What control to buy for Phoenix sim?

[Augman37]

I am interested in getting into Heli flying but am going to purchase a sim first. I am using an intel Macbook Pro and it seems Phoenix sim is the best for that. I need to buy a contoller for the sim but have no idea what to get. When I finally bite the bullet and buy the real thing I will probably get a nice controller but for now just want a basic (CHEAP) one to use with the sim. Any suggestions? Thank you!!

[GreenCello]

Hello Augman,
I hate to see someone's earnest question with no answers
I'm a relative beginner but I use Phoenix on a Mac book pro so I'll try to help.' I've also used Realflight 3.5 on the same machine
You'll have to run either of these sims in Bootcamp c/ Windows XP and they both run fine on the Mac book.
With the Phoenix, you will have to decide what radio brand you're going to use. JR/Spektrum, Futaba, etc. since they send you the appropriate USB connecting cord with the program.
Realflight includes a mock transmitter that simulates a futaba radio and it works fine.
I'm flying a Trex 450 and many in Trex 450 forum prefer Phoenix for small electric helis. It seems a little closer to reality for the Trex 450 than Realflight I haven't used the Realflight sim since I started Phoenix but I think you could learn a lot of basic heli skills on either one.
It would seem to me inadvisable to buy a transmitter just for the Phoenix simulator. I would research the heli you want to eventually purchase and then buy the radio you plan to use.
For instance, I'm using a DX7 that was puchased without servos or receiver for $170 new thru Ebay. When I use the sim I use my DX7 and operate the flight controls just as I do in real flying. Helps to build muscle memory for using various flight modes, expo and throttle hold which don't mean much to you at this point but I guarantee it will when you're flying if you choose a CCPM heli Good luck and have fun making your choice.
Cliff

[Augman37]

Thank you for your response GreenCello. I was actually thinking of getting a T Rex as soon as I could afford it and had some skills with the sim. I guess I need to do a little more research on the birds and controllers. I have seen the Spektrum mentioned a lot but have not really looked through the threads and seen what is good and bad about each brand/model. I am going to try and figure out which controller will be good enough for me to have room to grow into the better heli's but not too complex that it intimidates and confuses me. Thank you for your advice! I am running Parallels on my macbook pro with windows xp Pro.....hopefully that will run as well as the bootcamp partition. I have wanted to get into this hobby for a long time and am finally ready. Good luck to you as well.:thumbup:

[HFG]

I run phoenix with bootcamp on my 24" iMAC. While i will highly suggest you buy the best radio you can and start simming with it, the feel of the radio is very important. If you are unsure of what you really want and just want to wet your feet just buy a cheap radio off ebay for like $40 and use that. Anything with a buddy box connection will work.

[tobeornottobe]

I'm travelling for the next few weeks, and using Phoenix on my laptop. Didn't want to take my nice shiny DX6i on the road, so I have the tx that came with by BCX2. I played around with the spring tension so it roughly matches my DX6i and it is doing fine.

[TheBum]

I'm travelling for the next few weeks, and using Phoenix on my laptop. Didn't want to take my nice shiny DX6i on the road, so I have the tx that came with by BCX2. I played around with the spring tension so it roughly matches my DX6i and it is doing fine.
I run Phoenix with the CX2 radio also. The only thing I don't like about it is the lack of flight mode control from the radio itself. Since I'm finally starting to use idle-up in real life, I'm probably going to switch back to using my DX7.