Immune

It has released to the general populace! Install is painless and had no issues getting the game to interact with the server. It all ran smooth. Now to figure out how to login to the web UI to start using this sucker!

Dang! That's awesome bud! Glad to hear it was so freakin quick mate!

Mine actually was missing the set screw, so I had to use another I had on hand. To your question, I offset my stick, so I didn't notice a flat spot to lock it into. It does not move or slip though. My pre-order was right on the cutoff. I got the v2 for both the stick, base and F-16 throttle. So latest and greatest all around!

It isn't so bad. I didn't have issues, just a slight wiggle. Then I thought to used a small vice from the old toolbox and hold them together. Now it is as stable as four bolts. Not to mention, using a vice now makes changing controllers from the mount more efficient when I want to swap to flying the F-18 with my other controller instead of having to unscrew everything, now it is like a quick release.

I did similar to Wile E. I drilled out the right side holes and so far it has been fine with the mount I have. I would prefer to have all four, or at least three, screws secured, but thus far I have not had issues.

At long last, the F-16 stick/throttle combo arrived! It has been unpackaged and assembled. I will be utilizing it tomorrow (Friday baby!), the wife has been advised she may as well not even knock on the door since I will be doing my best to save the world from the communists! While the wait sucked (ordered back in May), once the pre-order went through, it went to FedEx in China on the 11th, shipped on the 12th and arrived today, 14 June!!! 4 days from packaging to delivery, a speed record! No missing parts, no damage, as expected for WinWing's quality and detail. Thus ends the painful pre-order experience. No too bad for being 4 days late for the birthday present it was intended. Better late than never! .

**Edit: Stating up front for clarity since the interwebs are hyper-sensitive these days, this post is NOT a complaint. I am very happy with my current WinWing gear and am really excited for my F-16 stick/throttle combo order now being processed.** I just paid my pre-order, so now onto processing and shipping! Turns out, WinWing was doing a lot of updating! I have to say it may have been worth the wait considering their upcoming offerings with the MFD and F18 comms/input panel. The F-16 throttle is upgraded to a v2, hence the extended delay. I will be saving up for the MFDs over the next year or two! I am bummed for folks that order the F-16 throttle/stick combo this point forward. It appears the button-hat addon for the F-16 stick is now a purchased addon, instead of coming with the stick. Also, the base price for the combo appears to be $769, meaning with shipping you are looking at least $900! I paid $665 after tax and shipping. If I recall, the original price was like $550 for the full stick/throttle combo, pre-tax & shipping. Mainly sharing for posterity, what the combo came with and cost before they updated their site and store offerings. I guess I can appreciate the cost increase given the massive supply chain issues China is having (which are FAR worse than those in the United States!). Entire cities are still being locked down and people locked in their homes as of July 2022, so China is hurting economically and industrially. Thus, everything from China is going to cost significantly more than previous. Hope some of this rambling is helpful insight to someone.

I am still waiting on my order from a month ago. I contacted WinWing support 8 Jun, with my last update from being on 20 Jun, which they said they were still working on their upgrade to the Orion 2 and that orders should be moving "soon". Pre-ordered: 23 May 2022

I am looking forward to no longer needing to be jealous! Edit (6/12): Just heard back from WinWing chat. They held my F-16 Orion 2 order over, but it was because they had an upgrade to the Orion 2. I am trying to get word on what the changes were and will update this post with any information I receive so others are aware. Edit (6/14): The WinWing team does not speak any English. Which is saying something considering they have created a large portion of the high-end sim market. They may rely on Google translate or phone-a-friend type deal. Anyhow, they do not push out changelogs for their products, which is a bummer. The only insight I received is there have been many improvements in this next iteration of the Orion. Not sure if this is a v2.5 or a new v3, but should know soon when I receive it.

I am looking forward to no longer needing to be jealous!

