Sacrificed a Saitek Cessna Pro Yoke

Hello everyone. I’ve been away for a while, went through a move and am settled down again and getting back into my hobby of flight simming. I had a major project in the works before I had to stop for family issues and I finally finished it.

I had a Saitek Cessna Pro yoke that served OK but I was never quite happy with the way it felt, especially knowing how a real Cessna yoke feels from having flown a 152 a lifetime ago. That's why I bought it...for the realistic yoke shape. I tried the normal mods of removing springs and such but it just wasn’t cutting it, especially that center detente. No real airplane has that.

So I started shopping for a better one. The professional ones seemed to start at about $500...too much, especially after spending $350 on the Saitek. Then it occurred to me that I could probably build my own. I have a shop and all I would need is the electronics of the Saitek yoke (I know nothing about controller boards or any of that) and a few other do-dads, such as linear bearings and bearing blocks and a 1" diameter piece of stainless steel tubing. I built a box from MDF and mounted the linear bearings in it and pieced together a new yoke mechanism.

It is finally complete and I have posted a few pics and a video to show what I did. There was a LOT of fabrication, modification and general jury-rigging to make it all work, but it does, and very well. I'm pleased with it.

I realize not everyone is going to want to do this and I have to recommend that you don’t because there is a risk of bricking your yoke. However, there are no electronic modifications and the electronics are still used in their stock form and as long as you are careful in handling the wiring, it should be fine. I have done a lot of this kind of work in my hobbies and my career (machinist) and therefore felt comfortable doing this. It took about 12-14 hours from start to finish. There are no mechanical components from the original yoke left. It feels much better and is very smooth and realistic.

I won’t go into too many details here as this post is getting long enough, but feel free to ask any questions. Happy Simming!

A video of the yoke in operation...