Well, i'm using a Saitek X52 Pro plus the Pro Flight Rudder Pedals... and i gotta say, it's awesome if i had to give it a rating, i would give it 10/10

about the realism of the controls, that depends on what kind of aircraft you're flying... for instance, for military aircraft, or helicopters, this unit is absolutely perfect... however, it lacks realism when it comes to flying commercial jets or any kind of aircraft with a yoke... so it is somewhat specialized... but any control system that's worth anything will be specialized... and it's up to you to determine which is the kind you need

about the feel, i can't say it 'feels' like a real aircraft stick... the travel range is not the same, since real sticks come up from the floor, and there's no force feedback... BUT, the precision of this unit is astounding, and it did improve the responsiveness of the sim in general
also, having all controls where they should be, add a lot to the simming experience, having your throttle on the left hand, the pedals at your feet, does increase the realism and overall 'feel' of the sim, even though it won't have the tactile accuracy to mimic a real aircraft

about durability, the X52 pro looks like it's built to last... Saitek offers a 2 year warranty, and they advertise about how the non contact sensors are much longer lasting than conventional potentiometers, which i can't not agree with

now, the software... that's the high point of the whole thing... the SST as it's called, is very flexible, allowing you to create profiles for each game (or even each aircraft) and you're able to switch between profiles in-game, which i find quite cool...
other than that, the profiling is very powerful, allowing you to even map axes as buttons, on several different modes... i have even made a profile for Photoshop, the throttle axis controlling brush size, and the rotaries controlling flow and opacity... note that photoshop does not have any kind of joystick support, so all the set up was done on the SST software

overall i couldn't be happier with my control system... i'd only advise you, since you're training to be a real pilot, that you get the Pro Flight Yoke system, instead of the X52... it also comes with the same software, but will offer much more realism when you're flying GA aircraft of jets

Cheers

I have a Saitek ST90 joystick, i got it for chrissy a few years back, no force feedback, there is a Trigger, throttle  (with 4 LED) and 2 buttons.

I can say it it a good little thing Sure beats a keyboard

I use a Saitek Yoke and Pedals

Well, I've only flown a real plane once (changing that this weekend, C172 with my name on it!) but it's pretty real. What I like most about the Saitek is the heavily sprung detent at the centre of the yoke. This makes it totally convincing when trimming the airplane, as you do it exactly as you would in real life - trim until you neutralize the yoke forces. This is the main reason I chose it over the CH alternative. The yoke is smooth, has no stickyness, and has lots of perfectly placed buttons. The yoke has a sweet backlit LDC clock in the centre, good for checking your segment times, but also good for seeing when it's "beer o'clock" while in full screen mode  

The Rudder pedals are also great. I'm a beanpole of a man, so the pedals had to be large, and the Saitek's are! They are fully adjustable, and fit my feet just fine. Even my missus can use them, and she's 5'2"! The pedals also have analogue toe brakes, and adjustable pressure - and they get quite heavy, on a long approach in heavy winds, your legs will be aching by the time you roll out I guarantee it. Speaking of which, the pedals can be plugged into the yoke via usb, as the yoke has in integrated USB hub, very handy.

Both the pedals and the yoke are very well constructed, with steel (stainless no less!) in all the right places. The base of the pedals have "barbed" areas so it'll grip your carpet, and adhesive velcro so it'll grip your posh laminate flooring  

The included throttles are great - there is nothing better than cranking up the sound and grabbing a fistful of throttle. The throttles are smooth and have quite a bit of resistance to them, they also have a detent from reverse thrust.

I also want to mention Saitek's great mounting system, I can practically promise you it'll fit your desk, unless it's more then 3" thick!

As for software, I've not delved into that too much but the Saitek provided SST programming suite looks to be pretty comprehensive. The yoke has 3 modes so you can triple the number of inputs it has.

My only gripe is that the USB lead from the yoke itself is quite short, I have to use a USB extension lead to make mine reach my tower, but's a small blemish on an otherwise fabulous product.

If you're a long time simmer and have used a joystick, I urge you to get the Saitek throttle, yoke and pedal kit, it really is the biggest change I've ever made to the way I sim, and has re-ignited my enthusiasm for simming, I only wish I had done it sooner.

If you want any pictures, let me know I'll be happy to provide.

Ric B.

