yeah the original planes ( as do most ) used pedals for rudder and brakes. it would be great to have petals but on the AV8R the rudder is in the grip itself. i found that was pretty easy to adjust to just a little twist gives you what you need and in a dog fight a little rudder is all you need to put the boogie in your line of fire. i got extremely frustrated with a game pad...a stick makes a world of difference...well worth it.