the depth for its elevator axis. No such requirement for a throttle quadrant.

 

3 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

The more I look at the Honeycomb Bravo the more I shake my head in disbelief at its size. Why the enormous housing? So it matches the yoke? But the yoke needs the depth for its elevator axis. No such requirement for a throttle quadrant.

The official line is that it saves on the costs of retooling for a different housing. Anybody's guess how true that is.

7 hours ago, 109Sqn said:

The official line is that it saves on the costs of retooling for a different housing. Anybody's guess how true that is.

Seems a pretty lame excuse. Extra plastic, lots of space required which could prevent some people being able to fit it into available space.

On 11/3/2020 at 8:58 PM, Ray Proudfoot said:

There is also FlightSimPM based in Italy. Their kit looks reasonable and cheaper than Throttletek. Here’s their 737. Option for it to be backlit too.

https://www.flightsimpm.com/web-store/737-Throttle-Quadrant-v2-4-p33600129

Hmm, I do wonder about the quality of such a throttle Ray, at that price it seems too good to be true. However, I am very interested in the AP panel they have on their GA page.

3 minutes ago, Rockliffe said:

Hmm, I do wonder about the quality of such a throttle Ray, at that price it seems too good to be true. However, I am very interested in the AP panel they have on their GA page.

Unlike the VirtualFly stuff I’ve not seen their kit but I believe it’s predominantly plastic. Might explain the price. Designed more for the home cockpit really.

I have the GoFlight MCP and with GIT software it’s really good especially with the PMDG737.

9 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Unlike the VirtualFly stuff I’ve not seen their kit but I believe it’s predominantly plastic. Might explain the price. Designed more for the home cockpit really.

I have the GoFlight MCP and with GIT software it’s really good especially with the PMDG737.

Hmm, I have to admit Ray, I'm not enthused about the GoFlight MCP. I have looked at that over the past couple of years and watched Youtube reviews. To me it seems like the buttons are loose and very noisy and plasticky when clicked. The AP disengage button looks like a half hearted attempt too. No backlighting either. I'd love it if you were to prove me wrong though. 

Howard, for the money it’s very good value. I have the EFIS module bolted to it and the triangular legs means it can sit on a small stand secured to it with two strips of BluTack.

Yes, the buttons require some effort to push them but you get used to it. A friend stripped it down last year and cleaned all the rotaries and dials. It’s as good as new.

Using Pollypot software it maps perfectly to the PMDG737. I’ve had my other GoFlight modules for 17 years and they still work perfectly again programmed to various aircraft using Pollypot GIT. Aside from the throttle quadrant I’d recommend all the GoFlight kit.

One of the great things about the MCP PRO is that when used with GIT it is very versatile and works with a wide range of aircraft.  As an example it works with (I think) all of the default MSFS aircraft.  While something based on a 737 may not be realistic to use with a Cessna, it’s still very convenient to be able to adjust heading, altitude etc with a physical device rather than using your mouse to search for virtual knobs on your screen.

Contrast that versatility to a related piece of hardware that I own, the Skalarki Airbus FCU.  While it’s undoubtedly a higher quality item in terms of look and feel, and much more true to the real life example, it’s also much more expensive and only works with two aircraft that I own, the FS Labs Airbus and the Aerosoft A330.  I had to pay for a separate piece of software to get it working with FS Labs.

All that to say I find the Skalarki FCU far more satisfying to use, but I get much more use out of the MCP PRO.  I’ve had my MCP PRO for about eight years and have never had an issue with it.

 

On 11/4/2020 at 7:03 PM, 109Sqn said:

The official line is that it saves on the costs of retooling for a different housing. Anybody's guess how true that is.

I also heard that it helped counter-balance the large overhang of the main controls.

Howard, this is an interesting thread you started here.  I find myself very much in the same boat as you.  I've been looking at throttle-quadrants for some time and was about settled on the Virtual Fly TQ6+.  Then along comes the Bravo unit with the extra features (AP, annunciator panel, flaps, gear, trim wheel) at a fantastic price.  I'm thinking "Wow, this is perfect!"  What makes me hesitant is that I wonder if I'm placing too much emphasis on the extras provided.  I keep wondering if they will prove to be too hard to set up for different sims and planes and if I will end up NOT using them for that reason, and be faced with a less reliable throttle-quadrant in the long-run. After all, the throttle-quadrant by itself was the whole concern in the first place. Right now my leanings change almost by the minute and it doesn't help that the TQ6+ can be had at a 15% discount until December 6 which makes my decision even harder.  Oh, well, I guess we'll see what info I come up with before December 6.  I hope you are able to come to a conclusion easier than me.

Jeff 

Edited November 25, 20205 yr by JNS