Stick or yoke

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evapilotaz

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Those you have flown both stick and yoke airplanes do you have a preference to the control type? I never flown stick so it would seem awkward to me.

Just wondering your preferance.
 
Many aircraft with yokes are easier to get in and out of. It's easier to drive with your knees with a stick.

With a stick you can rest your arm on your leg while you fly. With a yoke, you can stick your elbow out the window.

For the most part, no big deal either way.
 
I think it has little do with flyability or feel or whatever but more related to entry/exit/comfort. Ideally, I'd like something off the floor, not between your legs, and doesn't block panel or impede entry/exit.

....side stick!
 
Something just ain't right about a tailwheel airplane that has a yoke.
 
I don't think my wife would be comfortable with us owning a plane with with a seat stick, so I'm stuck with yoke or side stick.
 
Ron Levy said:
After a couple thousand hours with each, it really doesn't matter.
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I don't think it even takes that long.

I fly both and never thought much about it.

I do think that having flown a stick, it makes the transition to flying right seat with a yoke easier.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of some of the old taildragger arrangements with a stick, but centerline throttle. Something about holding the stick in the left hand seems a bit odd.
 
I started on a stick. Seems to have a bit better fine motion control which is one reason all helicopters have sticks. Now, I prefer the throw over yoke of the Bonanza. The old style that has the hub, has hand holds on the left, right and top. Darn comfy.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I do think that having flown a stick, it makes the transition to flying right seat with a yoke easier.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of some of the old taildragger arrangements with a stick, but centerline throttle. Something about holding the stick in the left hand seems a bit odd.
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Not all planes with stick have the throttle to the pilot's right e.g. DA20, DA40, Skycatcher (fake stick). For that matter, a yoke typically has both a right hand and a left hand side. Are there any planes with a left handed throttle plus yoke?
 
Have done both ,think I want to try a side stick. Straight stick and yoke ,can't realy tell the difference.
 
How about 1/2 stick and 1/2 yoke?

It's the "stocke" on the Cessna 162 Skycathcer.

In the few hours i have as pic i don't think I ever felt that "i have to get used to this stick/yoke/"stoke". They all worked ok. But as far as preference, I suppose a tailwheel "seems right" with a stick.

The "stoke" on the little C162 also felt ok. I think it was needed for the sake of space in the gokart-like cabin. (Off topic but i was starting to like that buzzy little plane).
 
Either is a tool to control an airplane. Both are absolutely intuitive. I can switch back and forth with no problem. Left throttle/right throttle, no big deal. Now going from toe brakes to heel brakes???? That can get awkward!
 
18 years of flying with yokes.
2 years with a stick.

Me likey stick more better. :)

Now, of course, it's hard to compare, because you don't get to fly the same aircraft with a yoke, and then with a stick, and comparing my RV to my Pathfinder is like comparing a Miata to a Chrysler minivan -- but the stick just seems to give you much more precise control, which I like a lot. YMMV.
 
Robinson teetering cyclics are the goofiest. Fun trying to catch your end when a student is losing it.
 
Jay Honeck said:
18 years of flying with yokes.
2 years with a stick.

Me likey stick more better. :)

Now, of course, it's hard to compare, because you don't get to fly the same aircraft with a yoke, and then with a stick, and comparing my RV to my Pathfinder is like comparing a Miata to a Chrysler minivan -- but the stick just seems to give you much more precise control, which I like a lot. YMMV.
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Agreed. Altho I had 24 years with a yoke.. The last 10 with the Zenith Y stick.. When I first saw it I just knew I would hate it.... After 500 hours.. I LOVE it....:yes::):):):)
 
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Stick gets in the way of me stretching out. When I'm solo, and doing a long leg, I will sit canted in the comanche. Seat all the way back, right leg in the passenger foot area, sometimes the left as well. That ain't happening with a stick.
 
I'm a big fan of sticks in maneuverable airplanes that I'm going to be flying aerobatics, low level, or formation in. RV's, Lancair's, and F/A-18's come to mind. :)

For an airplane that can do only cross country flying, the extra room that comes with a yoke can be nice. Cessna's, Pipers, etc...
 
