The first two analog axes, those on the yoke itself, are rather obvious; they are intended to be used to control aileron and elevator motion (i.e. roll and pitch). The rear of the yoke grips are molded with contours that fit each individual finger. Both axes have centering springs, although only the roll axis returns to the same physical position every time the yoke is released. Steve, a
CH Products representative, has explained the pitch axis mechanics in a post at the CH Hangar:
"The Y axis… has a general center area, it does not come back to the same center every time unless moved by hand. This is a design element that was requested a long time ago by users of the Virtual Pilot and derivatives, in response to the fact that those controllers had a center detent for the Y axis and the users felt this was unlike a real aircraft."
"So the Flight Sim Yoke and the Eclipse yokes have general center areas for the Y axis and will not pop back into a detent or specific center unless moved by hand. The center area is approximately an inch and a half of travel, some of which is taken up with the null zone (some times called the "dead zone"), an area of electronic non-response which is adjustable in most sims or through Control Manager."