Sim Vs. RW: Joystick/Yoke Movement...

[ViperPilot2]

Howdy!

 

This might sound like a dumb or naive question, but here goes...

 

Do RW Joysticks and Yokes center themselves like the ones we use in FlightSim? I've been playing around with an old Saitek Cyborg joystick that I compressed the outer Spring on to decrease the Friction at the Base, and have found that I have better fine control of the Ailerons/Elevators as compared to a 'regular' Joystick, and it's especially evident when I'm flying a Helicopter.

 

I was just curious... Thanks! 

[Nels_Anderson]

In the real world, yokes and sticks do not have centering springs like flightsim controls do. However, in airplanes the aerodynamic forces will be felt and may have a centering effect (depending on the plane). And of course there is a big difference in planes. Small Pipers and Cessnas typically have the yoke directly connected to the control surfaces by cables and pulleys, so you are directly controlling the plane and also directly feeling the aerodynamic results. In newer and bigger planes the controls may be electric or hydraulic which will feel different.

 

Helicopters do not have any centering, so you just have to feel out the position you want. You're probably better off removing the springs from your joystick for helicopter use.

 

As it happens, on Saturday I got to sit in the cockpit of a real Huey and play with the controls. They were pretty stiff and I'm not sure if that would be true if it was a copter that was maintained and in active use. But definitely no centering effect at all.

[ViperPilot2]

Thanks so much for your Reply, Nels!

 

I did this to try and alleviate Wrist soreness when hand flying longer than an Hour at a time. So far, so good! 

[Nels_Anderson]

The other thing to do to reduce wrist soreness is to use trim. In a real light plane you use elevator trim constantly to reduce yoke pressure and can do the same in the sim if you're pushing against the spring.

[PhrogPhlyer]

5 hours ago, Nels_Anderson said:

I got to sit in the cockpit of a real Huey and play with the controls

Having flown the RW Huey, Cobra, JetRanger, CH-46, and OH-6 I can say that the cyclic (joystick) feels nearly identical to a stick in an airplane.

Some are more stiff than others, but that is the same with fixed wing.

And most helicopters have some form of "centering" system. Normally in the form of a button on the cyclic grip that "centers" forces to where you have the cyclic located.

If in a turn, press the button, and that position become "center." Sort of like a multi-axis trim.

The less you have to fight the controls in a RW or sim aircraft the better.

 

[ViperPilot2]

4 hours ago, Nels_Anderson said:

The other thing to do to reduce wrist soreness is to use trim. In a real light plane you use elevator trim constantly to reduce yoke pressure and can do the same in the sim if you're pushing against the spring.

 

I was using Elevator Trim all the time flying pretty much everything Fixed Wing, but I thought that was "cheating"! 

[Nels_Anderson]

11 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Having flown the RW Huey, Cobra, JetRanger, CH-46, and OH-6 I can say that the cyclic (joystick) feels nearly identical to a stick in an airplane.

Some are more stiff than others, but that is the same with fixed wing.

And most helicopters have some form of "centering" system. Normally in the form of a button on the cyclic grip that "centers" forces to where you have the cyclic located.

If in a turn, press the button, and that position become "center." Sort of like a multi-axis trim.

 

 

Good to have someone with actual experience to answer these! In my RW Piper Archer, left/right (ailerons) had almost no resistance while up/down (elevator) required more pressure. The Huey I sat in was relatively stiff in all directions but then this was a museum piece and not an aircraft that was properly lubricated and maintained.

 

Interesting about the centering system. MSFS has a lot of settings for helicopters, I wonder if that's included and I just have not noticed yet. My joystick has more buttons than I've found uses for so far so if it is I certainly could start using it.

[PhrogPhlyer]

I have not located a trim addon for MSFS as of yet.

It does exist for FSX and FS2002.

And there is the Nels Corner article by thecorporatepilotdad that explains helicopter trimming in MSFS,

See the three links below.