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As you may have already seen in some SimSamurai videos from 2010 I have completed a full working set of very realistic dual mechanical yokes. Each yoke horn itself is actually made from a CH Products plastic yoke but all other mechanicals were custom fabricated in house and are mostly made of steel tubing and aluminum. All parts are easily purchaseable off the internet if needed. It is with great pleasure that these yokes will soon be offered as both a DIY Blueprint Kit for $35.00 or can be purchased as a complete working set for $800.00.
The basic materials cost for project completion by yourself will be ~$200.00 plus the added cost of the two Yoke Horns themselves. I completely documented and photographed each step during my own building process and therefore the plans set you purchase will come with all necessary text, photo, and video documentation for full project completion. I am quite happy and proud to say that this design is bar-none the best design you will ever find on the market (and there really aren't any anyway!) I had first scoured the internet to look at what other people have built and as as result I carefully redesigned what I can promise is the best way to accomplish "telescopic" style yokes that can be sandwiched into a vertical height of only 4.75" inches. My design is extremely stable, very responsive, has ideal tension for both roll and pitch, and a fore / aft travel of ~ 7" in each direction from center. That is 3 times the travel of any storebought CH Products or Saitek Yokes and is very accurate to what you will find in a multitude of real general aviation or commercial aircraft including large jets.
If you only have interest in larger jet style "floor mounted" vertical yokes, as found in most all jets, I want you to realize that those types are very difficult to accomplish with reasonable space and the materials costs are much higher mainly because the connective linkages must pass down through the vertical tubes and connect underneath the cockpit floor. Because of this, these tubular "floor style" yokes are very costly and are also much more time consuming to build.
Ultimately both styles (horizontal / telescopic or vertical floor mount) serve the exact same purpose of effecting pitch and roll. Therefore the "GA" horizontally mounted telescopic style was chosen for my own home cockpit as it costs less to create, is easier to build, yet yields the same result. You can however mount any type of yoke horns on the telescoping / horizontal tube style such as horns from any real Single Engine Prop, Twin Engine Turboprop, or any modern Jet. If you are a "purist" who still wants the jet styled "down tube" look I will also include a simple mod to make it look like the floor style yokes found in jets.
I currently plan to have the dual yokes DIY plan set available for purchase by the end of 2011. If you wish to be placed on a pre-order list please email me at : simsamurai@earthlink.net
