I'am thinking about switching from old X-52 to Warthog. Mainly i want to fly in P3D, maybe X-Plane but from time to time i will jump to DCS. I don't have place and money to get a proper controller for each sim so i'd like to buy something good for everything.

Is anyone using Warthog for civil aircraft or is it only good for combat planes?

Hello Cheyenne,

I use my Warthog for GA flying all the time. I have a Saitek Yoke but my PC is a shared resource so I do not always have my Saitek connected. Anyway, the con is that I fly a Cessna 182 like an Airbus. The benefits are I can just go flying anytime without having to setup my Saitek. If is like flying a kit plane with your right hand. Flying with my Warthog feels so natural when I transition to my GA sims that I often fly for months without touching my Saitek. I do keep my Saitek trim control connected because trimming GA aircraft with the Warthog trim hat is a little tricky. Other than that, the Warthog feels quite natural.

--T

Thank You for your reply! So i guess i'll be getting a Warthog.

Depends on how much you actually fly civil sims vs. how many hours you spend on DCS and how serious you are at flying DCS. If you spend 98% of your time in civvie flight and just putter around in DCS, then you'll be best served by a yoke. If you take your DCS simming a bit more seriously, then get a Warthog.

After having flown a little bit of GA, I like the feel of "better control" that a yoke gives me. Like driving a car with one hand vs. two hands. It also feels easier to trim when using a yoke. I'm not saying a yoke is more accurate though; I am currently practicing air-to-air refuelling while in a turn in Falcon BMS, so the WH is plenty accurate. It's more of the "feel" of GA flying with a yoke.

Having a Warthog and a yoke would be best for sure. For now i can afford only one so Warthog is a better choice since I can use it both in civil and combat flying. But one day i'd like to also have a yoke.

I fly more in P3D but it's nothing like 98% of the time. More like 70-30

Well, on the 30% that you're not flying P3D, what exactly are you doing in DCS? What aircraft? If you're turning-and-burning in the F-15, then yeah, go for the WH. If you're just tooling around and taking the sights in a C-101 or a Hawk, maybe the yoke would be a better option?

F-15 and A-10 C are my main focus in DCS. Maybe i'll get F-5 one day or the Viggen. So definitely not sight seeing

Well, got my Warthog today. Man, this thing is big... and beautiful. Pictures don't do it justice. Now just to set it up...

Fully recommend installing it in an ergonomic position -- this means screwing it down on a surface that is NOT your tabletop.

That would be best but can't do that at the moment. Luckily the metal base of joystick is really heavy.

After messing with Warthog for just couple of hours in P3D and DCS I've got to admit that it is absolutely awsome. The precision and feeling is amazing. It's expensive as hell but well worth it.

"Expensive" may eventually be a relative term. I've had mine for 6+ years now (ordered on Dec 2010), the stamp on it is #00287, so it's one of the first few Warthogs produced I bought mine for £270 as it was on sale back then (prices now are around £280) so this thing costs me £45 per year or around £3.75 per month. When I was flying DCS A10C (first 2-3 years of the Warthog's life), I would fly 2-3 flights per week and each flight would easily be 3-4 hours long. Nowadays, I fly 2-3 flights per week on Falcon BMS with each flight being 1-1.5 hours long, but I also do a lot of "training" flights that'll be maybe 10-15 minutes long. Even assuming a very, very conservative figure of 1 hours' use per week over 6 years, that's 312 hours' of use or £0.865 per hour.

Suddenly, the Warthog is very, VERY cheap!

Well, since you put it that way

Obviously you're right. Although it feels expensive at the moment of purchase. I payed around £300 for it (more expensive due to the currency exchange) and £300 is really alot in Poland. The minimum wage in here is around £400 and many people earn just that. But i hope it will serve me as long as yours.

My stamp says #63530

Cheyenne,

Glad to see you're enjoying your Warthog. I haven't touched my yoke in several months. Too much fun using my Warthog, which also happens to be a beast in Elite Dangerous... soooo much fun to use. :-)

--T

At £300, if it lasts you 2 years and you play 1 hour each week, that will be £2.88 per 1 hour flight each week. Do you really use it only 1 hour each week?

At £300, if it lasts you 1 year and you play 1 hour each week, that will be £5.77 per 1 hour flight each week. Do you really use it only 1 hour each week?

Remember, the WH has a warranty of 2 years in EU countries.... so I won't contest that this purchase is "expensive" considering your economic situation, but it should very well pay for itself over time.