I`ve said it before, and I`m going to say it again: it doesn`t matter how good the computer side of a simulation is if the human side, i.e. the controller, doesn`t hold up its end of the bargain. The more that the controller feels like, acts like, and responds like the real thing, the more you will be immersed in the experience. On the other hand, the more lacking in fidelity a controller is, the higher the chance that rather than enjoying a rewarding immersive experience, you will instead quit in frustration.

Racing sims and flying sims are amongst those that either benefit from, or suffer from, an inadequate controller. In this case, I will be discussing a new controller for flight sims, the Saitek Pro Flight Yoke and Throttle Quadrant. Saitek is moving into flight sim controls in a big way, and it looks like they`re going to give the granddaddy of these types of controls, CH Products, a run for their money. I`ve had a CH yoke for as long as I can remember, and regarded it fondly as the only affordable quality yoke out there. With a street price of around $100, and the only other viable alternative being the Jeppesen yoke priced in the $500 range, there really wasn`t much choice. While affordable, the CH yoke drove me nuts in one important way: the pitch axis did not center consistently. The rod supporting the yoke seemed to be lacking in bearings and the pitch axis just seemed sticky. This made it difficult to precisely manage the pitch of the simulated airplanes, and rose the frustration level to the point where I simply gave up and concentrated on planes that are controlled with a joystick.

With that in mind, it should be no surprise when I tell you that the very first thing I did upon removing the Saitek yoke from the box was feel the spring action in the pitch axis. Low and behold, it had a smooth, consistent action, and also had a bit more spring force. That additional spring force is important too, in that it helps to keep the pilot from over controlling. Things were sure looking promising for the Saitek! As I looked at more details on the yoke, I became even more impressed. For example, one of the hassles of having a lot of disparate controllers (rudder pedals, throttle quadrants, etc.) is the collection of USB cables that have to reach down to the PC on the floor. The tangle of wires can be a royal pain to deal with. Saitek addressed that problem with the addition of a 3-port USB hub in the base of the yoke. Very slick! Of course, with my innate and highly tuned ability to find a fly in the soup, I found the USB cord that runs from the yoke down to the PC to be embarrassingly short. Smilin` Bob is going to need a lot of Enzyte to get this thing to reach to anything but a desktop box, if you get my drift. Easily cured with a USB extension cord, but still, it seems somewhat short-sighted (get it?) by the designers when compared with all of the things that they did right.

Another weakness in many controllers that mount to the edge of a desk or table is the mounting clamps. The clamp on the Saitek is the first ever than handles the odd edge of my desk with total aplomb. It mounts tight and stays tight! Nothing will make you scream like having the yoke separate from the desk as you pull back to flare for landing. The Saitek has never budged in the hours that I`ve been using it, and I have total confidence that it never will.

The yoke itself has a nice collection of controls on the top of each side to allow for the same type of HOTAS controls found in real-world airplanes. The left side has a hat switch that can be used for things like view panning or elevator/aileron trim, a finger switch that would be used to key the microphone in a real plane, and a forward/backward rocker switch that I chose to use for elevator trim. On the right, there`s a big red thumb button that I`m currently using to change views, but will soon re-map to a...