This method still uses the Oculus Rift Touch Controllers, however I usually have an easily located chair near me that I can put the controller on. If you really want that realism, then I suggest to go all out and buy a yoke, rudder Pedals, throttle quadrant and trim wheel. This is my favorite method of the three affordable items. Yoke, Rudder Pedals, Throttle, and Trim Wheel As well, it is nice to be able to go through a checklist at your run up with your Oculus Touch controller. It is nice to have the yoke in order to control the plane. Where as in real life you would be able to instinctively grab the throttle. Now you have to look at the throttle in order to find it. It can be disorientating when you are taking off, trying to keep your hand on the throttle and you accidentally let go of the throttle. The downside to this method is that you don’t have a physical throttle to put your hand on. If you can’t get the yoke to stick out, you can operate switches with the new laser pointer feature. This makes it easier to reach certain switches that might be near the yoke. Recently X-Plane 11 has made this a bit easier by putting a laser pointer out the end of the touch controller. You need your right hand to have the room to move around in order to operate the switches, throttle and other items. You want it to stick out because in this method, your right hand will be holding one of the Oculus Touch controllers. It should protrude from the desk by at least a foot to make this method most effective. In order to make this method work, you need ensure that you mount your yoke out from your desk. Here is an amazon link to the yoke and rudder pedals that I use.

This method involves getting yourself some rudder pedals and a yoke. This prevents you from playing pin the tail on the donkey (trying to find your flight controls while blind folded by your Oculus Rift). You don’t have to spend a ton of money on flight controls and can see everything in your headset. They do their best to make if feel like you are grabbing something (it makes a small vibration) but it is not the same as handling the actual flight controls. Nothing to rest your hand on and nothing tactile to grab. The second thing is that you won’t have any resistance when pulling on the yoke. You could modify this method and add just rudder pedals. I am assuming you want to fly in VR for the realism, so this is a big downside for me. Technically X-Plane 11 will do the rudder pedals for you if you don’t have any plugged in, but this will take away from the realism. The first is that you will not have any way to control your rudder pedals. If you are flying without any controls, there are a few drawbacks. You don’t want to be punching the wall as you go to reach for one of the switches… Trust me, it’s not fun. When you set this up, make sure it is just you, your headset and lots of empty space around you. Maybe a lot of your flying will be done with autopilot…. This solution is great if you don’t have the money to get all the flight controls, or if you are flying a more complicated cockpit, where stick and rudder is not as important. The first solution involves no physical controls at all. If you do use my links, I really appreciate it as it helps us keep the lights on at VR Flight World. Please note that some of the links in this post are affilliate links. Well lucky for you, I have tried many different things and have come up with my 3 favorite solutions. One of the biggest challenges you will face is “how do I control my plane?” Flying in virtual reality comes with a few challenges to overcome.

X plane simulator yoke and pedals