Virpil Flight Yoke

[Kotse7434]

Saw this in the HOTAS Discord, Jon (Bounty_V) went into Twitter for it.

And an announcement on 06.09.2024

I’ve been wanting to add a Yoke to my setup but will also have to replace my VKB pedals when I do it. I currently use a combo MCGU Brake Leaver with the pedals for Toe Brakes but will want a dedicated toe Brake setup with a Yoke system. But nothing quite filled the need to make the leap for various reasons; Honeycomb Drama, history with Thrustmaster products, out of production, too old, etc. Virpil may finally get me to pull the trigger

[CharlieFox00]

Man, I hope those grips are modular. I’d love to be able to swap for a piper, Cessna, etc.

[Sling380]

That’s the approach they use with sticks so I am thinking that may well be the case. It’s also a nice way to sell more product. Now if only there was an interchangeable yoke standard kind of like there is with the sticks of different brands. Certainly one to watch even though I’m totally happy with my existing Fulcrum yoke.

[hobanagerik]

I’m guessing the placement of those lights isn’t random, and they are either switches or annunciators of some kind.

[CharlieFox00]

Official confirmation is out, including pics:

Looks like the grips and side modules will be interchangeable. Alas, no FFB, though.

[CharlieFox00]

The decision not to include FFB seems reasonable. Here’s their press release:

———————————

VIRPIL Controls | Advanced Flight Yoke Project Briefing

Hello VIRPILs!

As you’ve seen from our latest teasers, we are bringing something truly exciting to virtual pilots around the world…

Introducing the VIRPIL Controls Advanced Flight Yoke Project!

We are incredibly excited to talk about our first project in the general aviation control segment, and we want to involve the community as much as possible.

What is the project?
We are setting out to create the best yoke controller available to virtual pilots, at an attainable price.

The VIRPIL R&D team has paid close attention to the civil aviation segment and we are excited to break the mold and bring features not often seen in Yoke controllers!

Featuring everything VIRPIL Controls is known for including premium metal construction, wide range of adjustments, high precision contactless digital sensors and a dedicated eco-system with swappable yoke handles!

We are also excited to confirm we will be working on a wider range of civil aviation devices including a dedicated advanced throttle unit and a lineup of dedicated panels.

How Much?
We are targeting €500 RRP.

When Can I Buy It?
We will be launching the Advanced Flight Yoke Project as a Kickstarter campaign starting on 1st October, 2024!

Why Kickstarter?
As this is our first step into the Civil Aviation segment we want to work closely with the community. Backing the Kickstarter campaign will confirm demand and allow us to discuss and shape the project, as well as future civil aviation devices and accessories, directly with those who want to make this dream a reality!

Kickstarter backers will receive preferential “early-bird” pricing for supporting the project as well as receiving exclusive access to a discussion forum to help us shape the VIRPIL Yoke and future GA controls lineup!

As we are well established, we are not subject to the risks often found with other Kickstarter projects - we are using Kickstarter as a community outreach tool. We will protect our backers and offer refunds if requested.

Force Feedback?
The VIRPIL Advanced Flight Yoke Project will not be an FFB device.

We are still working hard on FFB to provide the best solution available. Our team has noted numerous issues with the implementation of other solutions as confirmed by other active-duty pilots. FFB in flight-sim software is young and we do not want to raise the cost of the device, potentially pushing it out of reach of many pilots for feature implementations that are not quite ready.

We have an FFB industry expert on our team to help us achieve the best, but the best takes time! Backers of the VIRPIL Advanced Flight Yoke Project will receive preferential terms to any future FFB developments in our Civil Aviation controller segment.

We will be sharing more information over this month, so stay tuned, sign up to our newsletter and put 1st October in your calendars!

Get involved - we want to hear your wishes!

Happy Flying!
VIRPIL Controls Team

[Kotse7434]

Hah, I was debating providing the Forum link or copy/paste the announcement or just wait for you to do it @CharlieFox00

Thanks for posting

This is one Kickstarter I would buy into.

[Baracus250]

Interesting. What kind of yoke is that silver one though? Looks more like a moped’s handle bars.

[CharlieFox00]

Likely modeled after an Embraer.

@Baracus250

Looks more like a moped’s handle bars.

You are not the first to notice:

[CharlieFox00]

One thing I’m thinking about right now is where the pivot point is on the traditional yoke. The point being so high makes the crossbar more pendular than that of, say, Piper or Cessna (or most GA) yokes. It’s not that bad, but could make it a little awkward to hand fly with two fingers. However, the tube is really high on the mount, so a yoke with a more centered pivot is going to sit awfully high on a desktop. Hopefully it can be mounted under a desk as well.

Here’s a current Archer and 172, for reference:

In the end, my big ask is that typical GA setups be a major consideration.

[Baracus250]

Shame no FFB but I get their reasoning. I guess I’ll stick with my Alpha XPC for now then. FF has to be my next step. That’s quite a chunk of change for a slight (maybe) improvement??!!

[CharlieFox00]

I use an ancient CH yoke and with affordable, accurate FFB still seemingly far on the horizon, I’m ready to make the switch if this is as solid as it looks. However, I’m interested to see the rest of the options/modules/grips that are planned. If it’s all airline or military centered, it’ll be a little disappointing.

Either way, it’ll likely be a robust player. I don’t have a ton of confidence in the competition right now, and Virpil is a very reputable company, so it looks like a winner.

Oh, Virpil, if you’re listening, please consider an SR-20/22 grip for this!

[Sling380]

They mention GA a few times and yet both yokes shown are airliner/jet centric. Interesting news about the throttle though. The choice of descent throttles is even worse so something is needed in that space.

[iNherjer]

For a Cessna/GA FFB yoke just go for the CLS-60 from FliteSim.com ! It’s the gold standard right now, they provide great support and the yoke is cheaper and better then the insanely overpriced Brunners

But the Virpils look cool, I was hoping for FFB because it can work really well if done right, but you need a really flexible and reliable software, that requires more development then just building another hardware setup

[hobanagerik]

When I look at them, all I can see is this:

[whitedog5128]

Anyone looking forward to or excited or at least interested about the new Virpil yoke coming available on October 1st?

[skypilotYTS]

It definitely looks great and I am sure is well built like all of their stuff.

Certainly worth considering when time comes up for replacement, but I can’t see myself ditching the Honeycomb for it.

[dougdoberman]

The yoke will not be available October 1st. The Kickstarter campaign is going live October 1st. They’ve made no announcements as to when the actual product will ship.

[TepidBird4725]

It looks pretty nice, but I would have had more interest if they had a throttle quadrant project. I’ve been looking around and, so far, the only one that seems to be the most versatile for the price is the Honeycomb Quadrant. The problem with that is the company appears to be almost defunct, so buying one of those is a crapshoot, since a person doesn’t know if there will be any software support going forward or warranty service if anything goes wrong with it.

[CharlieFox00]

@TepidBird4725

The problem with that

Same. Until something comes along, I’m sticking with my Logitechs.just wish there was a wider array of replacement/custom arms.