No, you're not being mean, you're being insulting. You have no idea who the members of the VTB or the VBA are, or how they train or anything else. If the VTB or the VBA are not your cup of tea, fine. But your insults and insinuations are out of line, so stop it.

This thread is about HOTAS Warthog, not for you to get on your soapbox.

Well, I can only speak for myself. I've worn a flight suit exactly once in my life and it was because I was asked to as part of a media presentation for the Warthog. It was kinda kitschy but it identified us for the media who were there to view the Warthog and ask questions of those of us who had been testing them. It was a private, closed event.

Back at home, I don't have a cockpit. Just an ordinary desk setup like the majority of people who would find themselves in a discussion about a flight stick.

Yeah, it's a hobby that we sometimes take a bit too seriously but we're all real people. One has spent the past couple of months on the other side of the country from his home training for his job. Another recently got run over by a FedEx truck while training for a triathlon. Others have been recent victims of the economy. We're just friends who enjoy flying...virtually and/or for real.

For the first couple of years Allied Force was out, I spent a lot of time flying on some of the major multiplayer servers and taught a lot of things to a lot of people. Learned a few things myself...all in the name of fun. Now I'm with the VTBs and getting my feet wet in the online racing community.

I'm also a full time student looking to train for a second career.

Do what you enjoy.

...and sorry for getting pulled into a threadjacking.

Teej: restecp

If anyone is interested I have pre ordered mine on dabs.com.

http://www.dabs.com/products/thrustmaster-hotas-warthog-joystick-and-throttle-for-pc-75W2.html

Personally, If I wanted to stress test a new HOTAS I'd ask a bunch of guys and gals to practice formation flying for a few hours. Flying formation is both physically and mentally demanding and you'd know right off the bat how ergonomic your new hardware is, how good or bad the stick action is, and since your head will be outside the cockpit pretty much 100% of the time, how well the buttons and hats hold up over time.

Sounds like a perfect group to beta test a new stick and throttle combo.

Holy Crap *dons flame suit*

I was just taking a shot at bofman, and trying to encourage a wait and see approach. (Thanks HHF for putting it succinctly) I didn't expect people to start spraying a &h!t-cannon at the VTB/VBA/viperpits crowd. Whatever someone does for a hobby is fine by me. Unless you're adlabs6 (he's just weird ) But seriously TheEngineer, that was a seriously unwarranted attack (kind of like Gulf War 2)

Teej, I feel you. I got laid off January 2009.

Ohh, you might be surprised by what I know 20MM. And, you can note the conflict of interest in relying possibly on the present or future opinions (or evaluations) of a team who is sponsored by the very company who makes the product they are evaluating. (edit - just saw Jocko's comments and I agree that formation flying is more demanding than combat or dueling, so, from that angle, yes....the VTB would be a wise choice). My other angle only indicating, at what point in life does the virtual world consume the real one ? Three of the members of my Falcon AF squad have suffered either a divorce or family problems from countless hours spent simming. When fathers aren't there for their son's ballgame due to building a $15000 'pit' in the basement or a young man does not get into a decent university because his team flying lowers his grades and he must attend a much lower community college, then it is balance I question.

However, on the issue of soapbox (not my intent, but I can see how it appeared that way), ... you have a good point. Apologies. This is a Warthog thread after all.

On the issue of the Warthog directly, after several weeks testing it now, I feel it is pretty nice (and better than my experience with the Cougar). But I am worried about its gimbals. I am already detecting some slop after on my right aileron axis. I like the extreme faithfulness to the real A-10 HOTAS, but looks (or metal construction) dont mean jack. It must hold up reliably ... and do so for many years to be worth $450. For those who might follow the Cougar extreme modification route, perhaps this is not a concern, as skilled machinists will likely induce after market mods to bring things up to speck. I myself though, will wait and see how it holds up until the NDA before giving a final opinion. Possibly adding $200 to $1000 of special modifications is not something I would be fond of, if I had to spend $450 in the first place.

Cyberkut - Good comments, but respectfully disagree with a few
Teej - Sorry, but for some reason the hokey flight suits, just got me riled up. I know you guys were not doing anything wrong, just seen too many cases of late where folks are impersonating Gulf war veterans by wearing fake uniforms. For some reason, that was my fuse.

Hmmm can't wait to hear about this post NDA time...but am curious in how that would effect just one side and not the other in a ball joint setup. Again I am just curious.




I had a great Cougar and recently sold it and mine was very good on the reliability side...the chinese people that built mine and a few others out of the first production runs must have all been threatened with death or something because they just worked...