Stoke stoke stoke. I'm stoked about the stoke. It's the best of both worlds. Natural stick feel with nothing in the way of getting in and out. I wish every plane had them, but the only plan I've flown with it is the Skycatcher.
 
RhinoDrvr said:
For an airplane that can do only cross country flying, the extra room that comes with a yoke can be nice. Cessna's, Pipers, etc...
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Never knew any planes were for XC only. Does that mean that I should stop flying my Mooney to the several airports that are 15 nm or less from my hangar? Or doing pattern work, especially for my 3 full stops at night?

Or are the XC-only planes limited to Cessna and Piper?

Never flown with a stick, but I'm used to seeing them with left throttle. What stick models have right throttle?? And someone please post a picture of a "stoke," never heard of that nor ever seen a 162.
 
evapilotaz said:
Something ain't right with an airliner with a fly by wire side stick either
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How many have you flown?

I've flown yoke+center throttle, stick+ left throttle, stick+right throttle, and right sidestick, left throttle. Switching between yoke+center throttle (left hand yoke, right hand throttle) and stick+left throttle (right hand stick, left hand throttle) is pretty easy for me and my preference really depends more on the airplane than the controls alone. Did a tailwheel checkout with left hand stick+right hand throttle and did not like it at all. Took a few hours to get to the point where I was safe but eventually got it, I just have too much invested in 'normal' configurations to want to deal with it.

I've flown a few decent sidesticks and one or two really bad ones. The decent ones are just that, but I find it difficult to look over my left shoulder with one and I can't put my left hand on the stick to get a really good look over my right either. In something meant to spend 99% of its life cruising it would probably feel just fine. The bad ones I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Nauga,
the inceptor collector
 
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I like them both, but I can't imagine flying my Mooney with a stick or my RV-8 with a yoke. Both are perfect just the way they are.
 
Go look in the cockpit of any modern Boeing airliner and what you are invariably going to find is a "stoke"
 
Let's see, flown with yokes that come out of the panel, yokes that come up from the floor between my legs, yokes that come up from the floor either left or right side of my leg and over to a yoke in front of me, wheels (Taylorcraft, etc) sticks, cyclics, Robinson cyclics, airliners with FBW side stick controllers.

All pretty much the same.
 
After 30 years of flying yoke'd aircraft I got time in a few tail draggers with sticks. Frankly, it's not really any different as far as I can tell. It's working the same control surfaces. The grip's just a little different.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of some of the old taildragger arrangements with a stick, but centerline throttle. Something about holding the stick in the left hand seems a bit odd.
Click to expand...

It only took me about 3 flights and a couple hours to get used to it in the RV6. It was a little wierd at first but after a couple hundred hours now it feels just as natural, sitting in the left seat of a side by side airplane, as does having the stick in the right hand, throttle in left while sitting in the centerline of a tandem seat airplane.
 
Learned to fly in a plane with a stick and heel brakes, transition over to a yoke and toe brakes was no biggie and that was as a low time PPL.

Now days, it's all the same, as someone else said the panel mounted yoke is nice for room in the cabin, stick is nice if you're going full deflection for acro or just messing around.

Never flew the stoke, or whatever it was called in the 162 flycatcher, but I heard it was kinda odd.

All and all just find a airframe you like and you'll adapt in short order.
 
evapilotaz said:
Those you have flown both stick and yoke airplanes do you have a preference to the control type? I never flown stick so it would seem awkward to me.

Just wondering your preferance.
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I learned and passed the checkride in the Cessna 162 (LSA) which has a modified stick. I'm now learning the Remos G3-600, Remos GX (both LSAs) which have a traditional stick and training for my PPL in a Cessna 172S which has a yoke. I don't really favor one over the other. what is different is the hand brake in the Remos.
 
Hank S said:
Never knew any planes were for XC only. Does that mean that I should stop flying my Mooney to the several airports that are 15 nm or less from my hangar? Or doing pattern work, especially for my 3 full stops at night?

Or are the XC-only planes limited to Cessna and Piper?
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I think what he meant was aircraft that don't go inverted.

OP: Stick or yoke...doesn't really matter to me.
 
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