Summary: Making it \"as real as it gets\" requires at the very least a good set of rudder pedals/toe brakes, and the CH unit seems very well-constructed (as does their yoke). Although I've only had them for about a week (and have tended to use and certainly enjoyed FS9 more since acquiring them), I expect them to last for years. \"Real world\" pedal feel varies quite a bit with the aircraft and various loads, so it would be nice if there were some force feedback for both the rudder and brake functions, but the springs do provide some resistance. In any case, having to coordinate turns, perform slips/skids and other maneuvers plus ground-steering/braking with your feet are all necessary components of real world aviation, so if you want to replicate that, even a twist-grip stick doesn't quite cut it (to say nothing of using the keyboard!). It's not an inconsequential investment, but short of popping for a several-hundred- (or thousand) -dollar/Euro PC-based simulator, the CH Pro Pedals are a great start toward earning your virtual (or real world) wings!

Summary: As confirmed by CH tech support, they have decided to make their products incompatible with other manufacturer's products. Trying to get me to spend an extra $100+ to replace my existing excellent Logitech joystick just to get their pedals to work is not a good way to get extra business. Instead, I'm sending these back. Hopefully, they will learn (as many others in the industry have) that trying to lock customers in to buying only your products doesn't get you more customers in the long run. Most people will choose a non-proprietary solution when they can.

CH tech support:
\"You are correct it was a marketing and sales decision to have Control Manager only combine our controllers. We of course are a business and would like to make a profit as well as produce quality product, so we do such things to prompt potential customers to buy our products. There are no future plans for allowing Control Manager to combine other brand controllers. \"

[Edit]
Again, I got very fast response from CH tech support - this time with some very helpful information\"

CH tech support:
\"We did a search on the internet for software that would combine different branded controllers. We were able to find a web site that claims to be able to do that. Before giving you the link, I must say that we do not endorse this software to be a solution and we will not support that software if you have problems with it. We also can not assume responsibility for any damage it causes to your system, we actually suggest you buy our controllers and use Control Manager to combine those controllers for games that do not support multiple controllers. We are simply letting you know that there are other solutions available.

Here is the web site address: http://www.franknstik.com/\"

It took a couple of hours of working with franknstik and CH's Control Manager together (you need both), but I was finally able to get the pedals to show up as an extra axis on a virtual game port. Takes a bunch of trial and error to figure out the mapping between hardware, Control Manager, frankstik, and then the game. And then it takes a little more work to get the calibration right.

Summary: got this as a gift for my younger brother. He's very into flight sim games and plays them constantly. Bought him the CH Products Flight Sim Yoke last year and he's been begging for the pedals ever since. Both products are great and he loves them! He said the pedals responded quickly to all movements and combined with the USB, this truly adds another dimension to playing flight sim games.