Winwing Orion Throttle

[Cerulean]

I know this question has been asked before, but I was hoping for more recent opinions.  I am thinking of ordering an Orion throttle as I am beginning a new channel on flight and space sims and need something with more options than my Warthog throttle.  How has everyone's experiences been with the Winwing Orion?  Also, I know persons were having trouble adapting the rotary dials to DCS.  Has a solution been found?

[firefox121]

Hello, I migrated from a saitek x56 rhino and the upgrade is awsome, You can add the rotary dials an axis function (think only one) but you can choose what, but the base has enough axes (two up/down in the right  , plus one up down axe and a knob axis on the right throttle), always can bind it like stroke keys .

Hope this help you

[rob10]

I still love it just shy of a year in.  I did go for the handle angle mod from SimStix which I like better than the standard angles.

Not sure how you want to use the rotaries, but I have no problem with them for the radio presets, DDI brightness and HMD/NVG brightness.

[boerdi]

Received my Orion Throttle (base + F/A-18C handle) this week. So my impressions are very recent but maybe helpful.

A bit of context to explain where I am going with my thoughts:
DCS: I fly only the Hornet at the moment, maybe the F-16 and/or A-10 later down the road.
Space Sims: I played a lot of Elite Dangerous but DCS took that spot  But the itch for space flight is always there, be it Elite or maybe Star Citizen

I was (and maybe still am) on an odyssey to find the throttle that fits my needs the best, so I have here at home (in order of acquisition):

- Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle (my first)
- Thrustmaster Warthog Throttle
- Virpil MongoosT-50CM3
- Winwing Orion Thottle (with F/A-18C handle)

I try to summarize my experiences and preferences as brief as possible:

Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle
Pros:
- The complete HOTAS set is great for starting out on a budget! (if you can find it for the adequate retail price)
- Buttonwise you are flexible and I never had any issues with malfunctioning buttons. When something started to act up it was always the joystick.
- Rudder pedals

Cons:
- USB cable cannot be unplugged from throttle
- No detents out of the box

Neutral
- The build quality/feel is more than ok but cannot compete with the higher level throttles.
- A bit of better grease on the throttle helps to improve friction/smoothness. Easy to apply.
 

Thrustmaster Warthog Throttle
Pros:
- Good overall chunky feel
- Good direct button feel (except the ministick... c.f cons)
- Good weight/stable
- The detents (and lifting up) took some time getting used to but are reliable. No accidental engine cutoff etc...
- I think I like the mechanism to lock the handles together on this throttle the best. Easy to reach and open/close. The handles also stick nicely together.

Cons:
- USB cable cannot be unplugged from throttle
- The slew ministick for the TDC is... hmm... suboptimal. I changed that one for the Delta Sim Electronics upgrade. Worth it!
- Many switches are the wrong "type" for the Hornet and I left many unused
- Would love a "push through" detent for afterburner instead of the "lift handle up" out of the box
- Getting the throttle/afterburner positions right was a bit finicky but you can google the fitting user curves for the Hornet

Neutral:
- This throttle will definitely be used if I start flying the A-10
 

Virpil MongoosT-50CM3
Pros:
- USB cable can be unplugged from throttle
- Great overall build quality
- Handles have a nice chuncky feel and stick nicely together. No wiggle
- Versatile adjustable detent sets and friction
- Very high number of hats, switches and buttons... (maybe even a bit too many?)
- Definitely great for space sims. If I return to Elite or start Star Citizen I would use this throttle and put the detents in "Space Mode"

Cons:
- The type of buttons/switches are also not optimal for the Hornet. Couldn't find a suitable layout and left many buttons unused.
- The LED buttons in the 3x2 field feel a bit "squishy" and you have to really hit them at the right angle for the button press to register

Neutral:
- At first I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of buttons, hats and switches
- Takes some time getting used to the presence of that many hats in the zone where your left fingertips rest on the handle
- The handles are quite big. Definitely bigger than Thrustmaster/Winwing.
 

Winwing Orion Thottle (with F/A-18C handle)
Pros:
- USB cable can be unplugged from throttle
- Good overall build quality. Just a tad below Virpil CM3
- The detents have a very satisfying "chunk"
- Perfect handle button layout for the Hornet (duh)
- Overall button/switch quality is good (c.f. neutral)
- Good ministick for TDC slew out of the box

Cons:
- The detents are fixed (not a problem if you use it for planes like Hornet)
- The mechanism to lock the handles is not as easily reachable as the one on the Warthog throttle
- The handles don't stick as nicely together as the WH or CM3. A tiny bit of jiggle, not a deal breaker though.
- The park brake switch makes no sense for the DCS Hornet
- The rotary dials for HMD, HDG and CRS are quite slow (or I haven't found the right setting yet)

Neutral:
- Not sure about the longevity of the cables connecting handles and base. Time will tell
- The buttons for countermeasures and radio on the handle could be a bit more "direct" for my taste
- The HDG and CRS dials are used for the radio channels at the moment
- The additional F-16 and A-10 switches are nice to have but I have to find a suitable use yet.
- Also had the issue where throttle movement influenced the neighbouring slider sensor mapped to the zoom axis. So that throttle movement messed with zoom. At the moment I do not use any of the sliders. Zooming is done via the countermeasure switch on the handle (slow zoom in/out and zoom reset). Countermeasures are fired via joystick.
 

 

Mkay, I went a bit overboard there 

Edited January 14, 2022 by boerdi

[Cerulean]

There are some very helpful answers here, thank you. I think I am going to not get the Winwing throttle for three reasons. Momentary switches are more flexible in a variety of sims and work better with space sims.  A lot of people have complained about the Winwing configuration app. And that exposed  moving wire with two buttons right under them that sort of makes those buttons useless, plus I will never trust in the longevity those exposed, perpetually flexing wires.  I would be more inclined to get the Winwing throttle if the exposed wires were easily replaceable but as I understand it, Winwing doesn't sell replacements nor do the throttles come with spares.  I used to repair electronics, and those moving wires look like a problem waiting to happen to me.