Friday, May 22, 2015

Saitek PRO Flight Combat Rudder Pedals





Great rudder pedals
I have used several different brands and styles of rudder pedals over the years. I first started out with a bulky set of Thrustmaster pedals. These were okay, but the scissors action and nearly flat footed position was clunky and uncomfortable. I next tried the CH Products pedals. This first pair I had was the type that had the joystick plug and did not have the toe brake feature. I next bought the USB version of the CH Products Pro Pedals. These had the toe brake feature which was excellent for differential braking. However, both of these pedals are very close together and seem to be an unrealistic foot position. I decided to splurge the extra amount and purchased the Saitek Pro Flight Combat pedals for their design and flexibility to adjust the ange of the pedals. I am glad I did!! They are a lot more expensive than the competition, but you do get what you pay for in some cases. The base is strong plastic and the pedals are metal. Setup was a cinch, plug and play!! I...

Exceptional Addition for Virtually Any Flight Simulator
An admission. I have been an avid simulation fanatic ever since the first wire frame, vector based flight simulator appeared for the Apple II--and that's going back aways. I've owned various incarnations of Microsoft's Flight Simulator. I've owned Fly! and X Plane and simulators that I don't even recall. But I've never, ever owned a rudder pedal.

After all, why invest my dollars in a rudder pedal when I can just as easily maneuver the aircraft in the ground and in the air with a yoke?

Why? Because "real" aircraft aren't maneuvered on the ground like a car using a yoke as a defacto steering wheel. Real pilots maneuver their aircraft with their feet while taxing on the ground. And even though they do handle turns in the air using their hand on the joystick or yoke, their feet are very much in the picture operating the rudder during turns and for crabbing the aircraft.

If I am to be a "true" sim pilot, then it follows that I should have something under my...

pilot approved!
I thought these were pretty cool, but I'm only a weekend "pilot". So I tried these on my brother-in-law who is a pilot in real life. He one of those pilots who just loves flying. He flies for a company during the day, and he flies on his computer at night.

He did says that they're not just like airplane rudders--but they're awesome for computer rudders. He likes how you can lean your foot against the rudders and then move your foot up to press the break (says that's a realism improvement over game pedals that make you put your whole foot on the pedal). He said they do work just like he would expect them to and that they would add to his game experience (I think he was hinting here).

We both agreed that they slip way too easily on carpet. I stick something heavy behind the pedals and the problem is solved.

Other than that, they just work. I didn't even need to install a driver. They're super sturdy, and pretty heavy!

I used these pedals in...

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