What hardware do i need?
What hardware do I need?
After spending time researching and selecting the perfect simulator for your needs, you’re probably thinking about investing in some quality hardware to elevate your flight experience. After all, what’s a flight simulator without a proper set of controls?
The most rudimentary way to control your chosen aircraft is by using your computer’s mouse and keyboard. Most simulators have options to be able to control pitch and roll with your computer mouse and throttle with your keyboard. This can take some getting used to however can provide some surprisingly accurate results if you get to master this technique. It is a very user-friendly way to control an aircraft without the need to spend any extra money!
However, if you were in the market for a proper stick and throttle set-up, I’ll guide you through a set of products I personally have experience with along with those products that I haven’t used which from testimonies are ones that I can recommend. If you don’t wish to spend lots of money, (you know… since you’ve just spent a lot of money on software) I can whole-heartedly recommend looking at Thrustmaster products; more specifically the ‘T-Flight’ series. Ask anyone in the community and they’ll tell you they have used or know someone who has used a product from this line. They’re an excellent set of products to get you started, may I recommend the ‘T-Flight HOTAS X’. This bundle can be picked up for around £50 when not on sale and as low as £30 when on sale. It includes a joystick and throttle combination, hence the name ‘HOTAS’ (Hands-on Throttle and Stick). There is no extra need for a set of rudder pedals either, as the stick has a Z Axis meaning it is twistable, enabling you to control the rudder through that input rather than spending another £50 on the ‘T-flight Rudder Pedals’ – which will make your flight simulation much more realistic if you so wish to make a further investment. I used this set of products for years before being able to acquire the funds to spend more money on this journey, so this for me is a must-buy for any budding flight-simulator enthusiast.
If money is no obstacle, there are a few products I can recommend to you if you want more aircraft-specified realism. For example, trusty Thrustmaster has a couple of products available to you whether you intend to fly Boeing or Airbus, namely their ‘TCA’ series. There is an Airbus combination available with add-ons. The base Airbus pack comes with an officially licensed throttle quadrant with accurate detents and a sidestick, with additional purchasable items including a flap lever and speed brake lever, with detents. The mechanics of this setup are good, they allow for the best mass-market simulation of Airbus line flying at a reasonable price, in the region of £120. The stick features the same rotation as the T-Flight series however this can be lockable if being used with external rudder pedals, in addition, the stick has interchangeable Autopilot Disconnect and PTT switches, allowing you to fly the aircraft from either seat with ease. Lastly, the sidestick from this bundle is built off of Thrustmaster’s long-established but aging T16000 joystick, meaning quality is guaranteed and almost all internal parts are easily sourceable should anything go wrong with your product. However, I’ve found that Thrustmaster’s customer support is exceptional should that eventuality occur.
If Boeing flying is more up your street. I can recommend the Boeing TCA pack. This has a 787 style yoke, with 787 style throttles, allowing the flight of all aircraft with a Yoke. This is the most popular and best simulation of the Boeing-style flight controls available on the mass market right now at a slightly steeper price than the Airbus pack from the same line, setting you back around £350. This product in my opinion is of a slightly higher build quality than the Airbus counterpart, feeling more weighty and sturdy than the Airbus product. The Boeing yoke has many configurable switches and buttons available for you to map to your heart’s content. Some notable features for the sim-pilot include dual redundant trim switches, much like the real aircraft, and a gear lever, meaning you’ll have to hardly touch your keyboard when flying in the sim; furthering your immersion inside of the virtual world. Lastly, the Boeing TCA pack is an officially licensed product, meaning it got the seal of approval from Boeing itself!
The last set of products I will touch on in this article are those from reputable vendor Honeycomb Aeronautical. A company established in 2015 with the aim to provide high-quality hardware at affordable prices. I personally use two of their products on a regular basis. They have four products on the market at the time of writing. The Alpha Yoke, the Alpha XPC Yoke, the Bravo Throttle Quadrant, and the Charlie Rudder Pedals. Firstly I’ll mention the Alpha Yoke series, which can be split into two; Firstly, the Alpha Yoke. This product revolutionized the game when it came to affordable flight yokes, when this product was released there was only one other real option in terms of simulator yokes, the Logitech Saitek G-Flight Yoke, which pales in every aspect in comparison to the build quality and useability of the Honeycomb offering. The Honeycomb Alpha offers a soft-touch yoke with some real weight behind it, to simulate air moving over the primary control surfaces without the need for force feedback, a system found in many simulator steering wheels. In addition, there is a ‘key’ on the bottom right of the Yoke’s body to simulate the engagement of starter switches with two magneto points, which can be bound in the simulator if General Aviation flying is something you’re looking to accomplish in your flight-simulation journey. The yoke’s base also comes with a host of light switches, covering everything you’ll ever need (Strobe, Nav, Beacon, Landing, and Taxi), all of which can be bound in-sim to reflect the movement of the switch inside the aircraft. This product will set you back around £300 at the time of writing.
Secondly, the XPC; which is effectively just an Xbox-compatible version of the base Alpha Yoke. The XPC has a slightly smaller form factor than the original Alpha yoke with almost identical internals to the original Alpha yoke.
The Bravo Throttle Quadrant is something of a masterpiece in my opinion. Its a user-friendly and incredibly versatile product. With the same soft-touch premium feel as the Alpha set and weighty feel, it comes with an adjustable tension wheel, allowing you to fine-tune the amount of resistance you feel when moving the throttles. The pack comes with a comprehensive autopilot panel as standard, allowing you to fly the aircraft without touching your mouse to use the autopilot inside the aircraft which objectively is an excellent point of immersion. In addition to a superb autopilot panel. The Bravo also ships with two swappable control systems, a ‘General Aviation’ set and an ‘Airliner’ set. Both of these throttle sets are highly detailed, with the Airliner set being modeled on a Boeing 737, with the option to purchase an Airbus set from their online shop. However, if you did want to purchase more throttle sets at a subjectively better quality, then I’d shuffle over to Etsy where you can find a whole range of different throttle sets for the Bravo base made by some great independent sellers, I use one of these 3rd party sets and have had no issues with them, though your mileage may vary.
Lastly, Honeycomb Aeronautical offers a set of rudder pedals, called the Charlie. These have had mixed reviews from many, they’re a product that unfortunately I have no experience with but others say they have excellent feeling brakes with a soft feeling pendulum-like swing to the rudders. These are a premium product that rivals the likes of Thrustmaster’s more premium pedal offering, the TPR. The Charlie’s excel in their unique way of self-centering, instead of using a set of springs that will wear over time, it takes advantage of a belt-drivel system meaning the product will remain at constant tension throughout its lifetime, this is something that other products have failed to accomplish in their offerings. This tension can be endlessly adjusted too, as can the angle of the product’s footrests. For the first time in the series, Honeycomb has opted to include a knob to be able to fine-tune the (rather bright) red lighting which is synonymous with the Honeycomb series, a welcome addition for most home cockpits.
To conclude this article, there is so much out there in terms of hardware that you can get your hands on. I’d recommend going into a physical shop or attending a conference where you’re able to test products, especially if you’re looking at spending some serious money. Finding what you like is an incredibly rewarding experience and one that will pay off with years and years of use. You’re bound not to like things, and you’re bound to think some are better than others, but what matters is that you buy a product that suits your needs but more importantly you can afford it.