@Tiger19 TL;DR - You should be good on #1, and #2, use a grounding wrist strap and/or ground your computer/peripherals. I can only speak for my experiences. #1 - I have only had one issue with firmware updates (non-brick) when I tried to update while other controllers were hooked up. The firmware update soft-failed so I was able to re-run it after disconnecting the others (including my Saitek rudders). Since then, I follow the advice of only having one controller connected at a time and only direct-connect to the MB USB ports. As for using a separate computer for updates, it shouldn't be an issue as long as you are using the SimAppPro to process the firmware updates. Side note: I do find it irritating that there are firmware updates so often. Typically firmware is a once or twice in a lifetime update so I wonder what changes they are really making. My gut says it is more for telemetry and data collection as opposed to quality/functionality updates, but that is just my tin-foil hat going off. #2 - I also grew up in the high desert and remember the shocks rather well, and do not miss them one bit!!! Having said that, I definitely recommend grounding wherever and whenever feasible. However, your gear should (keyword: should) be grounded through the USB-MB-Power Supply; however, a little extra is not going to hurt anything. Especially if you have a more permanent setup where you would not be regularly changing out gear. My situation, I have a couple different joysticks I change out and my gaming rig is also my work rig. So I have to tear it down after flying to be ready for work the next day. So grounding the gear is not really conducive to my setup. If you are getting shocked when you touch the body of your throttle or joystick, I would say the next best thing is to use a grounding strap on your wrist. That would be the easiest setup. Side Note: I would recommend getting yourself a UPS as well if you do not already have one. Not only does it condition the power before it enters your computer, it provides additional grounding protection, assuming your house is wired under modern standards (mine is not, it was built in 1952). You can pick a decent 1-Hour UPS from Costco or Office Depot for about $100. Saves your system during power surges, lightning or rolling brown/blackouts as I have in California.

@Sedlo You know, I didn't realize they even had a chat, I have probably stared at it many times but never noticed it #fail. I used the chat and am standing by for their response (it is outside their working hours). Update: Communicated with their chat service, my order should be executed this week. Thank you again for bringing my attention to what should have been bleedingly obvious, Sedlo!

@rem27 I didn't know about transparent foil, I will be looking into that! I am not very artistically inclined and my hands are no longer 100%, but looks like something I might be able to replicate, thanks for mentioning and breaking it down with examples! @LooseCannon Once my Orion2 comes in, I will try taking my Orion1 apart to pull off the faceplate. If I am able without causing damage, I will DM you to send it out. As for the Orion2, I am not sure the plates would work due to it no longer being a flat surface. They went and tried to make it look all nice. Unfortunately, it appears to be a single molded plastic surface, so the sections are not individual, removable surfaces according to a couple posts I read. So using my label maker may be the only solution there unless you creative folks come up with something awesome, as you have already!

Maybe I need to cancel my pre-order. After missing my initial order by one day, I re-pre-ordered on 23 May, but have heard nothing since. Now folks that ordered after me are receiving theirs. Going to re-order, see if that helps somehow. Bummer! Have been looking forward to it shipping and arriving.

@rem27 @LooseCannon Both of those are wonderful examples and look really nice! Once my F-16 stick comes in I may hit you up for more info on customizing the plate! Do you have an estimate on price for an Orion plate? On the flip side, both are good solutions if you fly the same aircraft, otherwise it is cumbersome to change the plates every time you want to fly something different using the same stick. That is where I was thinking something more of a permanent-ish fix where you could change profiles and have the label update (i.e., mini-LCD screens). A bit outlandish as it would skyrocket the price I imagine...not to mention make the gear far more complex to design and maintain for the developers. Again, it was a bit pie in the sky. However, considering how far developers and pit-builders alike have come, it may not be too far off in the future this is an option! But dang those plates look nice!

@Phantom711 Thanks for sharing. While waiting for mine to arrive I was thinking of what you tried. Glad to know ahead of time not to waste my time. Bummer, but I can appreciate the new look, even if only cosmetic and not functional. Just wish we had a cleaner way to change the visual labels.

Not specific to Winwing as other manufacturers could benefit from the same. Given that the Orion and Warthog stick/throttles are purpose built for the F-18 and A-10 respectively, it would be cool if users could easily change the labels of each button on the throttle to suit the platform they are flying. I was fortunate enough to be able to procure the original Orion last year, and this year I have pre-ordered the F-16 Orion 2. I use a label maker to cover the original, permanent switch labels with new labels so the switches align with the aircraft I am flying. In my case, I have the F-16 Orion2 on pre-order, and will be using it exclusively for the F-16. Therefore, I don't need the F-18 labels the Orion comes with. There are a couple ways WinWing (and others) could go about enabling custom labeling, perhaps mini LCD displays that are monochrome (black on green?) that could be programmed via the SimAppPro software. Of course, they would need to do some HMI work on the software given the issues it already has. I remain surprised at the contrast in quality between the hardware and the software; forgetting for a moment the software fires off malware warnings and my current Windows 11/Bitdefender protection won't even let me install it. Anyhow, to summarize, being able to customize switch labels on the throttle base would be pretty darn cool! Regardless whether it is manual (label maker, pen or a digital solution via SW). I know some provide generic labels for buttons, but you still have to cover them up for any custom config.

