I received my miniFCU yesterday and I'm blown away! I have it mounted on a small VESA desktop mount for now. A friend is 3D printing a stand for me though. The miniFCU was super easy to program with MobiFlight so I can now use it with any G1000 aircraft too. I reprogrammed the EXPED button to activate the ILS
In a korean review video the guy is able to use some functionality in MSFS. It seems the winwing FCU identifies as a joystick. You can use the joystick settings in MSFS to set heading, altitude and so on which will work for example in FBW.
Looks fantastic, the size and the price are the deal breaker for me on the WinWing unit, i already have it on pre-order, colourisation of the display wont bother me to much or the font detail as it will be the first unit i own of this type and i have nothing to compare it with apart from my in sim fenix airbus. ive got a feeling i will have to re organise my desk space and monitor layouts to accommodate the whole WinWing glareshield. Ive wanted a product like this for years.... I followed the kickstarter for the minicockpit fcu and pleased i never joined in the hype as there have been many many minifcu units shipping with faults/damage or faults developing shortly after unboxing. WinWing for the win win for myself, happy flying virtual pilots.
totally agree with you on that one. Fortunately this unit will be able to slide under my monitor. And I can't wait for the EFIS and glareshield to join in too.
Honestly without miniCOCKPIT paving the way beforehand throught Kickstarter, these product probably won't even exist. They have opened up the market for copycats to consume. Pity
Completely agree. And why is it a pity @lunarair? It was only a few years ago that you would have had to pay a grand for an FCU - companies like WinWing are bringing affordable home cockpit controllers to the masses. This can only be a good thing. And it wasn’t down to miniCockpit - there have been many before (JavaSim etc), plus Mobiflight if you want to make your own…
As an airbus pilot. The Mini FCU is the most accurate in terms of appearance and tactile feel. I love the simplicity of the setup. It just works!! For me the smaller size is a bonus as it makes for a neat and tidy setup. I look forward to the forthcoming MiniFCU panels coming soon.
did you purchase it in for pre order at the time? I think I will purchase the winwing right now, but it's said that the ETA is above 45 days so idk, what would you advise me to do, or where you in the same position?
@@lourencocoelho6629 yes I pre-ordered. I’d go with WinWing if it were me. Have a look on RU-vid - WinWing recently announced their roadmap at the FlightSim Expo. They have some really nice Airbus peripherals coming including a CDU, all at excellent prices.
Well explained, nice and clear...everything I needed to know. I've placed my order today and looking forward to start using it. Your tutorial saved me both time and lots of gray hair, thx mate
Hmm... the text on my miniFCU isn't etched. Or at least it doesn't appear to be? The miniFCU's text does look clearer though. Thanks for the detailed review and based on it I'll be sticking with the miniFCU and their future releases. :)
I cannot wait for this. It’s a perfect addition for a desktop, especially with the TCA stuff, I’m really not an Airbus fan, but the size of everything means it’s better for my own set up right now! 😃
Can't wait for mine to arrive. That the font might not quite be right doesn't bother me, I don't have anything to compare it to. Not being as deep as the mini cockpit one is good, hopefully means it'll sit under my monitor, i can always raise it if necessary. The angle is also a plus, will make it easier to use then the mc unit. As others have said, if this lives up to expectations I won't hesitate to add to it with an efis when released.
I have the this FCU. For the orange screen, I found that is that the angle of view. If you place the FCU a 90 degree on your desk and you look it, it look like the real color!
Expedite function button is a customer option. I picked up a new toy in Hamberg the other week and its fitted. There are MANY options and customisations. Like metric altimeter on the altitude scale or instead above the clock on the SD page. CPDLC. Etc.
How could the text and markings be printed yet work with a backlight? Doesn't this mean its actually etched or engraved? There is obviously no "blue" behind these markings...
Thank you for the review! I do like the display color better on the minifcu unit, so I agree with you there. I would love to be able to mount this on top of my Honeycomb Alpha and then hopefully add the side panels in the future if they release those. It seems incomplete to me without the two side panels and glare shield.
ordered , price is best ever , people with low money are very happy (like me) to afford this , under 100 euro incl shipping (hope im not wrong) , to bad you have to wait long time (few months) when is available , but when most reviews are bad in few weeks i cancel
I'll never understand why companies send products out for review that you literally can't test. If the drivers arent ready yet, then they should at least ask you to hold fire on the review until it's actually usuable - or just not send it yet.
I think that is a good sign. Sometimes companies bother a lot and even force reviewers to be aligned with what they want. In this case I think they are being completely honest.
Sure, it’s not as well built or physically accurate as the Mini Cockpit or other alternatives, but it’s also many many times cheaper. Once Winwing releases more of their planned commercial aviation peripherals (an EFIS panel is next, after that likely an MCDU), you’d likely be able to get an FCU panel, EFIS panel, and MCDU (without display, maybe even with) for the same price as a single FCU from any other brand.
