The Aviator is designed with everything you"d expect from a high performance joystick, including a rugged, military-style design, rapid response trigger, 8-way hat switch, plus illuminated rocket or missile fire button with safety cover. And a first in joystick design, the Saitek Aviator features dual throttle levers. These enable independent control of multiple engines when flying a large bomber or modern passenger jet, or an engine/flaps combination for better control during take-off and landing. The dual throttles can also be locked together for simplicity when flying single-engined aircraft. Additional controls include 3D twist for precise rudder control whether taxiing or in the air, front-mounted instrument panel which includes base-mounted toggle buttons with up and down switching functions, and mode selector to instantly change the Aviator"s controls to suit flying scenario. Saitek"s programming software means the Aviator offers up to 8 separate commands which can each be programmed separately. The Saitek Aviator represents a new direction in joystick design. The groundbreaking dual throttles and a wealth of programmable switches and controls make the Aviator the perfect joystick for the latest flight games, designed to offer gamers both the maximum flight sim authenticity and control. No other stick is as well suited to the planes being flown on today"s PC Flight sims.

REVIEWS:
1) Great joystick: Looked all over for the best joystick for my husband"s flight simulator, and this one seemed to be the best and most economical. My husband attests that it"s a great joystick and works perfectly. It looks cool, too.
2) Well Built: I really like this joystick for use with FSX. It is really well made with a great layout--I like the dual throttle option. The only reason for deducting a star is the weight is lighter than I would like and the grip is a little small--so unless you have a small hand you"ll have to bulk it up with tape or wear a golf glove.
3) Almost perfect: This is a great joystick to use with any flight simulator. I personally use it with MSFSX, so the fire buttons do not make much sense for me, but it is ok. It is awesome, mainly because of the double throttles which can be configured for two engines or engine/mixture or whatever you want. However, there is a BIG issue which would make me think twice before buying it: it does not have any vacuum rubber or velcro to stick it on the table. As a consequence, frequently you have to use the other hand to hold its base. What I did was to buy those velcro strips with stickers, which helped me to keep it steady on the table. But my question is: did not Saitek Designers tested their own product? Should not those velcros come with this product, as they did with their rudder pedals? In spite of that, I am satisfied and would definitely recommend it.
4) Works great with x-plane on a mac: I bought this for my son, who has a new macbook with x-plane installed. We couldn"t get other joysticks to work, but this worked perfectly. All the buttons and switches were easily programmed in the x-=plane program. A great joystick for the money.
5) Buen producto pero...: creo que el joystick es muy largo, deveria de ser mas corto para asi poder descansar la mano en la base.-