joysticks

At first I was at a loss on how to program them, then I stumbled accross www.ch-hangar.com, a support forum where questions are answered by CH Products employess and members of the community.

When I asked for help I got a full custom profile for Battlefield: 1942 that works great.

You can tell this stick is built to last, and the throttle and pedals are solid also and the software is excellent.

My only complaint is the placement of a button on the lower shaft of the joystick where my right pinky rests--preventing me from getting a true white-knucle grip on the stick (the same button also appears on the combatstick usb model).

[Update:I was able to remove this button without much trouble so all is well. I did not have to disassemble the stick to do this.]

I have yet to set the stick up with IL-2: Forgotten Battles, but I feel confident I'll get some help if necessary. www.ch-hangar.com also has a section with downloadable profiles for a number of games which is very handy.

With my last stick being the TM Cougar, I learned to appreciate softer springs, precision and overall reliability. Most of these were missing with my one year old Cougar which now seems was all about looks.

Being made by dedicated flight simming accessories company, CH Fighterstick seems to be one of less known secrets of hardcore sim crowd.

At first, I was suspicious because of its plastic feel. The stick is big enough even for large hands, while people with smaller hands may find it somewhat uncofortable.

Springs are very light. This is a plus for me, as it allows higher precision, especially near the center. You don't get to wrestle the springs during your flying. It has great throw, so there is a lot of room for precision input throughout the range of motion.

Trim wheels for both axes help even in simulations without trim controls. Smart stuff.

There is a throttle wheel at the base of the stick. If you have a throttle, this wheel can be mapped to another function, but you won't be able to reach it without letting your hand off the trottle or stick.

Software is excellent and it actually rivals the software being shipped with the Cougar. As with the stick itself, at first it looks toyish. After a while you learn its huge capabilities.

Verdict: The best high end joystick out there - precision, programming abilities, reliability and simplicity being its trump cards.