WinWing F-16EX FSSB and Throttle Review & Settings

*The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.*
*Views presented are my own and do not represent the views of DoD or its Components.*

[AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH-yf]

WinWing always modify their HOTAS as to give them more buttons. Pretty much everything is a 5 way hat switch. While its not exactly realistic it is great if you own multiple modules. The JF 17 has so many HOTAS buttons its insane and the extra switches are great.

[tver]

Good comprehensive review!

The extra hats on the throttle (uncage) and stick (MSL step) are there for a particular reason other than just extra buttons.

The hat on the Range knob / Uncage button is there because of the (DCS) JF-17. The Jeff uses the same throttle as the F-16, but has a 4-way hat where the Range-knob sits on the F-16 throttle.

The JF-17 can basically be seen as a cheap discount version of the F-16 block 60, featuring Chinese and Russian technology, but certain Western design sensibilities gleaned from the F-16s used by Pakistan, as it was essentially tailor made for the Pakistani Air Force.

On the stick the MSL step-button is replaced by a hat, because russian aircraft (Ka-50, Su-35, Su-57) have a hat-switch there.

If you get the stick with the add-on cluster, you essentially get a stick that can double both as an F-16C, A-10C stick ánd a Ka-50, Su-35, Su-57 stick.

The pinkle paddle also has an axis (as per russian style wheel brake levers) and the add-on cluster features an analog mini-stick where the TDC/RDR-slew cursors is positioned on russian aircraft (instead of on the throttle).

The F-16EX “Full Metal” version allows you to have both mimic both western and eastern control schemes.


Looking forward to the Thrustmaster Viper TQS review and I’m curious to see how you feel it compares with the Winwing throttle.

[Turboy]

I am still rocking a vintage Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS system. I've velcro'ed them both to very heavy, solid Sound Anchors speaker stands which I found at a thrift store. Each stand is about 50 pounds so it's got a solid feel for something that isn't bolted down. This Winwing setup will be what finally replaces it. The Cougar was great in its time but it is definitely "legacy hardware" at this point and it's become jittery to the point of unusability at least when using it in Elite: Dangerous, and that's a shame because I had everything mapped out so well that I could do almost literally everything in the game without having to touch the keyboard, which is the whole POINT of HOTAS.

[doc]

I just set up my WinWing viper a week ago and I appreciate the video on it. Spot on with the setup and the application. The only thing I did differently is I downloaded a lua file for the key mapping. This allowed me to make my own mods and keep the changes. Looking forward to your review on the thrustmaster viper hotas. The throttle bracket looks more robust than the WinWing but there are fewer buttons to program. Keep up the good work.

[NegdoshaManido]

I have the WinWing F-16 throttle and the whole Hornet rig. Their stuff is amazing, no doubt. I even have their Airbus stick grip, since that's what I fly IRL. I use the Real Simulator FSSB-R3 for my F-16 stick, and have been very happy with it. It would be interesting to see someone do a side-by-side on the Real Sim F-16 vs. the WinWing. Looking forward to the WW throttle vs. TM throttle video! This is a great time to be into flight simming. : )

[TheDarkman]

Thanks for the review. I own the same throttle and I was wondering about one thing I run into. When in DGFT mode, you can press the "cursor enable" switch on the throttle to slave the AIM9 seeker to the JHMCS. But pressing also makes a slight movement on it which enables "ACM slewable" mode which then auto-locks the hostile and the stealthiness is gone. Is there any way to prevent that? Or was it just the same in the real jet?

[FlyingBricked]

I just bought the HOTAS MAX from WinWing with the f/a-18 throttle and the f-16 stick but with the normal stick base. The stickbase was in my opinion the most impressive by how smoothe the movement is compared to the virpil base i had before, also just the quality of everthing is impressive. There is only a few tiny things i would say they could do better at including the guides to set thing up like the afterburner detent. With the afterburner detent its actually really easy when explained correctly but i had to google for about 20-30 minutes to find a good explanation on reddit.

