The Saitek Aviator AV8R-02 for Xbox 360 sucks

[TargetSlayer]

Like some folks, I come with a background flying the PC IL-2 series using CH Products, and am also disappointed in the availability of a quality stick. Agree with others, much better than the gamepad, but the dead zone is a real issue. I have put the game aside for now until the patch is released, since I prefer to land afterwards I have no brakes at the moment.

Great to see new folks enjoying this nice flight sim. Not wishing to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, just being honest based on my personal experience.

I would respectfully suggest that the developers/publishers of future console sim flight titles must provide/encourage the availability of decent hardware if they want to develop the market, which sadly will likely always be a small piece of the pie. Wished I could use my Microsoft Sidewinder stick. Great layout, heavy base, and laser precision accuracy. This was a great stick until I got into the CH gear (stick, throttle, and rudder) with TrackIR.

Alas, I am sure once the patch comes out I will be enjoying this game. Hopefully it will be successful enough to warrant future releases and revitalize this gaming niche so that hardware manufacturers can provide the necessary equipment (assuming MS allows the licensing).

Regards

[Raw Kryptonite]

I miss my old Sidewinder FF. Incredible feedback and resistance. Could even feel the landing gear locking into place. I'm not crazy about the wet noodle stick feel of my X52 either really, but it's a lot better than this thing.

I've gone back to the controller. Controls are accessible and well laid out (even if not as good as OGF is), feels better and it's not creaking like it's about to fall apart. It may not be force feedback either, but the thumbsticks are the right tension. Not to mention I like having the rumble feature, which the flightstick doesn't have. Just something I'm accustomed to having.
I'll try the Aviator again when we can customize the controls and have a wheelbrake. Maybe I won't be so pissed off at the flightstick that it ruins the game for me.

[SL83]

Originally Posted by TargetSlayer

Like some folks, I come with a background flying the PC IL-2 series using CH Products, and am also disappointed in the availability of a quality stick. Agree with others, much better than the gamepad, but the dead zone is a real issue. I have put the game aside for now until the patch is released, since I prefer to land afterwards I have no brakes at the moment.

Great to see new folks enjoying this nice flight sim. Not wishing to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, just being honest based on my personal experience.

I would respectfully suggest that the developers/publishers of future console sim flight titles must provide/encourage the availability of decent hardware if they want to develop the market, which sadly will likely always be a small piece of the pie. Wished I could use my Microsoft Sidewinder stick. Great layout, heavy base, and laser precision accuracy. This was a great stick until I got into the CH gear (stick, throttle, and rudder) with TrackIR.

Alas, I am sure once the patch comes out I will be enjoying this game. Hopefully it will be successful enough to warrant future releases and revitalize this gaming niche so that hardware manufacturers can provide the necessary equipment (assuming MS allows the licensing).

Regards

Yeah, I WISH I could use my CH stuff.

[dzyeph]

About to be on my 2nd attempt with this stick, the first one has the rudder constantly pulling me to the right, it's flyable but unbelievably annoying which is a shame, aside from that it's a lot more fun to use the stick. Support for other higher quality sticks would be nice (but unlikely).

The lack of a landing brake makes for some interesting landing attempts though, I can just about manage it with the stick but I need the full length of the runway to do it and involves lots of weaving and shooting to try and slow down, tis a somewhat bizarre sight.

[juz1]

Originally Posted by dzyeph

About to be on my 2nd attempt with this stick, the first one has the rudder constantly pulling me to the right, it's flyable but unbelievably annoying which is a shame, aside from that it's a lot more fun to use the stick. Support for other higher quality sticks would be nice (but unlikely).

The lack of a landing brake makes for some interesting landing attempts though, I can just about manage it with the stick but I need the full length of the runway to do it and involves lots of weaving and shooting to try and slow down, tis a somewhat bizarre sight.

pulling to right? Are you sure it's not counter rotational forces due to the prop? Most single prop planes all pull slightly to the right...
________
Fz150I

[FOZ_1983]

Originally Posted by juz1

pulling to right? Are you sure it's not counter rotational forces due to the prop? Most single prop planes all pull slightly to the right...

Try a training mission on realistic or sim, see if you have the pulling to the right.

Then try it on arcade and see if you still have it. If you dont have it in arcade then dont worry, its not your stick. Its the plane

[SL83]

Originally Posted by juz1

pulling to right? Are you sure it's not counter rotational forces due to the prop? Most single prop planes all pull slightly to the right...

Even in Arcade mode? Cause my stick was doing it in Arcade - and if I noticed it in Realism mode - I passed it off as physics being accurately represented in the game.

But in arcade mode - it was like the rudder was stuck.

Also my planes were pulling to the left.

[dzyeph]

Originally Posted by juz1

pulling to right? Are you sure it's not counter rotational forces due to the prop? Most single prop planes all pull slightly to the right...

It's the stick, if I go into the Hangar view, the rudder controls the zoom in and out of the planes view and it instantly zooms all the way in. Also, as previously pointed out, on Arcade it's still visible, with the slide to the right rather than the roll, definitely the stick.

[Chrester]

I got the stick a couple of days ago and its way better than the gamepad.
Although the deadzone is a bit irritating. Its hard to do the fine adjustments you sometimes need to do. The button layout will hopefully be better when we have the patch that let us customize the buttons layout.

Mine don't feel to quirky or flimsy, but i had to do the "zip tie trick" to make it more comfortable. The twist is to strong, i think i need to tape the wrist with some kind of tennis-grip tape.

But still its the best we can get for xbox 360 at the moment and after all, it does its job . . . with some small improvements

Does anybody got it to work properly on pc?
Either the trigger and blue button and the wrist dont work. Put it on mode1 and the trigger works but no throttle. The throttle works as a button

[Philosofrenzy]

I bought mine after being frustrated by the control layout on the demo (being used, as I was, to the north american layout of R/C planes and flight games. Right stick= elevators and ailerons). While I don't have the same pin-point precision of practiced xbox controller users, I find the actual maneuvering 95 percent of the time is just fine. And you get a POV hat, which is well worth suffering the deadzone in my experience.

Would I prefer the deadzone disappear? Yes, of course. Does this make it worthless? Nah. I seem to do well enough. I do find it amusing how the first response tore apart the claim to authority and objectivity the OP has, and his response was, essentially, "no, I'm not stating my opinion, I'm telling you how things are FOR REALZ."