Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with Three-Lever Throttle (PZ44)

by Saitek

When paired with MS Flight Simulator X (FSX), this hardware proved to be a major improvement over my Logitech Force Feedback joystick. Force feedback would have been a nice addition, but experience with two Logitech joysticks proved the feature stops working within a few months of initial use. 

The Yoke and Throttle easily attached to my computer desk without damage to the latter. The Throttle is small enough that I left it attached when not using FSX; the Throttle connects to the Yoke using a PS/2 style connector. The Yoke is easily removed when I have to get down to business. 

The Yoke is substantial in appearance and flawless in operation. None of the firmware problems cited in early reviews were evident. A little Vaseline petroleum jelly on the metal cylinder was all that was needed to ensure smooth yoke movements. 

The Yoke and Throttle are very well supported by FSX. Its use with FS9 (2004) and X-Plane 9 were notably less encouraging. The hardware was released three years after FS9. My brief experience with X-Plane 9 suggests that even superior hardware cannot makeup for inferior software.