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Fig. 5. TQS from the back

The original Thrustmaster stick design came from an F-16 block 10. Someone at Thrustmaster was able to get their hands on one of these sticks. The problem was this older design was missing two of the four way hats required for the block 50/52. Thrustmaster shoehorned the extra hats onto the stick 'head'. The new design enlarges the stick 'head' to space the four way hats properly (remember real pilots are flying with gloves to boot!). The pinky switch trigger lever has been lengthened to match the block 50/52 design.

The new stick is fully modular. The stick itself plugs into the base through a simple connector and is fastened with a metal locking ring. This will allow different sticks with different configurations to be interchanged while using the same base. Speaking of which, Guillemot is very sensitive to the custom cockpit builders. The have retained the same base plate size so that your new HOTAS will fit in place of the original F-22/TQS without a hitch. The F-22 comes with three user changeable springs (heavy, medium, and light) to fit a wide range of user preferences.

The stick and throttle are all digital with USB and serial connections. A new set of rudder pedals is under development with individual digital toe brakes (another three axis in addition to the five axis available from the stick and throttle) and both analog and digital output on the rudder axis. These pedals will be fully compatible with most anything on the market.

Finally, an agreement has been reached with James Hallows to include a new version of his Fox 2 software. Programming the new stick will be familiar to previous owners of this software and easy to learn for first time purchasers.

Top Gun Fox 2 joysticks and HOTAS

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At E-3 Guillemot introduced a new line of value priced joysticks. They have incorporated several novel features that should make these a good choice for a second computer. There are four models, all sporting an attractive gunmetal and chrome color scheme with blue trim. The base model that will retail for approximately $19.95 is the Fox 2. It lacks a coolie hat. I think this feature is required for even the most primitive of sims. The next model up is the Fox 2 Pro. This includes a coolie hat, 7 buttons, throttle lever, lockable twist rudder, and an adjustable spring tension. It comes with a serial and USB connector for only an estimated $39.95.

The next, and to me significant, step up is to the Afterburner series. This is a full HOTAS. The integrated unit can be separated into a separate stick and throttle. The stick is much like the Fox 2 Pro. The throttle adds four more buttons and a rudder rocker. The user can assign the rudder to either the stick (twist) or the throttle (rocker). All this will only set you back an estimated $59.95. At the top of the Top Gun Fox 2 heap is a force feedback version of the above. Add an extra $20 if you can not live without a hand massage.