Honeycomb Aeronautical Alpha Flight Controls Yoke & Switch Panel in aviation quality for flight simulators | Universal control system for simmers, student pilots and pilots | Flight simulator for PC

I've tried, twice, the Logitech flight yoke, both times had issues with it and spent hours trying to rectify the problems and ended up returning them , luckily Amazon's returns policy is top notch, thanks Amazon. I knew of this but was reluctant to fork out the cash, a few days ago I looked at it again and it was offering monthly payments, no brainer, ordered it, came today as promised. Beautiful packaging that suggests quality straight off the bat, unpackaged the flight yoke and was instantly blown away with the quality and feel of the product. It gets better, connected the two cables and clamped the yoke to my desk with the pukka mounting plate, fired up MSFS2020 and the game found the Alpha with all buttons mapped perfectly, I didn't have to remap a single button. Selected the Cessna 172 JTA variant ( free on flightsim.to ) and my chosen departure and arrival points, cold and dark start from the parking apron. I love the alternator and battery buttons, avionics busses, plus all of your beacon, strobe, taxi and nav light switches, it gives it that extra immersion like you are actually in the left seat . As you flick the buttons on the animated buttons move to their respective positions, the avionics screens come in to life when you flick them on etc....the movement of the yoke is lovely and smooth with absolutely no lag whatsoever that I could feel or see. I used the Thrustmaster T16000 throttle quadrant for power and rudder etc....need the add-on for this now that has the throttle levers, flap controls and gear switch etc... This is a keeper and had made a huge difference already to how it feels to fly GA ...not tried any airliners yet but I am very impressed so far. You get what you pay for and this so far is worth every penny. Highly recommended, thank you Honeycomb.

Pros: - Full 180 degree motion - Smooth operation - No discernable dead zone around centre of axis - Good amount of resistance in the springs creating a more 'natural' feel than the Logitech alternative - Good selection of switches on the yoke - Easy to operate, robust desk clamps - Comfortable feel to yoke - Price - More products in the range to follow (at time of writing this includes a throttle quadrant and mouse mat) Neutrals: - I don't use the switches on the main box. They don't match up to the specific add ons I use. Whilst not a problem and the switches can be safely ignored if you so chose, there will have been a manufacturing cost passed on to the consumer that feels (to me) unnecessary. - The red back light is a matter of taste. The intensity can be changed by pressing a small button to the rear of the unit, which includes the ability to switch off altogether. - Switch labels are printed clearly but are not back lit. Cons - As a new product to market, durability is unknown (I have no specific concerns, though) Verdict - Strongly recommended. As a relative newcomer to the market it is not known how durable these units are. The build quality "feels" very good and is a significant improvement on the Logitech (formerly Saitek) offering. The honeycomb yoke succeeds where Logitech has failed to improve upon the limitations of the Saitek pro flight yoke: whereupon the honeycomb yoke is smooth and expressive to operate, the Logitech has a tendency for signal spikes and false readings (especially if no dead zone is set - which in itself can be undesirable), limited motion and noticeable detent around the centre point - much of which worsen over time.

I bought this before complimenting it with the Bravo throttle quadrant (purchased separately locally) and have no complaints about quality. It's a world away from the Logitech. Configuration is not ideal but considerably easier than the throttle quadrant. Switches, although appropriate, are on/off and not flexible or suitable for toggle controls. No annoying detent to speak of, steel shaft, easy and versatile mounting and of high quality finish. I tried 3 other yokes and this Alpha was the best. As a former RAF pilot, I dont agree with others that the elevator tension is too strong; rather that the aileron tension is not strong enough. Overall, good value and probably the best consumer yoke at this price point. It's nearest competitor is nearly £1k. No complaints about quality or value for money.

This is a fantastic piece of kit, and probably the best value for money of any yoke out there currently. Notably it has a smooth action in both pitch and roll axes with no detent, but it does return fairly quickly back to the central position when released. The pitch axis gives a reasonable amount of resistance, and seems to have a slight increased resistance towards the extents of its range. The roll axis is noticeably less resistant and doesn't seem to change throughout its range. Testing through DIView showed a minimal dead-zone on both axes, probably 1 to 2° either side of central position for roll, and maybe half a centimetre total for pitch, to prevent unwanted movement when hands-off. I have seen reports that there is a 'secret' method to recalibrate the device for this deadzone, so hopefully Honeycomb Aeronautical gives users the option to customise the deadzone or remove it completely if they so wish in future. I was a little disappointed that both axes are only 8-bit (256 positions), I was expecting 10-bit (1024) (my rudder pedal sensors are 12-bit (4096), for example), and was considering knocking off a star, but then after using it for a week or so I really can't fault that choice too much in practice. The desk clamp is simple but well designed, and makes the whole thing pretty quick and fairly effortless to setup and pack away in its original box. If you have a desk that isn't able to make use of the clamps there is the option to unveil a sticky suction pad on the bottom, but I have not tried that to see how effective it is, or how easy it is to remove and re-apply.

As a pilot, I have tried out a number of different yokes now to get my simulator set up as real to life as possible. Having been through an array of them, including some top end professional powered products, I have to say the Honeycomb yoke really is hitting the marks in terms of quality, feel, ease of setup and value for money. For real pilots - it should be said that it is not exactly true to life in terms of sensitivity and feedback but it is as close as you will get. For the money, it is top value - simple to set up, additional peripheral buttons which really come in handy for mapping through to cockpit resources, and combined with the Honeycomb Throttle quadrant also, I do not really think you could find better. I am looking forward to the release of the Honeycomb rudder pedals to complete the pack. Really cannot rate it highly enough!

I am very impressed with the Honeycomb flight control. The things that I immediately noticed was its weight and robust construction - this is a system which is designed to last. Solid metal construction with an ergonomic mounting plate to allow it to be secured to most surfaces without causing any damage. This is not a system that has to be screwed down - the g-clamps provided to the job very unobtrusively. The hardware was detected straightaway by the flight sim software that I use (X-Plane) although some minor preference changes are advised - but these are managed through the standard x-plane interface. The yoke pitch control has a lot more resistance than a real Piper Warrior, but that need not stand in the way of making this flight control system really enjoyable to use. Finally, I was impressed with the packaging. This is very good, offering excellent protection when the system is being stored or transported - don't throw away the packaging!

PPL Student and wanted this to drill the various procedures in X-Plane 11. There is enough sensible switches on it to replicate a light training aircraft. The unit feels very solid, easy to setup and calibrate in X-Plane, no silly drivers required (M1 Mac on Big Sur) and its ability to rotate a full 180 degrees just like real aircraft is fantastic. Just waiting for the rudder pedals and throttle quadrant and we'll be all set!

Compared to the logitech yoke this is much better but it's not worth paying £260. Maybe £150 maximum so I will be returning.