I haven't tried it in LOMAC yet, but in FSX, it works flawlessly!
I'll try and give a mini review here because I know you guys (and girls) are gonna wanna know about feel and performance.
First off, it feels solid! It is all metal and very sturdy. It sits firmly on the desk, BUT it definitely needs to be secured to the desk if you use anything beyond the F1 force setting. It does, however, come with a mounting plate and velcro strips that can be used to secure it to the desk. Alternately, you could bolt it down (there are holes and bolts for both the throttle and the stick) I tried all of the default force settings and they all will result in pulling the stick base off of the front feet. I'm going to try the velcro approach and see how that works before I result to any other method of securing it to the desk.
The throttle quadrant is pretty tight - even at its loosest setting - and any large amount of force will cause it to tilt on its base just like the stick. The friction can be adjusted on the underside with an included Allen wrench, however you should exercise caution when trying to tighten or loosen the friction - I stripped the Allen bolt a bit trying to loosen it! The precision of the throttle, though, is very good and there's definitely no play in it. there are detents for idle and afterburner, but because of the tightness, it requires some force to move the levers into those detents.
I've never used the Cougar with an FSSB mod, but I imagine it would feel much like the Saitek X65F. I've been in the cockpit of several F-16s and can definitely say that this feels very similar, despite the fact that there is no movement at all.
I thought it would take some getting used to to precisely control the aircraft, however it was immediately intuitive and I got the precise inputs from this stick that I was hoping for. It's almost as if you just have to THINK what you want it it will do it! Unlike the real F-16 stick, the Saitek has absolutely NO movement whatsoever. I thought that would be a turn-off for me, but (quite pleasantly) I found that I didn't need that tactile bit of movement at all.
I tested it with (of course) the Aerosoft and Iris F-16 add-ons and for the first time, I actually felt like I was flying an F-16! I've never had crisper, more precise 8-point rolls than I have with this stick! and holding a specific G number in climbs and turns is a breeze. The precision of the stick is just amazing... because there's no movement (and thus, no self-centering) wherever you point the aircraft, that's where it will stay until you apply force in another direction. This allows very precise inputs needed for formation flying. There's no play at all!
One really great thing I like is that with the included control panel, you can set the force to one of four presets - ON THE FLY! No need to stop the sim and switch to the software! There are also eight other programmable buttons on the control panel that can give you countless profiles and modes.
The software that comes with the system is very simple to use and gives you precise control over the resistance of the control forces. It can be set in either pounds or kilograms and it gives instant feedback in the software. I should also mention here that it DOES work perfectly with Windows 7 64-bit! It allows for subtle curve adjustments and is much easier to program than the Foxy software (though Foxy is undoubtedly more granular). The Saitek software will allow you to adjust the aileron and elevator forces separately, which is nice! Becuase this stick also includes a force-sensing rudder axis, I disabled that axis in the set-up so that I could keep the rudder pedals I already have.
One nice feature of the stick is that it comes with a clip-on rest for the heel of your hand that will allow you to control the elevator more with wrist pressure than with a full arm pull.
As for buttons, knobs, and mini-sticks there's no shortage whatsoever and you can pretty much program them any way you want. I haven't gone too deep into the SST programming software yet, but it seems that there are endless possibilities for programming the various buttons.
My only negative comment would be with the throttle - both the tightness of the friction and the fact that the split throttle isn't more like the F-16 throttle in terms of feel and function. I'm wondering, though if it is possible to get a DB9 to USB adapter and use the Cougar throttle independent of the the Cougar joystick? Regardless, you still have to have the Saitek throttle connectected because the other two pieces (stick and control panel) connect to the throttle quadrant. The connections seem to be just standard PS2-type connections.
I have to say that I consider the $399 price tag to be money that is VERY well spent! It's totally worth it to me and far less complicated than modding a stock Cougar.
If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask! I'll do my best to answer!
Now, back to flying!
Best,
Greg
