Pro Flight Switch Panel

[Gdavis101]

Got my Saitek Pro Flight Switch Panel today, got to say I like! Mounted easily onto my Saitek Flight yoke and it worked great out of the box!

[spotlope]

That's good to hear, as I've been looking forward to this one. Where'd you get yours?

[navychief]

Oh man, outstanding information! For weeks now, the Flightsim Pilot shop kept telling me it was on PreOrder, and wasn't expected to arrive in the US before the end of this month. Yet, thanks to your post, I checked my account again, and it does say, "processing".

OH YEAH!!!

NC

[Gdavis101]

I ordered mine from Gogamer.com.. I ordered another for my Dad from PCAVIATOR... Reading the fine print, it has a 2 year warranty... Pretty nice!

[navychief]

I finally got my Saitek panel today, but am having configuration problems with it. To begin with, the description on the panel on the Flight Sim Pilot Shop says: All switch labeling is backlit to ensure easy reading of controls during late-night simulation sessions

- The only lights that come on are the landing gear lights; nothing else.

- Also, no matter what I do, the engines (say for example the DC-3) do not start, using the panel. They sound like they will start momentarily, but that's all; they never do.

- The landing gear light on any aircraft does not come on; it momentarily flashes, but nothing else.

- Is there a start sequence I am supposed to follow with this panel? There are no instructions at all, and the Saitek website has ZERO information.

Any help with this? I am simply not understanding the "switchology".

Thanks.

Pete

[navychief]

The plot thickens.

I called Saitek Tech Support, as they are available until Midnight, Eastern time. The guy I talked to said this product is not officially released yet! WTF? He could answer NONE of my questions, except to say he could find nothing that indicated any of the switches are supposed to be backlit; nor could he answer ANY of my questions. He simply stammered, and asked me who is FS Pilot Shop, and that he'd never heard of Flightsim.com, or how they acquired the panel to sell.

This is somewhat curious, and at the same time, maddening. I have sent inquiry emails to several people at Saitek. If this product is not "officially" released yet by Saitek, then how/why is FS Pilot Shop marketing it through FlightSim.com? And if the panel switches are NOT all backlit as their ad states, then why do they advertise it to be????

Grrrrrrrrrrr....and double GRRRRRRRRRRRRR:banghead::banghead:

I want answers!

Navy Chief

[navychief]

UPDATE:

I got in touch with a more knowledgeable tech at Saitek this morning. I have a feeling the guy last night I talked to was nothing more than a person simply taking messages.

Saitek HAS officially released the Panel, but only just this past week or so. The only thing on their website, support wise for it, is a driver. They are currently working on a manual for it. The tech DID tell me that except for the Landing Gear Indication lights, NONE of the other switches are supposed to be backlit. That is disappointing, since that was a major selling point for me. I still don't have any of my other questions answered, i.e. What is the switchology on this panel for aircraft start? I have tried turning on electrical power, then the fuel pump switch, and then selecting engine start....but the engines (no matter what aircraft) simply keep spooling up , but not igniting).

NC

[Flork]

For those of us with the Saitek X52 we know this is status quo for Saitek. Took me forever to get the drivers matched up on that product, and I still have friends getting BSOD and random glitches on theirs. The Proflight Panel is an exciting idea and I'm planning on getting one, but I'll wait until I hear that all of their driver issues are squared away...

[Gdavis101]

I tried starting the Cessna 152 from Justflight, the Insider one, and using the panel would not start the plane.. It coughed and sputtered but wouldn't start. Most of the planes I have used it on have worked..

[MudMarine]

Mines working fine. Start my twin otter with no problem. Alt. and Batt. on, fuel pump on, avionics on, mags to start, hit ignition.......engines fired up.

[navychief]

When you say "mags" to start, do you mean select engine(s), then rotate switch to Start?

Will go try the panel again, but didn't work properly last night.

Thanks.

NC

[navychief]

Another update; this time from FS Pilot Shop, where I bought the panel: http://www.fspilotshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=1738

Notice they have changed the wording from:

All switch labeling is backlit to ensure easy reading of controls during late-night simulation sessions

To:

Selective backlighting to ensure easy reading of controls during late-night simulation sessions

The wording has changed, but it is still false advertising. There is NO selection involved, and there is NO backlighting, period. The landing gear DOES have indication lights, but they are not selective either.

Nice try FS Pilot Shop, but still not correct. Hey, I like my panel, but wish the switches were backlit as earlier described. I will enjoy using even more if I can get it to start aircraft. As of now, all I can do is turn on/off certain nav lights, and raise/lower the landing gear.

Just want you folks to know the truth about this product. I have also contacted Saitek, and have not received a reply from them at all.

Navy Chief

[MudMarine]

It works fine for me. Except for one wording error......? Send it back if you don't like it; it sucks when something doesn't live up to our expectations! When I fly my Twin Otter and turn the knob to start the engines fire up.........? I think it was my A2A P-47 that I turned it to start and then hit a controller button I had slaved to ignition, then it started.

[navychief]

I think it was my A2A P-47 that I turned it to start and then hit a controller button I had slaved to ignition, then it started.

Which command for FSX is for Ignition? The only one I could find listed that looked close in description is the Jet Starter command.

NC

As for sending the panel back, I don't want to do that, even though I know that is a option. I want to get it to work!!!

[Gdavis101]

How are things going Navychief?

[navychief]

Gdavis,

No more progress yet. I am hoping, once I figure out what the "ignition" command is in FSX, then maybe that might solve my problem. Have only gotten one aircraft to start, a Cessna.

Now, if I use Ctrl E to start aircraft, then I can shut off the engines, using the panel, and then turn them on again using the panel. But starting a cold jet engine with this panel will not presently work.

Still no reply from Saitek.

NC

[navychief]

A question about starting jets. Is there another fuel system command I should be setting/selecting besides the Fuel Pump? By that, I mean, could there be another command I am missing that would prevent ignition?

Thanks.

NC

[N2056]

There is the ability to control fuel valves...not sure of the keyboard commands though.

[navychief]

Just a quick note. I got jet engines to start. It was the Ctrl + Shift +D command that did it.

NC