Saitek SCB432020002/02/1 PRO Flight Combat Rudder Pedals

I have used several different brands and styles of rudder pedals over the years. I first started out with a bulky set of Thrustmaster pedals. These were okay, but the scissors action and nearly flat footed position was clunky and uncomfortable. I next tried the CH Products pedals. This first pair I had was the type that had the joystick plug and did not have the toe brake feature. I next bought the USB version of the CH Products Pro Pedals. These had the toe brake feature which was excellent for differential braking. However, both of these pedals are very close together and seem to be an unrealistic foot position. I decided to splurge the extra amount and purchased the Saitek Pro Flight Combat pedals for their design and flexibility to adjust the ange of the pedals. I am glad I did!! They are a lot more expensive than the competition, but you do get what you pay for in some cases. The base is strong plastic and the pedals are metal. Setup was a cinch, plug and play!! I mounted the base on two pieces of 2x4's then mounted that on a 1/2" piece of plywood which I mounted to my joystick stand. Very sturdy now and doesn't slide around.

An admission. I have been an avid simulation fanatic ever since the first wire frame, vector based flight simulator appeared for the Apple II--and that's going back aways. I've owned various incarnations of Microsoft's Flight Simulator. I've owned Fly! and X Plane and simulators that I don't even recall. But I've never, ever owned a rudder pedal.

After all, why invest my dollars in a rudder pedal when I can just as easily maneuver the aircraft in the ground and in the air with a yoke?

Why? Because "real" aircraft aren't maneuvered on the ground like a car using a yoke as a defacto steering wheel. Real pilots maneuver their aircraft with their feet while taxing on the ground. And even though they do handle turns in the air using their hand on the joystick or yoke, their feet are very much in the picture operating the rudder during turns and for crabbing the aircraft.

If I am to be a "true" sim pilot, then it follows that I should have something under my feet. And if I have to have something under my feet, I can't think of any better product than the Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals.

Now, before anything else I have say the following. Don't let the word "combat" in the product's name throw you. These rudders work just as well on a Cessna, a Beech or a Boeing than they do on a F16 or Warthog. I am not a combat fan. I only fly commercial and private aircraft in my flight sims. I find the Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals perfectly acceptable for tooling around in non-combat aircraft. (I am confident that they work equally well in your fighter aircraft if that is your thing.)

The quality of the Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals is outstanding. From the metal pedals (can you believe using metal in a sim product?) to their floor gripping base to the tension adjustment wheel, Saitek put quality into this product. It's likely to become the "Timex" of flight sim accessories. ("Takes a licking and keeps on ticking" -- for those of us old enough to remember this classic commercial.)

Two additional things to keep in mind about the Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals:

1. They don't work well on carpet. The base is designed to hold the pedals steady on a hard floor (hardwood or concrete.) Carpeting causes them to slide around as you operate them.

2. The box clearly states that the pedals are designed for Windows. In fact the CD provided with the rudders will only install the Controller software on Windows. However, the pedals work perfectly fine attached to the USB port of my Mac Mini running X Plane. So if you are a Mac user, don't let the Windows stickers on the box throw you a curve. You may find that these pedals work just as well on your Mac as they do on your friend's PC.

All-in-all the Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals are a first rate product that should be part of any serious flight simulator user's arsenal. Yes, they are pricey, but definitely worth the cost. I will never steer my sim aircraft with only my hands again!

I thought these were pretty cool, but I'm only a weekend "pilot". So I tried these on my brother-in-law who is a pilot in real life. He one of those pilots who just loves flying. He flies for a company during the day, and he flies on his computer at night.

He did says that they're not just like airplane rudders--but they're awesome for computer rudders. He likes how you can lean your foot against the rudders and then move your foot up to press the break (says that's a realism improvement over game pedals that make you put your whole foot on the pedal). He said they do work just like he would expect them to and that they would add to his game experience (I think he was hinting here).

We both agreed that they slip way too easily on carpet. I stick something heavy behind the pedals and the problem is solved.

Other than that, they just work. I didn't even need to install a driver. They're super sturdy, and pretty heavy!

I used these pedals in windows 7 ultimate 64 bit in flight simulator x.

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