CH Products Fighterstick USB

CH Products Fighterstick USB Review

I just purchased X-Plane 9 for my Mac, and because I'd always wanted one and could now afford it, I bought the Fighterstick to go with it.

My young son fell in love with the stick and the game (but mostly the stick). Because he's awfully rough on the stick, I figured I'd buy an inexpensive one for him, so I bought the Logitech Attack 3 Joystick, thinking that if it worked well enough with X-Plane, I could return the Fighterstick and save some money. (I'm not a hardcore simmer by any means; I'm finally returning to flight simulation after a 10-year absence.) Briefly, it's a decent joystick but it has no trim wheels.

I really, really like that the Fighterstick has trim wheels for elevator and rudder, and it's vastly configurable from within X-Plane. However, I've found that I really want a separate rudder control without having to purchase pedals (trying to take off in a Cessna 172 with no rudder is no fun, due to P-factor, and being unable to correct for crosswinds on landing is also frustrating), so I want a stick with a twist feature (for yaw). Neither the Attack 3 nor the Fighterstick twists. I'm returning both sticks and going with the Thrustmaster T Flight HOTAS X, because it offers a twist as well as a separate throttle. We'll see how that works out. (On the other hand, I just tried it with Warbirds and it works great. Second thoughts...)

I'll be sad to see the Fighterstick go, because IMO this is the gold standard, but I'm just an occasional sim pilot trying to get the most bang for my buck.

CH Products Fighterstick USB Feature

• USB programmable joystick
• 3 axis and 24 buttons (three push buttons, one mode switch button, three 4 way hat switches and one 8 way point of view hat)
• Total of 132 programmable functions with the new Control Manager software (included)
• Realistic F-16 handle
• Compatible with Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP or Mac OS 8.6 and above

CH Products Fighterstick USB Overview

The Fighterstick USB is our shining star of programmable joysticks. With more bells and whistles than you can possible imagine, we've designed this granddaddy of joysticks to keep you busy for hours on end. We'll even write your boss an excuse as to why you won't be in to work today!

Main Features

Manufacturer: CH Products

Manufacturer Part Number: 200-571

Manufacturer Website Address: www.chproducts.com

Product Type: Joystick

Connectivity Technology: Cable

Movement Detection Technology: Mechanical

Buttons & Controls: 3 x Push Button, 3 x 4-way Hat Switch, 1 x 8-way Point of View Hat Button, 1 x Mode Switch, Point of View Hat Button, Throttle

Interfaces/Ports: 1 x 4-pin Type A USB

Weight: 2.90 lb

Standard Warranty: 2 Year(s) Limited

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 27, 2010 17:30:12

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