D. Patrick Caldwell on The Joys of Flight

There's very little recourse for a pilot who just can't get into a plane. Sometimes it's too expensive, sometimes the weather's too bad, or sometimes you just wanna see what you (or the plane) can handle. When I can't fly, I'll fire up my projector and play a little Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

Some people don't care much for flight simulators, but to be honest, it helps me keep fresh on instrument approaches, aerobatics, and the exciting planes I'll get to fly someday :). Problem was, all I had was a joystick . . . it was a nice (but cheap) Saitek Cyborg Evo Joystick. You can rotate the joystick for yaw, but climbing requires right rudder (even in flight sim) and I was getting tired of killing my wrist trying to crab for landing.

I picked up the CH Products Pro Flight Pedals and started having a lot more fun. They move like you'd expect rudder pedals to move: when the right goes back the left comes forward. If you're into driving games, the pedals can be fixed so that they behave like car pedals . . . but what would I know about that? I just like the sensitivity, control, comfort, and toe brakes.

These pedals are definitely worth it and Flight Simulator X is a lot of fun including free flight to a number of great missions. You can even play as an air traffic controller in online multi-player gaming. It's a great reprieve for the frustrated pilot. Check it out.

Have fun. Be safe. Happy Piloting.