Hobnobs Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 The standard pro flight yoke has a well known modification where you can remove the pitch springs and replace these with rubber bands which gives a much more fluid movement. I have Cessna variant and I'm getting really peeved with the over-flare I get on landing. Does anyone know if a similar mod is available for the Cessna yoke? A search of the interwebs readily finds the standard yoke mod but I had heard somewhere that a Cessna yoke mod was available. Can anyone confirm and know where to find it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLA1836 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Hi Hobnobs From what I have read the same mod can be used with your Cessna yoke since the "innards " are the same. Are you sure your flare problem is not due to a sensitivity setting? Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelab6 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I have a CH Eclipse yoke and have to reduce the elevator sensitivity to avoid over-flare... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobnobs Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 Thanks for the replies. The Cessna yoke has different "inards" to the standard pro flight yoke hence the standard mod doesn't work. Regarding the CH yoke, is opinion that this gives better elevator control? Has anyone tried both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Thanks for the replies. The Cessna yoke has different "inards" to the standard pro flight yoke hence the standard mod doesn't work. Regarding the CH yoke, is opinion that this gives better elevator control? Has anyone tried both? Could you post some pictures of the innards of the Saitek Cessna yoke? I understood they were the same in all but the minor details. All the following comments are based on the regular Saitek yoke. In answer to your question I have tried both. The CH is smoother by design, in two ways. First, it has no centre detente, while the Saitek has a distinct (even brutal) central position. And second, the Saitek's design causes the aileron action to interfere with the pitch action to cause binding. The CH does not suffer from this problem, although the aileron and elevator actions are not independent - the same springs provide both actions, so if you are on full aileron the elevator action is heavier and vice-versa. The CH also has a centre-adjust position that you can use to finesse the spring tension in favour of the forward or backward action (this is sometimes mistaken for an elevator trim wheel). Some people (me included) have considered the CH springs too strong, although I have not tried the yoke for a couple of years now and perhaps would feel differently since living with my current yoke (Elite). BTW, one thing I have noticed about the Saitek is that on occasion it develops a large centre flat spot in the elevator action that does not go away by calibrating. (Not to be confused with the other bug that causes the aileron to become un-calibrated and un-calibratable from time to time.) You can check if you have the elevator flat spot by clicking the 'show raw data' option in the calibration screen. The effect of this can appear that the elevator control become very grabby in the flare - i.e. nothing happens when you pull back for a long way anf then suddenly you are overcontrolling widly. In my experience this goes away if you unplug and re-plug the yoke. My view is the CH is unquestionably the better option. You might also look at modifying your Saitek more assertively to get a yoke that's far better then either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSuranyi86 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hi! I have actually did that, I have removed one of thr springs of my Cessna yoke. I have photos of it, I'll upload them here probably, but if you neeed them before just PM me with you email. Since I have done it, it easier to fly, but its gonna void your warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobnobs Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi Peter, The yoke is no longer under warranty so it doesn't matter. Any tips would be useful before I ditch it and lay out for the CH Eclipse instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSuranyi86 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Okay, here you go:Reminder, this is for the Saitek CESSNA yoke, not the regular one, that looks different from inside.And of course I'm not liable for any damage, adopt this at your own risk.Taking off the cover is a no-brainer, you just have to unscrew a couple of screws. These are the only things holding the cover, no cables, etc are connected to it. I also recommend using a magnetic tray for screws, you can buy those things literally for nothing from any online retailer, and they can save the day in terms of missing screws.This shot shows the inside. The two elevator springs are on the left side of the yoke shaft, only the top one is visible.Close up shot of the springThe top spring removed. Basically you unscrew the 2 screws holding it there, very easy. On this photo, the screws were already been put back.The removed spring.Tada! The whole thing took around 5 minutes. For me, removing the top spring was enough to get rid of the strong resistance when moving the elevator. With one spring, the yoke will still return to center, but much less agressively. Removing the second spring would be a tad bit difficult, I didn't even try it, but as I said, the result is good enough for me. I think using the yoke with a single spring probably gives you the same result as removing both springs and replacing them with rubber bands. Don't ditch the yoke yet, try this first! Since I've done this, my landings are much better, and I have more precise control over the aircraft I'm flying. Also, try to avoid touching the metallic shaft, and the other parts inside, most of them are covered with some greasy stuff to keep them from friction, and you don't want to remove that (I did some accidentally, but try not to). