I never knew....

[raptor10]

I've been in love with the F-35 since I first saw the program.

 

[nugget81]

But still curious to know, where would you prefer the position of the stick? There must be some pros and cons.

I don't have any real turbine time, but of the various airplanes I've flown, I prefer the stick between my legs as opposed to the side. It feels more natural to have it there, although the comfort of a side stick cannot be beat (Cirrus, anyone?). However, it just seems that the leverage is less on a side stick, and I would prefer to have full control authority without question instead of comfort. In addition, I've had the opportunity to get some F-16 sim time and the stick moves less than 1/4 inch in any direction. It was the most artifical feel I've encountered and it would definitely take some getting used to.

 

[WY518]

How about the new Mercedes CL600?

 

[scoober78]

although the comfort of a side stick cannot be beat (Cirrus, anyone?)

Thought about that...but I've only flown left seat in a Cirrus so it really wasn't a transition at all since the stick was on the left.

I would think that the biggest thing to get used to would not be the stick position so much as the lack of motion/feel...

 

[skidkid]

I can switch between a side stick aranagement and a "traditional" arrangement on every flight if I so chose.
The one thing you will find upon flying a sidestick early on is that it is a bit of a forearm workout, probably more so for helicopters but maybe not.

 

[Fezz CB]

I can switch between a side stick aranagement and a "traditional" arrangement on every flight if I so chose.
The one thing you will find upon flying a sidestick early on is that it is a it of a forearm workout, probably more so for helicopters but maybe not.

I'm sure the "cruise sock" routine would have supplied enough forearm workout to withstand the strength needed for the sidestick. Sorry, I had to say it

 

[HercDriver]

To save weight

Scroll to the bottom...

The redhead? How much weight would she save?

 

[insanebikerboy]

I had time in a simulator for the F-35 and it seemed pretty straightforward. It wasn't a full-motion sim it was a cockpit mockup with multiple screens, but it was definitely a lot more "video-game'ish" than I expected, the control stick moved very little and the new MFD was like looking at a computer screen. I did like how you could program whatever you wanted to be on the screen at any time, lots of freedom of choice. To me, I thought the design of the sidestick and how the arm could rest made it enjoyable and quite easy to fly.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Not really. Kind of a POS and tends to explode unexpectedly.

Brett

Dammit!! Where's the Rep System when you need it?

 

[Fly Navy]

But still curious to know, where would you prefer the position of the stick?

Between my legs, easier to grab with the other hand if I have to.

 

[scoober78]

Between my legs, easier to grab with the other hand if I have to.

Wow...yeah...never thought of that....You'd need to be really careful with design to avoid tying yourself into a pretzel.

 

[nittany03]

Wow...yeah...never thought of that....You'd need to be really careful with design to avoid tying yourself into a pretzel.

Or putting yourself into an unusual attitude IMC while fumbling with approach plates, charts, etc. Would suck to get violated for being a klutz. It's also useful to grab the stick with your left hand when passing signals to lead if it's bumpy out.

Dunno about the real (i.e. non-TRACOM) world, but in Goshawk ACM I would also occasionally use two hands on the stick when in a scissors for more precise AOA control (throttle was firewalled anyhow so why keep a hand on it).