I have also had problems with a microsoft joystick. I have the Microsoft Sidewinder 3d Pro Plus. It is very unreliable in AH. I have never had any problems with it in other games doing this, but in AH it stops working constantly. Once it quits the computer will not recognize a joystick as being plugged in at all. The only cure is a computer reboot. Once rebooted, everything works fine for a little while, then usually after about one or two normal flights, it quits again. It usually works for about 20-30 minutes at the most. Sometimes it quits working within five minutes however, and on rare occasions it will provide an hour or two with no problem. Like I said it doesnt do this in other applications, but once it quits in AH, it doesnt work in any other games either until reboot happens. When it works, it works great, all buttons work fine, and I have no complaints. However, when it quits it is so frustrating. I cannot fly perk planes because I never know when it is going to quit and cause me to crash. Special events are nerve racking, because I never know when I am going to be eliminated because of a stupid joystick. I have learned to land pretty well using trim tabs only in some planes, and have saved 2 airplanes this way in special events, once in a La-5 in a TOD, and more recently a B-26 in the Sicily event. However, it is really ruining my AH experience. I have heard many others complaining about the same or similar problems so I thought I would post here about it. I have downloaded drivers but it didnt seem to make any difference at all. By the way, the new version of AH isnt responsible because I have had this problem since version 1.08. I used to reboot and start over when it happened but now I usually just quit playing for the day in frustration. I am going to buy a new joystick soon, and you can bet it wont be a Microsoft. I just hope the problem is really with the j/s and not with the game, because I would really hate to get a new j/s and have the same problem.
