[Zkirby]

Like I stated earlier, we are in the early stages of this project. I'm an avid aviation buff as well as simulator fan. I'm currently active duty Navy and fly the EA-6B Prowler. On the side my father and I are in the middle of building a vans RV-8 Experimental aircraft. So far we are kicking around a few ideas, they are as follows:

3 ways to get the control stick you desire:

1 - A standard joystick (size wise). Size and feel will be very authentic, materials TBD. It would be a plug and play, programmable of course, joystick but only stand about 12 inches high or so.

2 - A full size joystick, for those who have the room and prefer a full length stick. Telescoping may be a viable option to allow for slightly different setups/seat heights etc.

3 - Stick kit. This would be the bare bones to mod a current stick, not very high on our want to do list as we then have to deal with warrantees and other people tearing apart their already good working joystick.

As for the first two options, our initial idea is to make our base accept all of our sticks i.e. you could detach your current, say spitfire stick, and plug in your BF-109 stick etc. Buttons would be historic with accessories or attachments available. Although we understand the constraints with current sims and the need for more buttons there are other options, albeit they cost money but the new trackIR setup is amazing and voids the need for a coolie hat to control your view. As for throttle quadrants they would have the 2-3 main levers and trim wheels and be as period correct but on the base would be a multitude of buttons, sliders, levers, etc. all within reach and all programmable.

Force feedback: I don't think we will be going down this road. The sticks will most likely be free floating with adjustable dampener/stiffeners/springs so when released the stick would not just flop over to the edge. More to come on this.

Materials: We believe in doing things the right way. We will be using a lot of high grade materials but will not sacrifice playability/affordability just to say we used grade 9 aviation bolts and fasteners. Where injection molded plastics will suffice and not take away from the overall feel/look we will probably use it as long as it holds up well. We do however love the feel and look of raw or anodized aluminum so who knows.

Again, feedback is what I'm looking for at this time. Hopefully we will have a few concept drawings to post in a few weeks/months. As for now, I have a lot of research to do. Luckily Paul Allen owns and flies a spit out of Arlington field which is about an hour away. A field trip is in order.
Zach Kirby