Helicopter Collective

[jssamp]

As a RL pilot I can't fly a helicopter in a simulator with some make-do joystick. It kills the immersion. So for the 40th anniversary release of MS Flight Simulator, finally providing native helicopter support, I made this USB collective controller.

IMG_20210714_235911-2.jpg

It is modeled after the one in the Bell JetRanger.

I printed it in black PLA but did extensive post-prep. Seemed like weeks of sanding and puttying before painting it.

Internally it has an aluminum shaft, 608 bearings, hall effect sensor for lift axis and a digital encoder for the twist throttle. Two Arduino Pro Micro controllers manage the buttons and axes for Windows.

[JohnTee]

Nice piece of work!
What sim setup will you use it with?
Not being a heli pilot - is that the engine starter button? Why would that be on the collective rather than the instrument panel?