A new toy for virtual pilots
Honeycomb Aeronautical is a big name for flight sim fans, usually known for chunky yokes and serious throttle quadrants. This time the company is trying something different. Instead of another piece of desk swallowing hardware, it has announced a compact gamepad built specifically for PC flight sims.
It is called the Echo Aviation Controller and it is planned for release in mid December 2025. The goal is simple but ambitious. Take the core controls of an aircraft and cram them into something that looks and feels closer to a regular controller.
If you have someone in your life who suddenly became obsessed with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 or other sim heavyweights, this is clearly the kind of gadget Honeycomb wants you to think about when gift season rolls around.
What makes the Echo Aviation Controller different
At a glance the Echo does not look like a normal pad. It is covered in extra knobs, levers and a trim wheel that give it a kind of mini cockpit vibe. That clutter is very deliberate. Honeycomb is trying to let you control almost every essential part of flight without needing a huge rig on your desk.
The Echo Aviation Controller is designed to give physical controls for all the main flight axes and key systems:
- Pitch and roll through a precision thumbstick
- Yaw control and throttle management using dedicated inputs
- Four separate throttle levers for different engines or functions
- A trim wheel for fine tuning your aircraft attitude
- Assignable inputs for core aircraft systems
Pitch and roll live on the main thumbstick. That means your elevator and aileron inputs should feel familiar if you already use a regular gamepad, but Honeycomb is promising more precision. The idea is to make tiny adjustments easier, which matters a lot in landings or bad weather.
The four throttle levers sit on the body of the controller and are all independently assignable. That is a big deal if you like flying different types of planes. You can map them for a simple single engine prop, then change things up for a twin engine or even more complex aircraft without having to swap hardware.
The trim wheel is a stand out feature. Many standard PC controllers do not offer a dedicated trim control at all, which usually leads to clumsy keyboard shortcuts or awkward bindings. A physical wheel lets you ease off control pressure in a more realistic way. In practice that should make long flights and stable approaches feel much smoother once you get used to it.
Put together, all of these controls mean you can handle pitch, roll, yaw, throttle, trim and key systems simultaneously. You do not have to constantly jump between keyboard, mouse and gamepad just to keep the aircraft in line. For newcomers to sims that might make the learning curve feel a bit less brutal, even if the controller itself looks intimidating at first glance.
Price, audience and how it compares
The Echo Aviation Controller is set to launch at 150 dollars, 150 euros or 130 pounds when it releases in December. That puts it firmly in the enthusiast category but still below some of the most expensive premium gamepads on PC.
If you look at general purpose controllers, there are plenty of cheaper options. The standard Xbox Wireless Controller remains the usual default for PC gaming and budget friendly pads like the GameSir Nova Lite exist for players who just want a solid all round device.
On the high end, pads like the Xbox Elite Series 2 or the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro 8K can easily reach or beat the Echo in price. Those are packed with high response triggers, Hall effect thumbsticks and heavy customization options targeted at competitive shooters and action games. They are fantastic if you are chasing tiny reaction time gains, but they do not come with flight sim specific hardware like a trim wheel or multiple physical throttles.
That really highlights what Honeycomb is aiming for. The Echo Aviation Controller is not trying to be the one controller you use for everything. It is for people who love flight sims enough to invest in a dedicated tool but might not have the money, space or patience for a full yoke, pedals and throttle setup.
For beginners this could be a very straightforward way into the hobby. You plug in a single gamepad sized device, bind a few functions and immediately have access to a much richer control scheme than a normal pad can manage. There is still a learning curve of course. Seeing all those dials and levers can feel like looking at a mini airliner cockpit. But it is also an invitation to experiment and get hands on with systems that usually stay buried behind keyboard shortcuts.
On the other hand, if you are already flying with a full Honeycomb rig and rudder pedals, the Echo may be more about convenience than pure realism. It could double as a travel friendly controller for sim fans who move between setups, or a neat backup for when you do not want to unpack all your gear.
Either way the Echo Aviation Controller is an interesting signal. Dedicated sim gear is getting more compact, more accessible and a little more playful. If you have always been curious about serious virtual flying but put off by enormous metal frames and a nest of USB cables, this might be your chance to climb into the cockpit without turning your desk into a flight deck.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/game-pads/this-usd150-controller-from-honeycomb-aeronautical-has-not-one-not-two-not-three-but-four-integrated-throttle-levers-for-the-flight-sim-sickos/