I understand completely. None of us meant any disrespect to anyone (quite the opposite actually, considering we dedicate that flight time to a recreation of a military flight team). I realize this is off the topic of the thread and if the mods want to whack these posts or put them elsewhere, that's fine. The flight suits were part of an invite-only event, everyone present knew we were not actually affiliated with the USAF Thunderbirds, we did not walk around E3 like that, etc.

To illustrate that point...here's yours truly as seen at E3...

lol, All my respect for your flying skills, Sim or real. But I think you need an Ai with those two...Good PIC, Cheers, Jim

I'm confused. I don't know your callsign, and looking back at your other posts, you've signed off with the name Augustus, and also Jay. No-one with those names in the tester's database so I don't know who you are to discuss your issues with the R&D guys. Now you're talking about "slop" in a system without traditional gimbals. It's not possible to have slop on one "axis" or "side" with this design. Very confused now. Which prototype version and number do you have so I can check this out against my prototypes?

Thanks in advance,

James

Boy, would it be nice if that was true, so I could quit my real job! LOL

I'm here like everyone else on my own free time, because I want to be here. Don't let anything else fool you! If people don't want my two cents, just because our squad happens to be sponsored by TM - Ok, I don't get paid to be a fanboi (wish I did), so I'll just keep the goodies to myself instead. Seriously though, we're community peeps who want to share what we can with the community and that's it. It's certainly not my job or semi-occupation. Now, I'm not gonna lie, it would be fun if it actually was though...



To each their own.

Wouldn't it be better to sign up and go fly a real Warthog in combat instead of flying combat sorties with other nerds online? Just kidding, but the same argument applies! Just ask your wife for her honest opinion about our hobby and you'll know...

The people I've been privileged to meet as a direct result of my online flying, hokey to some or not, have produced some amazing friends and even (real) job opportunities from people I've gotten to know in the airline world who happened to stumble across what we do and thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread.

While it's nice to hear people like what you do, I do it because I enjoy it and it's more challenging than anything else I've done flying sims... (as if I don't get enough of that at work already, LOL).



We only wear flight suits at trade shows and have never, nor will we ever display rank insignia.

Btw, none of us gets paid a dime for creating hype or posting our own feedback in forums like this one. We do it because we want to share on our own behalf and TM gave us the green light to speak freely...

Thanks T.E., you made Teej post a nice pic And now it's time for you to go back to where you came from......Troll!

Aaaannnndddd Back to our regurlarly scheduled program. I believe this thread was meant for discussion of the Warthog HOTAS. So, with that in mind, need I say more? That's #2...

Teej, you 'lil devil you.

VTB guys - I dont believe you were being paid to gloat on the Warthog or recommend it, if in fact it turned out to be poorly made. But you can see where the appearance of a conflict of interest would be valid. And Teej, those are two HOT women (unlike many of the booth babes that show up at these conventions), yet considering the detail to cosmetic enhancement that the UFC seems to require, to secure a spot as a ring girl for a main event, I would say they are facing stiff competition, lol.


Tbag, some SimHQ veteran posters and Moderator Heavies - Everyone may not see it the same as you, or believe that virtual flight teams are the best thing since buttered bread. Just because they may disagree, is not indicative of trolling. An hour to two here and there for 8 hours a week is something that is a hobby. Hobbies can often be healthy, and they inspire with something to look forward to when free time is at hand. Rigorously devoting 30 hours a week to flying in perfect formation for an online viewership that numbers 12 guys, when you are not even getting paid for it, and often at the expense of your family, friends, significant others and your own betterment, is not something I would advocate for a pedestal. That was my only point. If it makes you feel any better, I would argue the same for anyone who spends 30 hours a week fishing, 30 hours a week lifting weights, 30 hours a week fixing their car, etc....

Ghost - Got it, this is last post, no matter what comments may come after.

Resckle and Nutty - Yes, I get the insinuations. I was only reporting on what I can notice so far. No, I have not tried to take apart the unit to discover the asymmetry.

enough said, I wish I had their flying skills!!! Cheers to the dedicated,
I will have the TM Warhog, with or without the ladies,,, If you want to test the tech? Then do so, Don't come in blind and bad mouth everyone!!! Once I have it, I give me 2 cent worth. But to each their own.

I hate that this was your last post but I would like to get some clarifications on what you say you noticed so far. I don't have a test unit...would be nice if I did but I don't and I was just asking a question to see what you may have found.

I'm confused, is Ghost buying me a Warthog or not?

I'm just trying to establish who you are and hence indeed, whether you have a Warthog or not.
I note no reply to my question about what version of the Warthog you have, and no explanation as to why you're signing off with different names.
You'll therefore understand my scepticism as to your authenticity and motives.
Apologies if I'm wrong but the ball's in your court to identify yourself.

James