Saitek Cyborg FLY 9 Wireless Flightstick - REVIEW

[hurricane]

like bobby said you can usually find ace edge sticks on usa ebay for less than 100$ "used of course".whats the status in the uk?

[SEE]

Status in the UK is 'hens teeth'! Only one used Hori Ace Edge shows up on a google search - EBAY $150, located in the US.

[bobbysocks]

wow....maybe we can mail them to you! i'd be willing. i just got one for $46. plus shipping. there were no less then 5 over the last week and i believe they all went less than $70...except the bundled one with a game and extras NIB. presently, i just checked there are 4 available.

[hurricane]

only trouble is the shipping cost

[hurricane]

Originally Posted by SEE

In the process of converting my FLY 9 to USB operation by installing the PCB from a defunct AV8R I was able to investigate the problem with the failure of the wiring to the rudder potentiometer. It’s no coincidence that this failure has happened in a short space of time to three members who purchased this flightstick. The rudder potentiometer is mounted on the base of the yoke assembly and thus moves in a three dimensional arc. The wires attached to it also have to follow this movement and after a short period of time the wires will suffer fatigue and one or more will eventually part company at the soldered joint. In production hot melt glue is used to prevent this happening but unfortunately it can only be applied directly over the soldered joint which isn’t going to work as the wires need to be anchored at least 10mm away from their soldered joint. In its present production version this cannot be done as the potentiometer is the same size as the diameter of the yoke base. In addition, the wires to the potentiometer have their movement restricted by their proximity to the battery compartment and the base cover. It’s a recipe for continual failure. I have resolved the problem but only because mine is now USB wired rather than wireless and the battery compartment has been removed allowing me to modify the base of the yoke so that an anchor point for the wiring could be included. Fitting the AV8R PCB is a complicated process but it solved all the problems I had been experiencing (and I will be able to use it on my PC!). As I said, I like the design of this stick and have stuck with it but, unfortunately for most, these reliability issues will be a major drawback.

The situation for Xbox owners wanting a decent flightstick is grim to say the least!

1. The Ace Edge is well engineered but not readily available.

2. The FLY 9 is ergonomically well designed with good quality materials but reliability is an issue.

3. This leaves us with the AV8R which is cheap and cheerful and IMO best suited for occasional use. Anything more than that and many of us have found the yoke assembly to be a weak point with failure of the rudder shaft and yoke buttons. For the DIY enthusiast modifying the AV8R with an improved yoke assembly is possible. The one below has the Yoke assembly from a Cyborg 3D gold which is substantially better and works extremely well.

In a nutshell, for Xbox flyers - learn to fly with a controller or hunt for an Ace Edge. I have left the review intact but inserted a cautionary note at the beginning for anyone reading this thread for the first time.

aaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

[Robotic Pope]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

[markyboyacebassist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdvTGTZMj8Q

I received the package from Hong Kong within 10 working days, which is amazing considering it was ordered just before Xmas.
Well packaged & protected, my first impression was the solid construction & excellent build quality. (after using the AV8R which I think is excellent value!)
So I guess you get what you pay for!
There are two controls,the left being the throttle(which you can adjust for tension.) also on the throttle control you have the LB button,a D pad, rudder control & back button(lowers under carriage on IL2)
Microphone settings are also here.
The right control is the flight stick, standard set up,the top houses a D pad, a coolie hat control which has a twin control feature, view cam when moved & camera setting when depressed (3rd person,gunner, cockpit view.)
A start button is located on the top leading edge of the stick.
Y,B & X buttons complete the top controls.
There are two trigger controls, the top one being the A button & the lower acts as your camera target lock.
On the base the microphone socket & Xbox button are located.
This flight stick is perfect for IL2 BOP!
All the settings function & work perfectly, once you get used to the two handed set up, you will not want to stop flying!
I highly recommend this flight stick & I know they are getting scarce as they were produced as a limited edition.
It also looks very cool in black as opposed to the green & cream Ace Combat 6 model!

[SEE]

Bucketmanroc said that the rudder control on his Ace Edge was the only aspect he disliked as it could only be full or nothing. Is that correct MarkeyBoyB?

With the Saitek and FLY9 twist rudder you can have any degree of rudder.

[markyboyacebassist]

Originally Posted by SEE

Bucketmanroc said that the rudder control on his Ace Edge was the only aspect he disliked as it could only be full or nothing. Is that correct MarkeyBoyB?

With the Saitek and FLY9 twist rudder you can have any degree of rudder.

The rudder works on a paddle system & is touch sensitive, a gentle touch results in fine rudder movement, a quicker touch, speedier movement.

[Kirki]

I only had my flight stick for two weeks before the rudder controls broke and the rudder was locked in the right twist position, after getting it replaced and using it again after an hours use the same problem happened again. After looking on the internet it looks like a design fault.
I'm gutted, the flight stick has been awesome for the few hours I have used it and I just hope that when its replaced this time it doesnt break again.