AVSIM Commercial Hardware Review Saitek - X52 Flight Control

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Reviewed by: Brian Fletcher AVSIM Sr Staff Reviewer - September 11, 2006
Introduction
Even though the vast majority of simmers use some type of joystick, if you do not have
one of only a handful of Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) controllers that can operate
all of the necessary functions in Flight Sim, then you need to pay close attention to this
review.
What separates the X52 from most other HOTAS controllers is that it has the ability to
control every function in every Flight Simulator that I tested it with, which completely
eliminates the need to use the keyboard. Plus, the throttle portion of the X52 has a mouse
control feature which can be used in place of a normal mouse to move the cursor in any
sim, and in fact, in most Windows programs and games.
The X52 is a two-piece HOTAS; one of which is the stick / joystick portion, and the other
being the throttle. Combined, the two controllers provide the simmer with an enormous
amount of functions and controls that can be tripled by use of the mode selector, which
allows you to designated three different functions for each button and switch.
One of the eye catching features of the X52 is the LED display built into the base of the
throttle controller. This provides the date, GMT, two additional time zones defined as you
wish, mode selected, profile information, and has a chronometer of sorts. Also pleasing to
the eye are the 11 lighted buttons, which can be adjusted to provide dim to bright blue
backlighting, or no lighting at all if you so choose.
But the biggest selling point for me is the comfort of the X52. Because this HOTAS is in
two pieces, you can place the joystick and throttle wherever you wish, and the rubber
grips and 5 position adjustable palm rest provide maximum comfort and minimal fatigue.
And to top it all off, both of the X52 controllers are constructed of part metal and part hard
plastic, which combine to form an extremely resilient HOTAS.
Of course, not every simmer will become as fond of the X52 as I have, and after almost
two decades of flight simming I can understand why. I have found that many sim
enthusiasts grow attached to their joysticks, especially after modifying them to fit their
needs. In fact, it took years of prodding from my fellow simmers before I entertained the
idea of upgrading from my Microsoft Sidewinder to the Saitek X45, the predecessor of the
X52.
In this review I am going to show you what the Saitek X52 has to offer, and why I was
willing to give it a chance. You can then decide if it is something worth looking into, and
you can also determine for yourself if the cost-value is suitable. To do this I am going to
cover the controller and the SST Programming Software, which allows you to configure the
X52 to your liking and lets you save profiles for different Sims and users.
We will begin this review by visiting Saitek’s website at http//:www.saitek.com, where the
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