Expensive? Yes...and yet...
 

If you consider only the basics (stick + base) this is 780 euros.

This is also the price for:

- 3/4 of minimum monthly netto wages in France, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 average wages (in France)

- the price of a ski week in a lowly resort

- 6 flight hours of a DR400 (7 or 8 out of Paris)

- 1 EOS450D photo camera (Rebel XSi for the other side)

So it is very relative like Trollbug said...don't you think? Oh, by the way those prices include french VAT 19,6%, someone from outside Europe can find a way to pay less I suppose!

One day, I will purchase one...

JV

PS: Believe me, I do not think Tarmac Aces would ever consider making a living at these prices...this is a product somewhere between handicraft and semi industrial stuff, and the quantities would not allow outsourcing casting and other stuff in Asia (a mold is expensive even there!); one cannot compare to Saitek...the choices and objective are totally different and the Saitek of this world would not even try to pull this off, there is just no possible profit for them there...

Or just go out and buy a CH fighterstick for £100/150 Euros. Does not look as good but will last a looooooooooong time. I love your sticks C6 but the cost is just far to much for most people to even consider.

Redwulf , the glider stick pattern is almost ready to be molded . It will soon be available .
At the Montelimar's meeting , some civilian pilots in the real life , and some fans of "Condor Soaring" tried the Universal Base (with my KG13b) , they were enthusiastic about its accuracy and it's "realistic feeling" .

Yes the Fighterstick is not a bad joystick (if you change its pots regularly) , but it can't definitively be compared to the Tarmac Aces Universal Base : it's not a long lever arm central position stick , it doesn't have a mechanical system wich reproduces the inertia of the flight control rods , it returns to the center when you release it , and it doesn't have high grade Hall effect sensors ...
But for this price , it's a good choice .

ok, i installed my stick and throttle today:grin:, replacing a cougar.

first impressions are good, the benefit to immersion by having a full length stick between your legs is worth every penny. the lack of centering springs is unusual after 5 years of getting a work out from the cougar's springs but there is a definite resistance to movement- feels like pushing a bellows or similar and inflight actually feels very good, similar to my limited gliding experience. precision is great, having the long throw- i'm still playing with settings and it generally takes 2 weeks to really settle in with new gear but flew a campaign mission and got 2 kills:-) so it's definately functional.
throttle is very smooth, not so ergonomic as a cougar but feels more like a WW11 plane. the ergonomics of the stick are fantastic, the kink and twist of the stick top just fits your hand- reminds me of the luger.

had to reduce the sensitivity on simpeds as i was overcontrolling rudder with the greater stick movements, add the spring return and it felt a bit like rubbing stomach with one hand and patting head with the other at first:oops:
but that's feeling alot more natural now- guess i'll just have to spend more time practicing:rolleyes:

probably not suited to the online uber dogfight ace type and tir i'd say is a must (4 buttons no hat) but i'm liking it

to pay for it, i work as a lighting technician (roadie), certainly ain't loaded- i just cut down in other areas to feed my simming habit:-P

Very good news, thnx for the head up. We'll be in touch if the board gives us the go-ahead.

BTW we are considering Condor as the flight engine, rumour has it that they have a vastly improved graphics in the works (sucks bigtime atm in MHO), if not - we'll be looking elsewhere, too bad we can't use IL2 (at least if we want to do a glider simulator, doubt we can get the board to finance a WWII sim :-) ).

cya around

Bolox, thanks for the feedback. From your post it does not sound like the universal base has blown you away. Do you feel that the price was justified for the precision and feel you have gained? I have worked for a company that made alot of molded products and I can somewhat understand the price per unit for the stick. Master molds are not cheap to fabricate or maintain. I am still trying to figure out why the base costs so much. Hall sensors are not cheap but a very good pair can be had for a little less than $400.

Came close myself to buy such a stick and the corresponding throttle. Even wrote them an email inquiring about how to get this stuff send to overseas. However, after an initial answer, I didn't hear from them anymore. Meanwhile, I had to pay my kids' college fees, prepare for a move etc. It is easy to loose your enthusiasm when you look at the price (which is certainly justified....but times are difficult).

I wonder if anybody from North America bought one of those sticks and how he got it through customs....:rolleyes:

It is a great idea but still reserved for a small group. On the other end, if I add up all the cougar joysticks I bought (3! and all broke down after approximately a year) to the price of my current CH setting, I come close to the price of this dream equipment.

Keep on going guys. This is really some tremendous work!

Cheers,

Eckhart

:):):)

These certainly look awesome, are there any Spitfire / hurricane sticks?

very little 'blows me away' these days but i did state it's worth every penny (imho). as i said i've had it for a day and am getting to grips with a vastly different technique to a 'sprung' stick- it's kind of like tir at first, your brain/body has to relearn everything till it becomes instinctive. i felt it important to point this out even if it makes my opinion seem a little less enthusiastic than i am about the product.

another plus point is both the base and throttle are based on leo bodnar's chip so if you wished to it is theoretically possible to connect more axes/buttons to the controller (voiding the waranty;) )- something no other stick i know does (apart from the ability to wire into the rudder/brake axes on a cougar).

for precision and immersion i think this is hard to beat