FS Hardware - What's really out there?

I wanted to share some things with you guys regarding hardware that could really improve your Flight Sim experience.

Many of you know that the availability of flight hardware these days is substantially greater than it was a few years ago. If you’re looking for a yoke system or looking towards a full enclosed fixed base trainer, there’s a product for you! Let’s take a look at the more common and less expensive options and make our way up to the more professional setups. Keep in mind that I will try to put these into specific groups. (Beginner, Intermediate and advanced) This will give a better understanding of which category you may want to pursue.

First off, I’m sure many of you out there have heard about the standard yoke and throttle system. I have purchased my Saitek flight yoke and throttle (with rudder pedals) a couple years ago and I can honestly say my Simming experience has never been the same! The feeling of controlling the aircraft is next to none. Way better experience overall compared to my older joystick. You can looks at different options such as:

Beginner Products:

 CH products

CH flight yoke and throttle

CH rudder pedals

CH flight Stick

http://www.chproducts.com/13-28464-Home.php

Saitek Flight Series

Flight yoke and throttle

Flight rudder pedals

Radio panel

Standard gauge panel

Annunciator panel

Switch panel with landing gear leaver

http://www.saitek.com/

Track IR 4/5

This is a fantastic product and cannot stress enough of how awesome this product is. Having the ability to use head movement within the cockpit greatly increases the overall realism and truly helps with those difficult approaches. (I think anyone who fly’s the Gee Bee can agree that it’s almost essential to have).

http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/

For those of you who may be looking into a more aggressive setup, there are a wide range of products for individuals looking for more realistic touch. These may include gauges, aircraft panels (MIP’s) or actual scale throttle quadrants and yokes. I have not ventured into this field as of yet but I have experienced firsthand (from a fellow enthusiast) how amazing these can be with your setup.

Intermediate Products:

Flight Illusion

Realistic steam gauges

King Air flight instruments

Boeing instruments

Radio panels

GPS panels

Engine instruments

http://www.flightillusion.com/

JetMax

JetMax is a product which truly gets you off the desk and into a home cockpit setup. The half 737NG cockpit is designed to save space and can be run entirely off a single computer. Use a 40” monitor and you have yourself an amazing setup for a fraction of the cost of a life size simulator. They have many different hardware options to choose from including (But not limited to) 737 throttle, FMC, EFIS, MCP etc. They also include a bracket which enables the user to connect their CH yoke or Saitek products. This will be the next big step for my sim experience. I have also confirmed that they are in the works of creating other aircraft platforms.

http://www.jetmax.ca/

Aircraft Controls Engineering:

ACE has developed a fantastic yoke system for you 737 and 747 lovers out there. The product is plug’n play and can be included with any type of setup. I have seen this yoke in other setups and is truly a masterpiece. It’s a highly recommended product that doesn’t break the bank and looks great in the JetMax cockpit.

http://www.737yoke.com/prod_list.php

Let’s take a look at the advanced options for the select group of individuals who want the “full blown airliner experience”. Keep in mind I have never obtained one of these and I am basing my experiences off other friends who were fortunate enough to get to this level. It not only takes time but a lot of dedication to maintain and build such a setup.

Advanced Products:

Fly Engravity

737 MCP

737 FMC

MIP (Not scale)

737 pedestal

737 cockpit accessories

(Build your own Jetliner)

http://www.flyengravity.com/

Flight Deck Solutions

I would recommend no other than Flight Deck Solutions. This Canadian company has been building fully functional flight decks for the past 8 – 10 years. From a standard home setup all the way to a fixed base training facility, these guys can make it happen. Keep in mind, it isn’t cheap! (Better than the $30 million CAE counterpart). They have a wide variety of products including A320, 737NG, 777, 747. FDS has also shown the full motion platform that is currently in development. This was unveiled at the open house event last year at FDS headquarters. There is no information on availability yet but should attract many customers who are looking for an even more realistic feel. Nonetheless, this is obviously the best full cockpit experience one can purchase.

http://www.flightdecksolutions.com/

In my closing remarks, this post was specifically for anyone who may be wanting to venture out of the standard desk and enclose themselves with the next level of their sim experience. I know for a fact that I will be making some big purchases in the future and will be more than happy to share the journey with you. What are some of the hardware that you guys have and recommend? Are you happy with your current setup? We would love to hear what people use and how much they enjoy it. Either way, we all have our own ways to improve Flight Sim. These were just a couple examples of how you can further pursue it.

As always,

Happy flying!