LawnDart

I'll be in a US Airways Express jet landing around 2130 or so. Saw the rain... Usually "greases" up the runway nicely before touchdown! :) That wasn't me looking for an IT job, but if you know of one I might consider a career change. ;)

Hard to answer. I've never tried the Obutto, but I've been eyeing one lately. The HW is in high demand and for good reason, so you really can't go wrong IMHO. P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I'm overnighting in Fresno tomorrow.

I'd 2nd kylania! It's easier to justify now than it will ever be later on... Go for the pit and HOTAS, or it will require even bigger balls l8tr on! ;)

I generally wait for reviews and feedback from the greater community before I buy things too, so I completely understand where you're coming from. I'd probably do the same in your shoes... :thumbup: That said, it should be quite obvious we haven't been pulling wool over anyone's eyes with what we've said prior to the launch of the HW. It's a great HOTAS, and most reviews thus far confirm the same things we've been saying! Even the cons are very similar to the feedback we've given TM for suggested improvements. Lastly, several of the VTB members have more time flying real airplanes than flightsims, which is part of what we inevitably end up comparing the HW to while flying with it. It's definitely in a league of its own. Yessir, recent upgrade! :D

Oh, if you only knew how much gunk resides from left overs in most commercial/corporate cockpits. Often times it's our lunch/dinner room, since we don't get much time to eat, and stuff finds its way to every nook and cranny. My most recent contribution was coconut mango chicken wing sauce! :lol: I've had a pressurization controller go bad in the past because of bread crums in the works... Btw, what does any of this have to do with HOTAS covers or food? I thought we were discussing the quality of the switches. :music_whistling::doh:

Sounds exciting, I bet you have some good stories. All my hours are civilian (mostly airline), but I have several military friends and colleagues... and you certainly speak the truth about everything being community driven in this genre!

Well said! :thumbup:

Anyone can do it!...... with enough practice! ;) I went from using an NXT modded Cougar to the FSSB Cougar. Loved both of them for different reasons, but stuck with the FSSB and burned through a few of them (that I had to return/replace). Now I'm about to retire that FSSB R2 with Hall Sensors in the TQS and rudder pedals to make room for the HOTAS Warthog... I do think the HW is the best thing that's come out for formation flying... well, uhm... ever! Sure there will be a few minor kinks, but this thing is amazing out of the box and even more precise than anything I've had in the past. Just my2c, and I've been sold on force sensor mods for years too, just like you are Stretch!

Agree to disagree, IMHO. :) I think the HW (WH, WT, TH, TW whatever abbreviations PPL pref) is the most versatile stick of all time. The potential is virtually limitless for programming.

Generally speaking, you wouldn't read the checklist out loud twice during the response in a "Challenge - Response" -checklist. If the checklist reads (using your example above): Pitot Heat..................................AS REQ Flaps 20.....................................VERIFY Strobe lights....................................ON In a two man crew you'd hear (something along these lines): Co-pilot: "Pitot Heat" Pilot: "On" Co-pilot: "Flaps 20" Pilot: "Verified 20" Co-pilot: "Strobe lights" Pilot: "On"

Pilot Callsigns - The web's largest collection of callsign stories (Read more @ F-16.net) Some of my favorites on there: :lol: Omelet Dutch pilot wanted to be called bouncer cause he used to be one at a club in Holland. Bouncer in dutch ("Uitsmijter") also means grilled egg. The squadron decided Bouncer sounded too cool so called him omelet. Lesson learned: NEVER ask for your own callsign! Viper "Very Idiot Person" Scro USAF Captain I met at Camp Red Cloud, around 1997. Last name was Tam. Thumper Was going through basic with a temporary callsign of "Fluffy" and had a soda next to my console when I shouldn't have. Well having a size 15 foot the soda ended up getting kicked over. So my instructor thought, "what's fluffy and has a big foot?" And there you have it.

Deadman is working on covers too!

@JaseGill, Good to hear about DCS: BS! :thumbup: How long were you in the RAF? @CrashEd & Succellus, There have been reviews and feedback from real life pilots all along. :smilewink: Here's one review from Ray back in June (using the beta units at E3). I haven't written one myself, and people tend to not want to listen to our 2c because we're testing for TM... but ask away if there's anything anyone's wondering. Btw, some of the best pilots I know don't fly IRL - this community has some very talented folks for sure! Back on topic though, the Warthog is certainly a masterpiece. Just an awesome HOTAS... :joystick: My FSSB Kitty is being retired.:pilotfly:

Great idea! Will be a nice addition to the "Warthog World" website at some point... :smilewink:

Why don't you search eBay and Google shopping and determine yourself? There's a used one AS-IS on eBay with rudder pedals for $117 (2 days remaining). Also, Google shopping links has a NIB Cougar for $149 from Frys. Most other links I've found are priced around $179-200 for a new Cougar.

Serial #: 1012 Location: Tampa, USA

At Seamless! Twins, Basil. Twins.... :music_whistling::megalol:

Sorry for not responding sooner (here nor there), but great shots!!! :D Psst, you should consider resizing the pics before posting, load times are killer over 3G. ;)

I will make it my personal mission to keep pushing for new rudder pedals from TM. I know they're listening... (and thinking about it). ;) I've said we need new rudder pedals for years, it's just very evident ATM.

I'm planning on keeping my FSSB R2 as a backup unit in the closet collecting dust... :P Were you looking to buy a Cougar?

I believe it's "fanbois"... but what do I know?!:megalol: Oh, trust me this has been very high on our priority list of suggested fixes... next to the addition of rudder pedals of course (cross your fingers - and now that we may actually have TM's ears, send them a request for Warthog rudder pedals *hint hint*)!!! :smilewink:

T.16000M uses the H.E.A.R.T technology also found in the HOTAS Warthog.

...proving that the numerous reports by beta testers weren't off the mark! ;) Good write-up Coolts!

Rest assured it's coming... very soon! The distribution takes a little longer to the US it would seem, and the retailers need to get them first from the warehouses before shipments go out. Thrustmaster is also owned by the Guillemot Corporation (in France)... I've forwarded your post to the marketing department.

As a retailer & manufacturer you have to meet your profit margin (for it to make sense even selling it), and while I'm not in the loop about the actual numbers per se, I know the margin is pretty slim as it is due to the high end parts used in the HW.