Saitek Aviator (AV8R) Joystick

The basic design of the computer joystick hasn’t changed much in many years. Developed as multi-purpose devices to work with many types of games, not just flight simulations, models available from different manufacturers have converged on a core configuration.

A typical unit (such as the Logitech joystick at right) includes:

• A stick, usually with a twist axis, to operate the basic flight controls (elevator, ailerons, and rudder)
• At least eight buttons, triggers, and switches dedicated to such functions as nose-down and nose-up elevator trim, looking around, applying brakes, and extending and retracting landing gear and flaps.
• A lever to act as throttle.

Some devices include “force-feedback” effects generated by small electric motors. Those pressures can simulate elevator trim forces, recoil from weapons, the “thunk” of retracting landing gear, and other effects. All recent models use USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors (a much more reliable and simpler-to-set-up configuration than the old “gameport” interface), which makes joysticks easy to connect to desktop and laptop computers.

If you prefer to use a flight yoke and throttle quadrant, read my review of the new Saitek Pro Flight Yoke System and Pro Flight Throttle Quadrant Here at BruceAir.

Many good, inexpensive options remain widely available from big-box stores (e.g., BestBuy, Fry's, or Wal-Mart) and online retailers, but a quick survey of the products currently available suggests that the market for joysticks suitable for use with PC flight simulations has stalled. It’s difficult to find models that offer compelling new features, and some major manufacturers like Microsoft have even stopped making joysticks altogether.

Look a little harder, however, and you can discover a few reasons to try a new a controller for your virtual flights. One of the latest joysticks is the Aviator (or as it’s labeled on the unit, “AV8R”) from Saitek. (Saitek has also introduced the more military-oriented X52 Flight Control System and the Pro Flight Yoke System, Throttle Quadrant and Rudder Pedals.)

Widely available for less than $40, the Aviator includes all of the standard features described above (except force-feedback). But it also offers a unique dual-throttle arrangement that provides functionality usually missing from compact, single-component flight control units.

I’ve been trying an Aviator with Microsoft® Flight Simulator X and Flight Simulator 2004, and it’s quickly replaced the Microsoft Sidewinder models that I’ve long preferred for routine virtual flying. (I won’t repeat the detailed discussion of flight yokes, joysticks, throttles, rudder pedals, and other cockpit controls that you can find in Microsoft® Flight Simulator as a Training Aid: A Guide for Pilots, Instructors, and Virtual Aviators. For the reasons outlined there and in my other reviews of PC controllers, I often prefer to use a basic joystick instead of a yoke, separate throttle quadrant, and other components.)

Unique Features

The Aviator competes well with its peers on the basics, but it also adds several nice touches not usually found on such inexpensive units, including:

• A button to lock the two throttles together for use with single-engine aircraft. You can also unlock the levers so they act as separate throttles or as a throttle and propeller control or mixture lever.
• A hand rest (not shown in the product pictures) that you attach to the base of the stick (small Phillips head screwdriver required).
• Aircraft-like switches on the front of the base. They act and feel much like the toggles on a real airplane panel.
• Buttons that are easy to distinguish by shape and size.
• A compact footprint (about 8 × 6.5 in.) that doesn’t commandeer too much space on your desk.
• An all-in-one design that’s easy to move aside after you land and need go on to other tasks.

Like other joysticks in its price category, the Aviator provides a serviceable control “feel” through the self-centering, spring-loaded stick. You will need practice to develop the touch on the controls to fly smoothly and precisely, and the Aviator, like similar devices, can’t reproduce the full range of feedback that pilots rely on when flying real airplanes in the real air. But after a few virtual flights, you’ll fine-tune your inputs to hand-fly effectively, just as you do when you adjust to the differences in control response between real airplanes. If your flying style requires rudder inputs, the stick-twist function provides adequate control.

The location of the power levers at the back of the joystick base may take some getting used to. But the advantage of incorporating dual controls into a single, space-saving base is worth the compromise for all but the most serious home-cockpit aficionados.

Configuration and Customization

To use the buttons and switches on the Aviator with Flight Simulator, you must spend a few minutes setting up the joystick by changing control assignments with the Settings command (see Using a Joystick [.pdf] in the Flight Simulator Learning Center). This process is a straightforward select-and-click operation that lets you specify which buttons control such functions as nose-up and nose-down trim, operation of the landing gear and flaps, and so forth.

To take full advantage of all toggle switches, buttons, and levers, you can use the profile editor software from Saitek that provides additional options, such as assigning sequences of keystrokes to buttons and using three modes (selected with the big red knob on the front of the Aviator) that effectively multiply the number of switches available on the Aviator. The printed documentation is skimpy (you can download a .pdf Aviator manual from Saitek), but the help provided with the profile editor makes the process as uncomplicated as using the Settings command in Flight Simulator. You can set up several profiles to use the Aviator most effectively with different types of aircraft. Just load the appropriate profile when you switch from, say, a Cessna 172 to the BE-58 Baron or to a Boeing 737.