Hoping to share my experience and timelines. I pre-ordered the new Orion 2 throttle 7 May and received the request for payment processing 20 May, so about 13 days. They are getting better now that their off season is over. Of course, I didn't catch the email until today, so my pre-order expired and I had to restart the process (Doh!). No fault of WinWing at all. When I pre-ordered, the site was estimating August timeframe for availability, so I did not expect such a short turnaround. No big deal. I am a bit bummed since I just upgraded my video card to a 3080TI (60+ FPS on highest quality now!!!) and it would have been a lot of fun to break it in with the F-16 throttle! I was happy to see the throttle step is back in inventory, soi I ordered that sucker! The new throttle will get here eventually, but I will be watching my inbox like a hawk from now until the mail delivers it!

@pet333r Hey bud, first off, MASSIVE THANK YOU! This app is a lifesaver and is used every time I fly. I primarily use it for the UFC (via tablet) and to view my F-18's fuel state (via phone). It really is a game changer, almost to the degree of TrackIR to be honest. It brings so much immersion. Would give you more visibility if I could! Second, are you by chance planning to bring in the new Apache to the fold of platforms supported? I am downloading the latest DCS version myself, so have not even opened it yet but figure the keyboard alone would be handy to have sitting next to me to punch in updates versus using the mouse. Not pushing, just curious. If not, I will be happy with my A-10, F-18 and F-16 experiences being improved and still give you mad props! Take it easy and thanks again buddy!

That is good stuff buddy! Make sure to return the favor when she sits down to her reality tv shows (or whatever her thing might be), no matter how much it may make you grind your teeth. As my wife will do similar things like that for me, your lady rocks! Definitely a keeper!

Where is the labels button on the real Hornet? I knew those pilots were not as good as they let out! I am betting even Hog-riders have it too don't they?! In all seriousness, it is pretty cool that the F-22 and F-35 actually do have labels to a degree. LOL!

LOL! I have never been successful watching the pylon. I watch the rear tail section of the plane to gauge speed, roll into the basket, then back to switching from watching the rear of the plane for speed and the wing for lateral and vertical movement. Watching the pylon is pretty much the same as watching the basket for me...so you are not alone. I don't think there is so much a wrong way to do it as much as there are bad ways to avoid doing. If you come up with a formula that works for you, stick to it! Assuming it does not depend upon a particular airframe (you or the tanker), otherwise it is not repeatable and you have not come up with common process, but a mission/platform-specific workaround.

Hey Taz, like you I am NOT a pro, nor a pilot in real life. I was actually a ground pounder for 8 years, so this is about as opposite as it gets. Having said that I likewise watched a bunch of tutorials and read as many tips as I could since I could not keep hold of the probe to save my life. Then in one of the odd vids, it was mentioned to make sure you are seated comfortably (duh) and that your stick is in a natural position. Yeah, that should be a 'duh' as well, but my desk situation is a bit awkward since I have a corner desk, so it is rounded instead of squared. So, I went ahead and tried moving the stick and raising my desk chair a bit and viola! I connected on the first try and had absolutely no issue keeping hold. It was night at day different since I had probably tried refueling 50+ times, all failures but one...which I think was accident that it worked. After repositioning my stick closer to center and having it lower (due to raised chair), my control was so much better for both AAR and normal flight. I would say try reconfiguring your physical setup if you are finding flight (both formation flying and AAR) is very unstable where others make it look easy. As for using AP, I do not recommend it. A few reasons, you are teaching yourself bad habits, you are relying on a machine to accomplish an inherently human task, you can't learn to fine-tune control aircraft, you won't learn to transition from level flight AAR to AAR in a turn...most of all, AAR is a critical skill for pilots since fighters have minimal loiter and will in almost all cases conduct AAR for most missions, you are missing out on both the experience of success and accomplishing a massive challenge. All that said, if you simply cannot get it manually and using AP works for you, have at it, tear it up! Just don't give up on it...everyone acknowledges it is difficult with even the most seasoned real life pilots and sim pilots all starting with the same frustrations. It is a pilot issue, straight up. Not the aircraft, not the stick (with few exceptions where the stick cannot center or is really poor quality), it is the pilot. Three weeks ago, I would not have supported that statement, I was hurting and had also done the AP version. But I feel much more advanced now knowing I could participate like others if I were to jump into multiplayer. Hope all works out and you get it nailed!

You can always go into the mission editor, open the pre-2.7 missions and campaign missions, change the weather setting to something other than "Nothing", resave it and you will be set. That is what I have been doing rather than waiting for all the various mission makers and ED to do it.

Best of all, adding these filters is very simple and would require minimal coding addition to the site without impacting anything else or introducing vulnerabilities to the code (assuming best practices are implemented). End of the day, these are simple html/database queries. Easiest solution would be to just follow what major search engines provide. A simple search for the lay person, intermediate for those who have an idea what they are looking for and an advanced search for people more inclined to learn search syntax to zero in specifically on what they want. I imagine with all ED has their hands full with, their website is probably the least of concern...but here is to hoping!