I've been a CH customer for more than a decade.  For most of my FSX flying I use the CH Yoke and Pro Pedals.  

Yoke
Control realism - 9/10 - It loses points for no force feedback and a maddening little bind that makes the smallest adjustments near the center difficult.  The throw from full left to full right is much less than a Cessna, but feels right.  That said, you'll likely not find anything remotely close for the same price.      
Control feel - 8/10 - The throttle/prop/mixture trio are easier to move than real, but then they don't get vibrated like crazy.  At least they stay in place (bless you N6242G).  There is some resistance from springs for both roll and pitch that help give a bit more realistic feel, but it's not quite the same.
Sturdyness and Durability - 9/10 - Bomb proof.  I'm not that rough on it, but it could take some abuse.  It lost a point due to one of the clamp nuts seizing to the bolt.  An inconvenience that a trip to Lowe's and some minor surgery fixed.
Control software - 9/10 - the latest version (4.5) of CH Control Manager added the ability to load settings from the command line or a batch file, gaining it a point.  It doesn't make it to 10 as it could use a bit finer control in the scaling and shaping, but that can be fixed with FSUIPC.

Pro Pedals
Control realism - 9/10 - The pedals work much like the real thing, except they have their anchor points at the bottom instead of the top.  That would be tough to do.  The brakes work pretty much the same as the real thing.
Control feel - 8/10 - without force feedback, or some really strong springs, it would be hard to mimic the feel of a real plane.  Also, there is detent at the center that throws of the realism.  I've learned to ignore it.  If I keep my heels on the floor and use the balls of my feet to move the pedals it does a decent job of acting like a plane.  
Sturdyness and Durability - 10/10 - truly bomb proof.  Dirt, dog hair, clumsiness, they've seen it all.  
Control software - see above

An additional bonus is that the stuff is really easy to work on. CH sells most of the bits that might wear out for reasonable prices, so if you know which end of a #1 Phillips goes in the screw you can fix most problems yourself.  

Look for used gear on eBay and you may find a sweet deal on a combo.  Also, ProVantage appears to have the best prices on new CH gear.  

Saitek yoke and throttle quadrant. Quadrant programmed to be flaps, gear and spoilers. CH Throttle quadrant as throttle. CH Rudder pedals, TrackIR and home made MCP and home made lights and start switches. Most buttons have been programmed too.

Matt

You guys are awesome.  Thanks so much.  Before posting here above I went down to Frys and bought the Saitek yoke and throttle quadrant, however it was miscalibrated (one of those time the old manual microsoft calibration would be nice) and so though the yoke was in the center indent, the control was reading slightly right.  To fix that I adjusted the dead zone, however I had to move the controller somewhat significantly to the left to get it to turn, as it thought it was still in the deadzone.

So I took it back, and decided to check out what everyone else thought and was using.  I think I'm going to go ahead and try out the Saitek again.  The other thing was I didn't get the pedals, and it's nearly impossible to fly without them (from my short experience anyway.  Anyone using a yoke and now pedals?).  I tried mapping the rudder to one of the throttle levers.  Oh what fun. 

Anyway, thanks again everyone for your input, I really appreciate it.

Us simpit building guys discuss this all the time.  

For the best realim versus $ spent factor, get the Elite yoke and pedals (and throttle quad).  They are in a "different class" than the Saitek and CH stuff...and priced accordingly.

http://www.flyelite.com/hardware.php?product_id=11

http://www.flyelite.com/hardware.php?product_id=91

http://www.flyelite.com/hardware.php?product_id=19

If that stuff is out of your budget range (which if you are a real world pilot.... shouldn't be   )..... then my recs would be the CH units.  I find the Saitek stuff is too "gamey" feeling and "light weight".

I've been using the CH Pro yoke and pedals for a long time in the simpit.  They stand up to punishment and keep on going.  

The new CH Elite yoke (not the same as the Elite yoke mentioned above) seems to have some improvements over the older model.......... BUT.... they added the annoying game controller type stuff in the middle and screwed up all the realism factor.  Too bad.  Guess they were trying to "keep up with" the Saitek yoke's center controls.

For control in the sim itself .....get the paid version of FSUIPC.  It will be the best money you have invested in flight simming ever.  Solves TONS of problems.  Tune up the flight control surfaces responses and get rid of transients and such.  AMAZING difference... and that is just one MINOR feature of FSUIPC.

best,

.................john