Chris “BeachAV8R” Frishmuth analyzes the new HOTAS and demonstrates how it works in several simulations.

Read here:
http://www.simhq.com/_technology2/technology_155a.html

Just one thing I find myself wondering after reading the review: are the pedal brakes disconnected from each other ? ie: being able to apply left or right brake pressure ?

Very nice review. I've been wanting a nice force feedback stick again, I don't like the light tension a spring gives on the X52. I think when DCS puts out the A-10 it's going to cost me a lot.

Thx for your feedback Raw, in more then just one article... it's appreciated.

Yes..the pedal brakes are individual axes..so you can map each to a left or right brake allowing for differential braking. Or..like I said, in a pinch you could map one side to an accelerator pedal and the other to a brake if you wanted to get creative with a driving sim (but you'd have to find some way to lock down the rudder movement so that activating the tops of the pedals wouldn't push the rudder arms too..)

Nice review Chris! One complaint I keep reading about is the lack of center detents on the trim controls aft of the stick. Don't know why this is a sticking point with people. I can't for the life of me think of a single aircraft type I've ever flown that had any center detents on the trim wheels, can you?

so...do you have to ship it back or do you keep it?

Well, my nitpick with that is that the trim wheels are named that only out of convenience really. In a real aircraft, no, the trim wheels don't have detents, however in a real airplane you can't remap trim wheels to other functions - they are what they are. On a HOTAS for a PC game - you might very well want to make those trim wheels something like the X-Y axis for a radar cursor, or perhaps be the controls for tilting rotor nacelles on something like an Osprey, or maybe map them to the elevation and azimuth scan volumes for a radar. Without a central frame of reference for where the rotary is (is it rolled full forward? centered? full aft?) you don't have any idea where your sensor is initially pointed. In the case you present - purely keeping the rotaries as trimmers, then yes, you are correct that detents for the center position is a non-issue.

Hope that clarifies why I think they would be a worthwhile addition. It is worth noting the X52 rotaries have that center detent. Oh..I just thought of one other reason it is worthwhile. For some functions you may map the rotaries to "bands" where when the rotary is out of the center position it is giving repeated keypresses as programmed. For instance, rotating the rotary into the 60 to 100% band might be something like - continuously add flaps until I neutralize the rotary. Without being able to feel where center is, I can never guess where exactly the center is so those keypresses will still be continuing. I hope that makes sense (?)

Edit: Also one other thing. There are, in total, 5 rotaries: 3 on the base of the stick labeled "Trim 1", "Trim 2", and "Trim 3". Just because they are named "Trim" doesn't necessarily mean you have to assign them those functions, although it would be logical to map them to elevator, rudder, and aileron trims. The other two rotaries are on the split-throttle. They aren't specifically labeled "trimmers", but they too lack the centering detent.

Thanks for the question...it was a good one!

It is being boxed up tomorrow and sent away to another staff member who has another task for it. He is going to do the durability test where we hook it up to a robot arm and run it through 100,000 cycles of landings and takeoffs to see if it feels as durable as it is.

Just kidding of course - the other staff member has another tasking..so stay tuned!

Valid points Chris, I guess I tend to think like an old-fashioned pilot, trim wheels are for trimming the airplane whereas rotaries are for controlling the whiz-bang toys on the uber jets the young blow torch jockeys fly these days

I suppose it all boils down to how many rotaries one needs for the sim in question and what functions they are intended for. I have a HOTAS Cougar and agree that for antenna azimuth and elevation, range, etc. center detents are nice. When using the ANT rotary for elevator trim in other sims I sometimes find the center detent a pain in the butt, as there's always a chance that the trim position I need is very close to center where the detent gets in the way. In that case a non-detented trim rotary like the ones on the stick base would be perfect.

My $.02 on ergonomics:

IMO they should have put the 3 stick rotaries on the throttle base, aft of the lighted button panel (lengthen the base a bit, an extra section aft of throttles might even lessen the rear lifting of the throttle base problem during RADAR power moments... or as we say at work, TOGA!) . This is where they are usually located in most aircraft that don't use a coolie hat/electric trim. Think WW2 single seat fighters, nobody should have to move their left hand across the cockpit to behind their right hand in order to trim, in RL you move your 'non-flying hand' to the trim wheels aft of the throttle on the left side of the cockpit in a Corsair/Mustang/Spitfire, or aft of the throttle(s) to the trim wheels on the pedestal or quadrant in a C-172/King Air/B-747. Since this HOTAS is based on military style sticks I believe they really should have put the 'trim' rotaries on the throttle base.