[flmotorsports]

Great little review. I am still trying to get the MSFFB settings down correct, I will try your settings. The extra buttons have helped for the “sim world”, I use the two hidden buttons in the throttle grip for “Ready PreContact” and recenter my VR headset. I use the funny four way switch for the NWS as a VR zoom. I have not been a fan of the DCS F-16, but with this setup it is growing on me.

[bjrnchrstn]

Happy to see that Winwing hooked you up Mover.

Got the full Hornet setup with Ddi's and all (for vr). Have to say I love it.

Also saw the Thrustmaster new Viper throttle but that's a whole lot of plastic for a whole lot of money. Just less sturdy at a too steep price point.

[ILruffian]

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. Full fidelity on buttons is not necessary it it makes sense. For example, the well-placed zoom wheel on the Thrustmaster makes a lot of sense.

[macdirty]

When comparing the WW Orion 2 F16 Throttle to the new Thrustmaster one, make sure to take into account, that WW Orion 2 Throttle Base also allows to switch from the F16 Throttle grip to the WW FA18 Throttle grip if you have it. So the WW Orion 2 is not a unambiguous design, so WW could build upon the base as it has now with the F15E Throttle grips and more to come in the future, I'm sure

[pollylewis]

Dang that does look like a lot to get the thing set up but, after you got it going looks like so much fun, can't wait to see and hear about the difference between the two throttles, have to admit I'm kind of jealous, thank you C.W. for all your info.

[Perfssr]

I have the Winwing F-18 stick. After a couple years of hard use the thumb hat switch broke. Customer service was OK and sold me a $12 US switch and $23 to ship. Looks easy to swap out, snap in and plug connector. Pretty happy with the stick overall, never used their mapping software.

[Deceter]

Bizzare... I was literally just looking at this on their website. Good timing good Sir!

[eticket]

Same setup here, great to hear from an actual F16 driver! Yuuuht!

[Roy-qnie]

F18 throttle and the F16 stick with extra attachment for buttons and Orion 2 base with vibration, as you said solid quality and a great feel.

[viperkeeper]

Did you have any issues calibrating the AB settings? My WW F-16 throttle goes into full AB at the Mil power stop. Yes, I've calibrated everything according to instructions.

[regprewitt]

Fair and dead on review. I've had the full WinWing F-16EX since it was released and got one of the first MFSSBs released. I still have one of the first Thrustmaster Cougars released as well as Real Simulator's FSSB. The WinWing setup is light years ahead of the Cougar and Warthog (a friend has it now). A force sensing stick for the Viper just feels right. I never flew the Viper but have ~11, 000 hours on the A320 and 330. The 'bus stick is similar to the MFSSB but not really. It has more motion than the actual Viper, the Cougar's FSSB, or MFSSB (only movement was the loose connection of the stick to the base that has plagued T'master since Cougar on day 1). I'd prefer less motion on the FSSB but it's more than good enough. I completely agree that finding the right force/movement setting is a chore. I'm still not completely satisfied. I wasn't sure how the stick would feel flying non-Viper A/C in DCS or FS but it does well enough. Strangely, even helos are OK though a bit weird with DCS' silly trimmer kludge. Simapppro is powerful but at the same time I find very little use for it since DCS and FS both have their own mapping. Calibration and switching between axis and switch mode on some of the hats can be very useful. The extra buttons, axes, and switches do help a lot bridging the sim/real gap we can never escape with desktop sims. They're even more useful for those of us who use VR.

[Xeroen]

The audio feedback is actually a feature on the Gripen! I find it useful in that it tells me pulling harder won't make a difference! The haptic feedback could be useful for those who fly in VR!

[farazhussain]

Thanks for the settings for the FSSB - I tried the full realistic and ended up with the mix.
Have the throttle too and my guess is that additional 4 way switch on the uncage side may have to do with the block-60s built in IRST and other “gadgets”