I am currently flying with my own 3D printed unit, I can't argue with the price. ~A$160 vs A$415 for miniFCU (once it's back in stock) is a no-brainer at least for me.
Hi, have you loaded SPAD.next to see if identifies the unit? If so it should be possible to assign inputs whilst waiting for the official drivers. I used to own all the Saitek panels but they were too generic for my liking. I’ve done the VR bit but it’s not ideal for flying large passenger jets. This plethora of new, type specific units makes this an exciting time fore commercial flightsim users. Thanks again for a great review 👍👍
The purchase decision is really difficult. The MiniFCU is no longer available for purchase. I found one on a classifieds site, 40% cheaper. But the workaround with the Fenix is really annoying. You'll see, this "loophole" will be closed and then the MiniFCU won't work anymore. I've pre-ordered the Winwing now. At least it comes with Mounting Bracket, is DCS compatible (apparently), and you don't have to modify the display for the orange tone with a film AND it's cheaper.
I'd choose the one that is cheaper of course, who cares if the font is a little bit different than that of the actual airbus, i doubt it even an airbus captain would notice the difference. But then again it is still NOT CHEAP unless youre probably an airline captain who can afford it or a youtube reviewer who got a demo unit.
I'm into Virpil devices so configuration madness is not new to me... You addressed some concerns that are taken away for me. To bad they send a device that can't be used but this first-look review was great though!
Thank you for this video and of course it is a shame that you were not able to compare in flight use and another point to know is whether it would be usable with a PMDG 737 or any other liners. Merci pour cette vidéo et certes il est dommage que tu n'as pas pu comparer en utilisation de vol et autre point à savoir c'est si il serait utilisable avec un 737 de PMDG ou tout autre liners.
I am curious to see how it performs once drivers are released, Ironically I just got my Mini FCU yesterday and while I love it I am not sure it is worth the $328 CDN + $54 tax and import. I am sure a lot of people will be eager to see you use it in the sim for a proper comparison to the Mini FCU
Got my minifcu 2 days ago paid the$269 price . didn't know about the winwing one. Having a hard time with returning this minifcu after several emails with them what bad service they have.😢😢😢
Looks OK, but not sure if I would change the minifcu for it. Have looked at a few reviews, for winwing, and it seems a mixed bag some people say their equipment is good others say it is rubbish, and they keep breaking, and have to be replaced.
I had assumed the Expedite button was in the box to attach if you wanted to? Is this a pre-production unit. I recall mini-fcu changed the colours multiple times. Great review Gav
One important question, unlike the minifcu which you need to put a weight on top of or hard fix to your desk in order to stop it moving, does the WW stay in place on the desk when pushing and pulling the knobs?
Etching is only an issue if the text is likely to have fingers dragging over it on a regular basis. In this case it isn't likely or doesn't appear to be.
To me, the Winwing looks rushed. The font is not as good as the mini. The buttons and knobs look to be low quality. The lcd color is horrible looking. I guess all those things allow for a lower price.
I am happy with my full glare unit from quickmade, high quality, only usb c for data/power and a very good customer service. The WW FCU looks so cheap for me, let alone that missing EXP button. However it will have its market.
That's an interesting view, I'd say the quickmade glare unit actually looks more DIY than the WW or Minicockpit products. Also the quickmade unit doesn't look much like the airbus IRL.
@@BlueMax717Well, I use it almost every flight if available. When you fly with high cost index and reach TOD there’s often risk for overspeed with rapidly changing winds. Managed descent is safe option when you get lower altitude and your speed buffer is not so close to overspeed anymore. Another trick is to use open descent first so it also keeps thrust idle but then you have to constantly increase your speed if you want to get down faster. Expedite climb is also nice feature when you want to reach an altitude faster where you get ATC short cut after take off. Sure you can do it manually too with selecting green dot speed ect. Just my toughts after 8000h experience with different airbusses (A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350).
Dear Sir, I hope you forgive me first of all, that problably it is not the right place to adress my problem about the miniFCU arrived today to me. Now, I have not a clue how to adress my issue to the people who sold the miniFCU... The question here is that in spite of everything is working OK whit the A320 Fenix that I use most of the times, a "singular" issue is here: The miniFCU remains PERMANENTLY WITH ALL LIGHT ON, even when I shut down the PC... It is my understanding, that you may have a closer relationship with the people of the miniFCU, so, I decided to adress to you in order you coul be so kind to enlight me about this ussue. Thanks in avance for you attention. From Portugal, Jose Carlos de Almeida Semedo
I really don’t have a big budget for flightsim kit, so this could be ideal BUT I’m gonna wait to see how this handles for you when the drivers are released before placing an order
@@charlieromeoaviation I am very much aware of peripheral pricing. I also have personal experience with winwing. The thing will break within 6 months. Enjoy dealing with their absolutely fantastic customer support