Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with Three-Lever Throttle (PZ44) by Saitek
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Digital camera reviews of Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with Three-Lever Throttle (PZ44)
Digital camera Review: Luck of the draw -- the "phantom key press " issue!
Summary: 2 Stars
Things just went entirely too smooth and totally glitch free which should have signaled that this in itself was not a good omen! Basically I went from the CH Products yoke, throttle quad and CH rudder pedals to the SAITEK system and even bought an extra SAITEK throttle quad to then have '6' programmable axis levers and additional buttons to program. So too, and one of the biggies, at least for me and my sim flying, the SAITEK yoke uses a METAL pitch tube for the yoke pitch control and as opposed to the CH yoke which uses a plastic shaft and hence subtle yoke movement 'sticking' no matter what lubricant I placed on the plastic shaft so I switched to SAITEK and the METAL pitch shaft on bearings. Excellent!
And then ... coming into O'Hare and I hear the jet panel voice begin the "500 above" ... "400 above" ... suddenly from nowhere comes from the aircraft I was flying, "LANDING GEAR UP PLEASE!" ... say WHAT? You guessed it, the "random phantom key press" issue! SAITEK admitted on their own forum that this was a SAITEK yoke factory defect issue [see that forum AND Amazon user comments right here!] . You'll be flying along but when the yoke is turned [or straight ahead for that matter!], things begin to happen on their own! Hence the name "phantom key press" ! The landing gear can go up and down BY ITSELF or normally hat switch activated aircraft views begin to cycle by themselves without any input whatsoever by the user! A decided defect! Worse, SAITEK says some yokes are affected, others perhaps not! That really helps, yes? Sure!
Anyway, I now have to wait until December, 2007, for a replacement yoke and I have 30 days to return the defect item via an Amazon printed-out postage free return label. I was also given the option to wait for the replacement item or cancel the order. I'll wait because the yoke and its separately included 3 lever throttle quadrant is very nice! Problem is, the phantom key press issue is a major consideration because virtually anything can be activated or deactivated by itelf! It's like an unseen hand randomly pressing keys on your keyboard and the simulation acts accordingly!
But I'll still wait because I like the metal tube on bearings making the pitch smooth, the looks of the thing, the on-board three USB slots although the accompanying 3 lever throttle uses a sub-mini pin connector to the yoke, dunno why, because a separately purchased and hence 'by itself' identical 3 lever throttle SAITEK quadrant uses the USB connector. Had it not been for the phantom key press issue I would have rated the whole system [I have the yoke and separate throttle quadrant, a second throttle quadrant and the SAITEK rudder pedals] as "10" stars even though 5 stars is the max allowed. Hopefully, this phantom key press issue defect will be SAITEK factory corrected in a new series. I hope so anyway!
Doc Tony
UPDATE! A LOST CAUSE! A 'replacement' unit arrived and had the identical 'phantom key press' problem! Identical! Wheels going up and down by themselves, views cycling, knee board popping up, all happening at random and making the Saitek yoke/throttle worthless! This is a MAJOR DEFECT in this item and every single Amazon user without exception has commented on it! Every single one! Read it for yourself!
This is not the fault of Amazon but a failure of the Saitek folks to recall and correct a major defect in this product! This time, I returned the replacement for a refund and I'll stick to my CH Products yoke/throttle combination until Saitek can get their act and yoke together! Amazon has been great in this matter, can't ask for better, but they are being given a defective product to sell with known serious issues and issues that Saitek or their distributors have NOT corrected!
Quick clue! You'll know almost immediately if you have a defective Saitek yoke -- when the flight sim loads up and you're on the runway ready for take-off, press the pre-set BRAKE button on the yoke and if you get a sudden change of view from the cockpit where you then have to cycle back to the cockpit view, you have a defective "phantom key press" yoke. It then goes further downhill from there with random commands on its own eqaully random unassisted initiative! ZERO stars now! A defective product by engineering! Read right here at Amazon what the users themselves say! And consistently so for the same consistent problem!
Doc Tony
Digital camera Review: Two Units with phantom button pushes
Summary: 1 Stars
First unit exhibited phantom button selections and was unusable. The Saitek web site was not helpful, and I was told to return unit for replacement by thier tech rep.
Return and replacement by Amazon went very smoothly. Good job there.
Second Unit had similar problems as well as x and y axis signal spikes that made control impossible. Have returned second unit for refund.
If you go to Saitek site as I did and try to move into forums, I was unable to get to the "good stuff" until I registered on the forum. So a casual look reveals no complaints; and a more determined investigation shows very few favorable users and a bunch of disgruntled users world wide.
One very troubling comment included photos of the interior of the yoke itself. Poor workmanship was in high evidence.
The yoke felt much better than the CH yoke, and I liked the position of the controls; but it didn't work. Hopefully, Saitek will get the quality control problems solved and this thing will become usable.
Digital camera Review: Good yoke.. but with problems
Summary: 3 Stars
Saitek has created a very sleek, ergonomic design with the Pro Flight Yoke.. it looks, feels and handle like a very high-end yoke.
But it has its problems..namely the random, un-commanded key-press issue.
I'm on my second yoke (both from Amazon) and still I am plagued with the random key-presses. Saitek advises to keep returning the unit until you get a good unit! While that may work as a short-term solution, I think that they should be more honest and admit it is a much wider-spread problem than they indicate on their forum. I fear that a re-engineering of the circuitry is the only solution to the pronlem!
I guess I'll, once again, have to return it to Amazon and wait for a replacement - hoping that "third time's the charm!"
My belief is that the problems stem from the throttle unit and not so much from the yoke.. but that's just a guess.
Regardless, once Saitek works out the bugs, this will be a MUST HAVE piece of hardware for any sim enthusiast!
Digital camera Review: Horrible
Summary: 1 Stars
Very horrible product. Recently purchased this yoke and was experiencing phantom key presses like many who have already stated. Exchanged it for a new one and still experiencing the same problem. Apparently Saitek has no intentions on fixing the problem. Digital camera Review: Does not work
Summary: 1 Stars
I do not recommend this product. Many people are having problems with random button presses. This makes the product unusable. I would be flying in MS Flightsim and all of a sudden, my landing gear could drop without warning, flaps move, etc.
I sent the product back after being told to do so by Saitek support.
As soon as I unplugged this product and went back to my old stick, the problem went away.