Good day, advice for a new Yoke/throttle

[annoluce 1]

Hi guys,

I'm Max I fly from Rome, Italy on FS2020. I'm an old (well not that much, I'm 51 actually) simmer, starting to fly Flight Simulators since the 80s when they were just some vector graphics and a few colors. I fly mainly DCS with an x56, but i'm now happily taking on FS2020 and I would like to make a better experience out of it with a solid Yoke/throttle system.

I recently bought a Logitech Yoke but I'm not very happy with the pitch accuracy and the center detent "click" so I'm returning it.

I have alternatives and I'm asking your opinion and advice:

- Honeycomb Alpha:      very bulky but I read nice reviews, and it comes with start-up switches. It has no central detent and it is said to be very accurate and smooth even though is stiffer than the Logitech in pitch. Throttle not included.

- Turtle Beach Velocity:  it comes with a throttle, still steep price tag. It comes with push-pull Cessna throttles and a very nice trim wheel.

- Honeycomb Bravo:      very nice throttle, complete set for GA and liners. Very nice trim wheel and it also comes with AP panel.

Questions:

1. What yoke should I get based on your experience/opinions?

2. Do you know if the Velocity has center detent "click" (I really don't like it) and for me it's a no go

3. AFAIK, the Bravo throttle AP knob is adjusting ALT only by 1000ft increments and HDG bug only by 10deg increments. This is an issue, if this is true it's a show stopper for me, at this price level I should get fine adjustments.

Comments and advice welcome!

Thanks

Max

[Ray Proudfoot 8,924]

Welcome to AvSim Max. To that list you should consider the Fulcrum One yoke. I have one myself having grown tired of the Saitek / Logitech and the Honeycomb being far too large.

https://fulcrumsim.com/product/fulcrum-one-yoke/

No throttle quadrant from Fulcrum yet but one is going through design mods. There is also a support forum here at AvSim.

https://www.avsim.com/forums/forum/882-fulcrum-simulator-controls/

[annoluce 1]

26 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Welcome to AvSim Max. To that list you should consider the Fulcrum One yoke. I have one myself having grown tired of the Saitek / Logitech and the Honeycomb being far too large.

https://fulcrumsim.com/product/fulcrum-one-yoke/

No throttle quadrant from Fulcrum yet but one is going through design mods. There is also a support forum here at AvSim.

https://www.avsim.com/forums/forum/882-fulcrum-simulator-controls/

 

Hey Ray, thanks. I had spotted that unit. Seems solid and very robust, almost pro sim level. May I ask your experience about it? Price is quite high, but what worries the most is that they say there is delay for shipping due to order backlog.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,924]

@annoluce, very professional build. No detente and 8” of elevator travel. More than twice that of the Honeycomb and Logitech. I’m very pleased with it as it’s precise and long lasting. About the same price as a mid-level graphics card. 😁

The website may not be fully up to date. Plenty of orders going out now I believe. Have a read here for an independent review.

 

[annoluce 1]

Hi Ray, it will cost me around 600 EUR to have the Fulcrum delivered to my home. It will take 4 weeks. I will definitely consider it, but for 100 EUR less I can have both HC Alpha and Bravo...

So it is a hard decision.

Max

[Ray Proudfoot 8,924]

1 minute ago, annoluce said:

So it is a hard decision.

Understood. Maybe ask those who have the Honeycomb kit how they feel about it.

[GCBraun 2,390]

19 minutes ago, annoluce said:

Hi Ray, it will cost me around 600 EUR to have the Fulcrum delivered to my home. It will take 4 weeks. I will definitely consider it, but for 100 EUR less I can have both HC Alpha and Bravo...

So it is a hard decision.

Max

I believe that the Honeycomb throttle paired with a metal Joystick/Yoke is a pretty good combo. The HC Bravo is extremely versatile and allows me to fly from a C152 to an A340-600.

As for the controls, I've had my TM Warthog for ages and highly recommend it for Airbuses. I also recently managed to buy a GoFlight 737 Yoke for around 400 Euros out of Ebay...

The HC Alpha is also fine, but as I am used to the metal feel of the TM Warthog, I had to return it.

Edited September 9, 2022 by GCBraun

[annoluce 1]

26 minutes ago, GCBraun said:

I believe that the Honeycomb throttle paired with a metal Joystick/Yoke is a pretty good combo. The HC Bravo is extremely versatile and allows me to fly from a C152 to an A340-600.

As for the controls, I've had my TM Warthog for ages and highly recommend it for Airbuses. I also recently managed to buy a GoFlight 737 Yoke for around 400 Euros out of Ebay...

The HC Alpha is also fine, but as I am used to the metal feel of the TM Warthog, I had to return it.

Hey thanks for your reply.

May I kindly ask you, if you can, to reply to my main concern: the Bravo throttle AP knob is adjusting ALT only by 1000ft increments and HDG bug only by 10deg increments. Is this issue true? No ALT 100ft adjustments? OR 1° HDG adjustments?

[GCBraun 2,390]

48 minutes ago, annoluce said:

Hey thanks for your reply.

May I kindly ask you, if you can, to reply to my main concern: the Bravo throttle AP knob is adjusting ALT only by 1000ft increments and HDG bug only by 10deg increments. Is this issue true? No ALT 100ft adjustments? OR 1° HDG adjustments?

There is no limitation on the hardware at all as far as I know. It is possible to adjust in both granularities depending on how the plane’s AP is configured. 

[annoluce 1]

On 9/9/2022 at 7:45 PM, GCBraun said:

There is no limitation on the hardware at all as far as I know. It is possible to adjust in both granularities depending on how the plane’s AP is configured. 

Hi thanks, so just to clarify, can I use the knob to make 100ft increments? And how do you switch from 100ft to 1000ft increments?

[GCBraun 2,390]

11 hours ago, annoluce said:

Hi thanks, so just to clarify, can I use the knob to make 100ft increments? And how do you switch from 100ft to 1000ft increments?

Yes you can but this setting is dependent on the aircraft itself as far as I am aware. For instance, on the airbus there is a switch on the autopilot to change how big the increments will be. 

[annoluce 1]

I decided to give the Logitech a try and implemented the MOD with the springs. I have to say, it is now much, much more accurate, no central detent and I'm happy for the moment.

I can skip the much more expensive Alpha. Perhaps in the future I'll take the Bravo but I'm more prone to Logitech panels instead, I believe they are nice. The only real thing pushing me to the Bravo is the big trim wheel, but I will try with the Logitech one.

The Logitech Yoke + quadrant are very small factor and allow me to have in place also the x56 HOTAS so I can switch easily from FS to DCS.