Hardware recommendations

[Anex80]

First of all, let me begin by saying I absolutely LOVE the A2A aircrafts! I have the C172, Cherokee 180, and the Comanche 250 and they are all phenomenal airplanes. My question today revolves around hardware. I'm curious what others are using for input controls?

For instance, I use all Saitek equipment with the exception of my rudder pedals. I find that A2A is so realistic that the imperfections of my yoke, rudder, and throttle are magnified.

I just started taking real world flying lessons and while I've only had a few short hours in the C172, I must say it is extremely easier to fly in real life than on the sim. Part of this is of course the real life feedback you get from actually being in the air, but the smoothness of the yoke and rudder, the resistance in the throttle and mixture levers, the friction on the rudders, make it so much easier. It would be nice if there was a way to realistically duplicate that at home.

Additionally, I've found the high realism settings (torgue, g force, etc.) make it even more difficult to fly at home than IRL. For instance, I have no issue keeping a real world Cessna on the line while taxiing, even with a crosswind. In the sim, I'm all over the place on a calm day!

I've read many forums of adjusting config files, sensitivities, and the like but my results are always the same. I'm really just looking for advice, opinions, ideas, so forth on what others are doing to truly get the real world feeling at home.

For reference, I'm using P3D v3.

[Lewis - A2A]

Try using your software part of the hardware calibration to match up the real world, remember though you have to adjust for the lack of tactile feedback and pressure. I know many pilots tend to prefer the CH yoke over the Saitek for the pressure aspect.

thanks
Lewis

[Anex80]

Quick update on my earlier post. I sprung for some Redbird rudder pedals which has made a HUGE difference in my experience. Their design is much closer to that of a real GA plane and they are super smooth and easy to maneuver.

My next project was to mod my Saitek Yoke with rubber bands instead of the factory springs. I just installed those this morning and haven't had time to fly with it yet but I'm hopeful this will address my concerns.

The lesson I've learned is don't skimp on input controls! I know it's far more alluring to build out a super complex cockpit with switches, dials, lights, and such, but if the controls are lagging your experience will always be subpar.

[DHenriques_]

Quick update on my earlier post. I sprung for some Redbird rudder pedals which has made a HUGE difference in my experience. Their design is much closer to that of a real GA plane and they are super smooth and easy to maneuver.

My next project was to mod my Saitek Yoke with rubber bands instead of the factory springs. I just installed those this morning and haven't had time to fly with it yet but I'm hopeful this will address my concerns.

The lesson I've learned is don't skimp on input controls! I know it's far more alluring to build out a super complex cockpit with switches, dials, lights, and such, but if the controls are lagging your experience will always be subpar.

Something I always mention to simmers is that even accounting for the dynamic pressure you get on controls in the actual airplane there is a difference in the ratio of movement between the actual plane and any hardware you are using to control your plane in the sim.
What you have to do in the sim is make a conscious effort to NOT over control the plane using your controllers.
Visualize whatever change in heading or pitch you want to make as though you were in the actual plane then match that visualization by using the controller. This holds true for all your controllers.
Most people when using a controller like a yoke or pedals will look outside the plane on the monitor, know they want the plane to go left or right up or down then move the controls to make that happen. The result most of the time is that what happens on the monitor happens much faster then it would have happened in the actual plane.
What's needed is to slow down the RATE at which the controller moves the plane on the monitor. In other words slow down and smooth out your controller movement to match what the real plane's rate of change in a real 3 dimensional sky would be happening. This holds true on the ground as well. Imagine the plane on the monitor weighs a LOT more than the image you are seeing which has no weight, then move the controllers as though that weight was in your mental equation.
Bottom line on controllers. Use your imagination to put weight on the visual image on the monitor then use the controls as though that weight was present in that image. Do this and you will find that using controllers properly in a simulation requires extremely subtle and slow movement. Once you get the hang of this it will all seem to fall into place for you.
Just keep in mind that in almost every case, people flying a plane in a simulation like FSX or P3D will be over controlling without realizing they are doing it. Those people who actually fly real planes will adapt and finally get it right as their visual conception matches their mental conception of real rate change as they know it exists in real life. Those people who don't have this mental comparison on which to draw might never actually match the correct rate of change in heading or pitch on the monitor.
(Just some realism/immersion sim psychology here )))))))))

Dudley Henriques

[Anex80]

Excellent post Dudley! Thank you.