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Reminder, this is for the Saitek CESSNA yoke, not the regular one, that looks different from inside. Thanks for the pics, this is the first time I have seen inside the Cessna yoke. As far as I can tell, the elevator spring mechanism is identical to the regular yoke. The aileron action looks completely different, although I suspect the triggering action is the same as I can see the same slot through the shaft. The aileron return mechanism isn't visible (or I don't recognise it), but the large return spring from the regular yoke is absent. I also note - gasp! - some metal construction in the aileron mechanism. This is encouraging as I am guessing they have redesigned it to address the sticky shaft problem. I have to say the inside is also a lot cleaner than my regular yoke, which was smeared literally all over with that grease, as if a child had done it with a big paint brush. The wiring looks tidier too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSuranyi86 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Thanks for the pics, this is the first time I have seen inside the Cessna yoke. As far as I can tell, the elevator spring mechanism is identical to the regular yoke. The aileron action looks completely different, although I suspect the triggering action is the same as I can see the same slot through the shaft. The aileron return mechanism isn't visible (or I don't recognise it), but the large return spring from the regular yoke is absent. I also note - gasp! - some metal construction in the aileron mechanism. This is encouraging as I am guessing they have redesigned it to address the sticky shaft problem. I have to say the inside is also a lot cleaner than my regular yoke, which was smeared literally all over with that grease, as if a child had done it with a big paint brush. The wiring looks tidier too. Happy to help! I have these two remaining shots, they might show something that wasn't visible before: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobnobs Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Peter, Thanks for the pics. That's what I have seen inside my Cessna yoke. Removing the top Spring looks like it isn't that destructive so I will give it a go and report back. Might be a couple of days. Thanks again for taking the time to help, really appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSuranyi86 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Peter, Thanks for the pics. That's what I have seen inside my Cessna yoke. Removing the top Spring looks like it isn't that destructive so I will give it a go and report back. Might be a couple of days. Thanks again for taking the time to help, really appreciated. That's allght! It looks like it was a good idea to shoot those photos back then And yes, its non-destructive, you can put that spring back if you want and then you are back to square one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobnobs Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 So I removed the top spring and it is definitely much better. I also greased up my shaft (oooo-errr) while I had the lid open. The neutral position is now far less sticky and flaring for landing is resulting less in a balloon and more like something that resembles a landing in real life. I wI'll run some circuits in a few different aircraft and see how it goes. Thanks to everyone for their input so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caaront Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Thank you for the interesting post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSuranyi86 Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 So I removed the top spring and it is definitely much better. I also greased up my shaft (oooo-errr) while I had the lid open. The neutral position is now far less sticky and flaring for landing is resulting less in a balloon and more like something that resembles a landing in real life. I wI'll run some circuits in a few different aircraft and see how it goes. Thanks to everyone for their input so far. Happy to hear that the results are pleasing for you! I came to similar conclusions as you. I believe that removing the second spring would be pointless, because most people prefer to have some kind of non-agressive centering. Unfortunately I have never flown a real aircraft (yet), but I think that the one-spring centering force should be similar what you'd get anyway in the real thing (wind resistance). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobnobs Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Happy to hear that the results are pleasing for you! I came to similar conclusions as you. I believe that removing the second spring would be pointless, because most people prefer to have some kind of non-agressive centering. Unfortunately I have never flown a real aircraft (yet), but I think that the one-spring centering force should be similar what you'd get anyway in the real thing (wind resistance). A real Cessna yoke is very fluid but does have a natural tendency to return to centre if you just let go. I'm not sure you could describe it as resistance. You only really get that if the aircraft isn't trimmed correctly. You really should get yourself on a trial lesson someday. Nothing beats the thrill of flying for real even if you are under the close supervision of an instructor. A good school will let you do some flying even on a 60 minute trial. And then there is first solo; a surreal but perfect combination of excitment and fear at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterSuranyi86 Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 A real Cessna yoke is very fluid but does have a natural tendency to return to centre if you just let go. I'm not sure you could describe it as resistance. You only really get that if the aircraft isn't trimmed correctly. You really should get yourself on a trial lesson someday. Nothing beats the thrill of flying for real even if you are under the close supervision of an instructor. A good school will let you do some flying even on a 60 minute trial. And then there is first solo; a surreal but perfect combination of excitment and fear at the same time. A trial lesson is definetely on my bucket list You are right, nothing beats the real thing (but we still try... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Long follow-up. I got one of these, flew it around, dismantled it and had a look. The following is my review, which pays particular attention to the differences from the non-Cessna Saitek yoke. (Short version: the Cessna one is better.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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