Joystick issues/Pitch control ....

[iwannaflySC]

Hey y'all:

Just thought I'd share some frustrations here (ya ya, I know this isn't therapy but hey ... :-)), and maybe someone might have some ideas.

Joystick
I have a Saitek Cyborg Force 3D force-feedback stick.  I like the Saiteks because of their ambidextrous design (southpaws of the world unite!), and overall it's pretty comfortable.  However, every time I fire up fs9, I have to re-calibrate the darn thing.  Otherwise, on the ground, the throttle is off (once the engine starts it jumps automatically to about 40% or so as the minimum!), and the rudder pulls waaay to the right (not just P and torque forces mind you).  I open the calibration window, play around with the throttle and rudder there, and it's ok.  A pain, to say the least.  This happens regardless of the aircraft I'm flying.  I uninstalled and reinstalled the joystick, and it was fine for the first flight, and then returned to its shenanigans thereafter.    

Pitch Control
I read in a thread here a while back (couldn't locate it just now), that pitch control in fs is not quite as realistic as in real planes.  In real life, planes that are trimmed well, tend to maintain the pitch and speed they're trimmed for.  Except for the 172s I've flown in fs9, I find this not to be the case of the other aircraft (I'm slowly progressing up to bigger aircraft -- the Beechcraft Baron and King Air and most recently an add-on Twin Otther).  If I take off, invariably, I pull back way too far (well, at VR, I pull back, nothing happens, I pull back, nothing happens, I'm way over VR, then the nose swings up to 10, 20 .... umm ... hey! stop!) and the aircraft almost stalls.  I push back, and the nose swings way down.  Most of the times, it's like calming a bucking wild horse!  (This is the case with the Kingair and the Twin Otter especially; the trim tab is set to take-off).  

Landings are a little better (with the help of the autopilot to stabilize the aircraft and do stable, non-rodeo like descents), but the whole "power-pitch-trim" seems nonsensical, since changing the pitch tends to swing the nose around way too much.  

I don't think I really understand the principles of an "un-centered" force-feedback stick.  I learned to fly (on fs i.e.) with a simple Logitech Wingman Attack, on the 172.  Pitch control wasn't so bad there.  With the force feedback sticks (I had a Logitech Wingman Extreme 3d but returned it -- the right handed thing just didnt' work), I simply cannot get correct pitch!  Things are mildly better if I enable the center-spring (Saitek gives this option).  

I've played around with the sensitivities, but I don't know that it's doing much good.  (What exactly IS a null zone???)

It's even funnier when the autopilot engages, especially after a rather rocky climb.  The stick rocks back and forth on the elevator axis, like it's possessed.  Often, I have to disengage the autopilot, try and get close to level flight and then reengage with the altitude hold).  Sometimes, it stabilizes slightly to the front (down) on the pitch axis, and way to the right (on the aileron axis).  

Do most people use the autopilot a lot on the bigger planes (and I tell you I'm terrified of taking a jet up!)?  Is hand flying them this tough?

Needless to say, this is beginning to be a drag, and is ruining my fs9 fun.  I'm sorely tempted to go back to the Wingman Attack, but that feels like I'm admitting failure.  Besides, I love the effects (the thumps and rumbles and so on).  

Any suggestions?  I really would like to get a handle on this (no pun intended), especially before I start going nuts with add-ons and the like.  Or should I just go back to flight school?  :(  

[congo]

A null zone is an area of joystick movement set to have no effect, this is handy if you have a problem with shaking all over the place or if your stick is a bit dodgy when supposed to be centered.

Personally I like as little null as possible and full sensitivity. I get a better feel and I can handle it because I fly smoothly.

You didnt say whether you are setting up the joystick with supplied software or with the control panel util in windows.

Different aircraft and downloaded aircraft respond to pitch according to how they were configured when made, there are changes you can make to that behaviour if required.

I hand fly everything a much as possible. I like it.

You didn't mention trimming the aircraft, it's one of the most important parts of flying and I have my trim controls set on top of my stick as they are used quite frequently in flight.

It's not FS, it's the way you are configured, if your stick continues to cause you hassles, get rid of it.

[iwannaflySC]

You didnt say whether you are setting up the joystick with supplied software or with the control panel util in windows.

Congo:

Thanks so much for the informative reply.  I am using the supplied software with the joystick.  The calibration issues with the throttle continue apace (I'm starting a new thread to see if I can get some more help from y'all helpful folk out here).

Different aircraft and downloaded aircraft respond to pitch according to how they were configured when made, there are changes you can make to that behaviour if required.

That makes a lot of sense.  The horrible issues I was describing above happened really with the downloaded Twin Otter.  The other aircraft seem to behave a little more normally.  

You didn't mention trimming the aircraft, it's one of the most important parts of flying and I have my trim controls set on top of my stick as they are used quite frequently in flight.

I have two top buttons for trim as well.  I find that trimming jets for level flight is night impossible, but it may be that I'm just a novice.  

Anyway, thanks for the helpful pointers!