So, I own a Saitek Yoke, however something happened in 2016. Saitek was bought out by Logitech. So slowly over time the Saitek yokes disappeared. So what did Logitech do with Saitek. Well, they essentially took over the Saitek line and rebranded them.
Essentially, Saitek Pro Flight yokes are still sold, however they are now sold as Logitech. So in this post, I want to go over what Logitech offers the flight sim community.
So, before I go into the Logitech equipment, I wanted to mention that there are a few items that never made the transition. And to me, this is pretty unfortunate, as I missed out on purchasing these. The one that never made it, was the trim wheel. This is one that I would have loved to own, however it isn’t sold anymore. The other is the Cessna line of rudder pedals and yoke. As I promote flight training on a flight sim, I feel like having Cessna pedals would be a great addition, however once again, they did not make the cut.
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Let’s start out with my favorite product from Logitech. This is my favorite, mainly because of what I like to fly, the Cessna 172. If you prefer to fly a larger plane, or a helicopter, than this may no be your first choice.
This is the yoke that I use in my flight simulator. It does a great job of providing you a way to fly with a physical yoke. Now if you want absolute precision, then you may want to look into a yoke such as the Redbird Yoke, as this is a very high end yoke. But if you want something that doesn’t cost much and gets the job done, then the Logitech Flight Yoke is for you.
$169.99 (USD)
So this yoke runs on steel, precision bearings and uses a stainless steel shaft for the elevator and aileron control. A bonus to this yoke is that it actually has a built in USB hub on the yoke. This allows you to plug in some of your other flight equipment if you don’t have many USB ports available.
The yoke comes with a throttle quadrant that is seperate from the yoke. This is a nice feature as with some of the other yokes, the throttle is built right on to the yoke. This makes things a bit crowded. Having it seperate really gives you the space to work.
Throttle quadrant has three levers which are fully programmable. Each lever has a different feel to the top, which really helps for VR Flight. These can also be setup for reverse thrusters, which is a click motion at the bottom of the lever. A total of 6 buttons are located below the levers as well.
There isn’t much you have to do to install this. Essentially you plug it in and you are ready to go. Once you are in your flight sim of choice, you just have to add each axis and button to a specific item in the sim. It’s very simple.
So, the Yoke mounts with a screw that is located on the bottom of the yoke. This is a large plastic screw that can gently clamp onto your desk. Once it is clamped, it really doesn’t move.
Next on the list is just as important. I have spoken about the importance of a rudder pedal in the past and this rudder pedal is a great one to get started with.
The Logitech Flight Rudder Pedals are one my favorite tools. They aren’t going to break the bank and they do a great job of letting you fly with pedals.
If you have never flown with Rudder Pedals then you are missing out. It really creates much more realism during every aspect of your flight. Especially during take off and landing. To learn more about why I highly recommend rudder pedals, check out my post, 5 Top Reasons Your Flight Sim needs Rudder Pedals.
Logitech Flight Rudder Pedals.
$169.99 (USD)
These pedals are mainly made from plastic, they have an adjustable tension control. They have independent toe brakes built in and they slide back and forth just like the real aircraft.
I would prefer to have a bit more tension on the pedals, however I really can’t complain about these pedals for the price. They do an amazing job.
They can easily be adjusted for different size feet, or you can keep your heels on the ground (like I do), as if you are flying a Cessna 172.
These are a great addition to any flight sim.
Well, there are some other items that Logitech doesn’t necessarily brand as “flight sim”. They say this is more “Space Sim”, however these items are perfect for any pilot who wants to venture into helicopter flight or into a fighter jet. I know not everyone loves the low and slow flight of the Cessna 172, so this might be right up your alley. These have a great throttle system with a nice joystick, combined with so many buttons it will make your head spin. Add a great rudder pedal such as the Logitech Flight Rudder Pedals and you have a powerful combination.
X52 H.O.T.A.S. – Graphite / Off-White
$149.99 (USD)
X52 Professional H.O.T.A.S. – Black
$199.99 (USD)
$249.99 (USD)
So, here is where I have a bit of disappointment in the transition from Saitek Pro Flight Controls into Logitech Flight controls. I would have really loved to have the trim wheel, however this did not make it.
Fortunately for us, a few other items did make it over. Now these are great additions, however some of them might be hard to implement into VR.
Let’s start with the Logitech Flight Switch Panel, as this one could be used in VR if you wanted to add a bit more functionality to your sim.
$99.99 (USD)
The Flight Switch Panel allows you to control the landing gear, your magnetos, as well as the main switches. Now, in VR this might be tough to operate the switches, however having the magneto and landing gear would be a nice addition to the sim.
Here is another great panel, that can definitely be used in VR, however you lose some of the functionality of it when you can’t see the display in VR. Still probably worth the money in order to have a way to adjust your radio, and flaps. It also comes with a pitch trim wheel, which is a bit on the small side, but could do pretty nice without an alternative. So overall, this is probably the most versatile panel that they sell.
$149.99 (USD)
This is another great panel, where on a monitor it would work great, however in VR, you feel like you are wasting the potential. Now, saying that, adjusting your radio stack in VR can be a pain to do. It is sensitive and locking on to it with your VR controller can be difficult at times.
With this Radio Panel, it gives you the option to reach out and tune the dials. I think this could be very useful in VR for any serious flight sim or real world pilot. You can easily adjust the dials and after a few tries it will be no problem to find where to locate the stack, as long as you keep your setup the same way each time.
As you adjust the dials, it will adjust in the sim itself, so there is no need to worry about seeing the display, if you are operating in VR.
The flight stack comes with a LED display. It has controls for COM 1/2, NAV1/2, DME, ADF and XPDR functions. Each of the displays will work in real time with your favorite flight sim, such as X-Plane 11 and hopefully the new Microsoft Flight Simulator.
$149 (USD)
Next, we have a really neat item. This is an amazing tool, especially for the real world pilot, however if you are flying in virtual reality, then this becomes completely unnecessary.
This is the Logitech Flight Instrument Panel. This panel is completely customizable and can be setup to allow you to view multiple gauges at once. I think this is a really neat option for anyone who has decided to avoid VR, however if you fly in VR, I don’t recommend this. Each box is sold separately. Each box can be changed into any one of the gauges.
Flight Instrument Panel – Black
$169.99 (USD)
So, all these tools are great, but you need something that sucks you into the experience. This headset is great as it has been designed with the flexible mic. This is a key feature as when you are flying in the flight sim, it can act as your microphone for communication. Especially if you decide to use Pilot Edge, which I highly recommend.
These are also not the flashiest set of earphones, which means you aren’t paying extra just to “look cool”.
PRO Gaming Headset Designed for Professional Gamers – Black
$89.99 (USD)
So if you want to get into flight sim without spending huge, then Logitech has you covered. With the above gear, you can definitely get flying and feel like you are practicing real maneuvers. For anyone who wants to get more out of there sim or for those that are doing real life training, these tools are for you.
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