The advanced devices in our list are dedicated peripherals, designed from the ground up to support flight simulation software. The first tier of products at this level are high-end joysticks. The sticks in CH Products’ F-16 series range from $70 to $99 and are sturdy and reliable. The $99 FlightSim Yoke PC is molded to resemble a civil aircraft control yoke. If you fly primarily civilian flight simulations, this is a good choice.

Some of you may also find peripherals made by Thrustmaster. Thrustmaster declined to submit evaluation units of their current lineup because they’re about to release a new series of products. Their current products may still be on the shelves, however, and they are generally well regarded.

HOTAS

Stand-alone throttles add another device to your desk, but they make the job of engine control much easier than tapping a row of keyboard keys. Even their physical design adds to the ambiance of a flight simulation, and along with a joystick bring you closer to a “hands on throttle and stick” (HOTAS) experience. They don’t offer rudder input, but most are programmable, and you can direct a switch or pair of buttons to rudder control. Thrustmaster has a basic throttle called the Attack Throttle for $60. The high-end $160 F-16 TQS Throttle is an impressive option, and when combined with the high-end $130 F-22 joystick, looks just like the real thing. CH Products’ $95 F-16 Pro Throttle is another very good offering that worked well in our tests. For $150, Saitek sells the X36 flight system, which comes with both a stick and separate throttle unit. The X36 combination is stylishly modeled, and its quality and functionality are very good for the price.

Rudder pedals are the last item on the priority list. They’re nice, but really more important for prop and rotary-wing aircraft than jets. They also add some expense to your control suite, but they add an extra touch of realism. The CH Products’ Pro Pedals and the Thrustmaster Elite Rudder Pedals both cost about $80.

Special Considerations and Extras

Those playing more complex simulations with confusing keystrokes may want to try out the incredible $70 Saitek PC-Dash, a programmable tablet of buttons that can simulate a control panel.

Even fancier are the force feedback devices that use motors to generate a physical response to the user. Microsoft’s $150 Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro joystick, for example, produces the resistance control surfaces would confront the pilot within aircraft lacking hydraulic systems.

All the devices I’ve reviewed here are for IBM compatible computers, so make sure your machine has a game port to make use of them. Some PCs lack built-in game ports, but may have one integrated into their sound cards. A good suggestion to follow is to combine joystick, throttle and pedal units of the same brand. Cross-brand compatibility exists, but products from the same brand tend to cooperate more easily. Apple Macintosh owners should check into the CH Products and Thrustmaster lines. Both make Universal Serial Bus versions of some of their devices that are compatible with Macs and PCs.

Where to Look

You’ll find products from CH Products, Microsoft, Thrustmaster and Saitek in most large computer stores or consumer electronics stores. You can also order direct, get more information about entire product lines and request technical support from most of these companies via their sites on the World Wide Web: CH Products: www.chproducts.com/index.html; Microsoft: www.microsoft.com/hardware/sidewinder/default.html; Thrustmaster: www.thrustmaster.com; Saitek: www.saitekusa.com/home.html.

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