Fly a Virtual F-8 with a New Stick

Flight Journal, Jun 2005

X52 FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM * WINGS OVER VIETNAM

IT'S A FACT: TO BE A GOOD "STICK," YOU MUST first have a good stick. After all, a decent flight controller is the desktop aviator's primary method of interaction with the virtual world. Sure, one could limp along using a simple joystick with a sliding lever or wheel for a throttle, but these "el cheapo" sticks offer very little, if any, opportunity to program functions. Using the standard-issue QWERTY keyboard for all other commands works fine, but having to reach down and hit the "G" key to deploy your simulated steed's landing gear is the equivalent of having a glass of ice water thrown in your face during a spicy daydream. The whole illusion is shattered. The keyboard isn't the only culprit that can destroy this fragile digital flight fantasy; the last time I checked, very few aircraft have a little knurled wheel for a throttle.

So, enough of the hunt 'n' peck flight controls-it's time to step up to what the acronym wizards in the aerospace world call Hands-On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS). A HOTAS set consists of separate joystick and throttle units studded with enough user-programmable switches and buttons to control most of the primary aircraft systems. Some of the units are pretty expensive with prices approaching the $500-per-set, omigoshthatsalottamoneymywifewillkillme realm. With Saitek's new X52 Flight Control System, a good HOTAS can be had without eviscerating your fun-money budget. This is Saitek's third generation of programmable HOTAS controllers. Its long history of making programmable units is reflected in the high-quality, deep feature m content and generally smart design of X52's hardware and software components.

The XS2 is an attractive piece of kit, as our friends across the pond like to say. With brushed-aluminum accents, bright blue LED button lighting and George Lucas-meets-Honda Acura styling, it looks good on any virtual pilot's desk. The grips are very comfortable and quickly adjust to fit nearly anyone's mitt. The slip-resistant, rubbery plastic coating helps keep the controls well in hand during the hairiest, sweaty-palm-inducing dogfight and the most difficult IFR approach. The friction on the throttle pivot is adjustable to the pilot's preference, but the spring-and-cup centering design on the joystick is a bit too light for my tastes. Twisting the stick left and right controls yaw; that is a departure from the X52's predecessors: earlier Saitek X-series control systems actuated the yaw axis with a large rocker under the throttle grip. I prefer the rocker, but the majority has spoken.

The X52's most striking feature is its 2 ¼x2 ¼-inch LCD screen on the throttle's base called Multi Functional Display (MFD). Backlit by the Saitek signature blue lighting, the MFD is a slick method of communicating program information to the user. One problem with massively programmable hotAS gear is the difficulty of remembering what the heck the darned buttons were programmed to do. This is alleviated to some degree by the MFD just under your left palm because when functions are assigned to the controller via the Saitek Profile Editor software, those assignments are displayed.

In the case of the X52, this is very important. The two controllers are studded with a bountiful array of buttons, switches and coolie hats, but even these impressive looks are deceiving. The functions may be assigned "three deep" to each with a rotary switch on the stick. Combined with the "shift" button (the pinkie trigger), some 120 keystrokes can be assigned! Doing so, however, would probably drive even the sanest desktop aviator quite mad.

Although the graphic interface of the Saitek Profile Editor software is quite eye-catching, it is also bit counterintuitive and takes some getting used to. Luckily, there are many user-created profiles on the Internet, many of which can be downloaded from Saitek's website. This is great for bottom-feeders like yours truly; I prefer to adapt someone else's hard work to my own tastes rather than to start a profile from scratch. The time, date and even a stopwatch are also annotated on the MFD, just in case the number of hours in your office chair versus the numbness in your posterior isn't particularly well calibrated.

This is an important point because with an upgrade to a HOTAS you may just find yourself flying longer and more often. A well-programmed stick-and-throttle combo allows the suspension of disbelief, and that is really what simulation is all about. A good set of controllers is a great investment, and for roughly half the cost of other hotAS controllers on the market, the Saitek X52 offers up a very comfortable, flexible and powerful piece of gear.