I am using Saitek ST290 Pro and it is good.

I have TrackIR 4, and it's like a whole new world. Immersion increases tenfold. Takes a while to get used to, but when you do, you can't play without it.
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My TrackIR4 just came this am....
I can't get the Track Clip PRO to work properly (it's probably just me...) so I put the Track Clip on a baseball cap, and flew one mission....it was pretty neat to look around with my head!
I'll get it eventually.....

I don't have the clip, but I never thought of using it. The cap clip works perfectly well for me.
And yeah, it's neat. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you do, you'll never want to play without it again. ;-)

Using an old Saitek Cyborg Gold 3D. Its throttle stick has snapped off, the paint has long since been scraped off and the stick squeaks when you use the rudder twist.
But I've used this thing since the original IL-2 and while I'm now thinking of getting something else (Saitek of course) the cyborg is one of the best I've used.

IL2 brought me back to the Flightsim Genre, i played good old "Aces over Europe" years ago, using only the Keyboard, trying to do the same in IL2.....let me just say, at least i took the Tower with me.
So i went to Amazon, looking what kind of Joysticks are there and i found THIS
[url=]http://www.thrustmaster.com/product.aspx?ProductID=149&PlatformID=5[/url]
I love it, plenty of buttons, you can separate the Throttle stick, select how much resistance the stick has etc. and that all for a cool 39,95€

Hell yeah! Original sidewinders fo the win.
Just shows how extream we really are.

Do most joysticks work?
I don't want to go buy one that doesn't work with this game.

Sidewinder "Precision" 2
Rudder, throttle, 4 trigger buttons on the stick and another 4 buttons on the mount. Oh and an '8 point view button' (cap?).

Right now, I only have my Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar and Hall sensor-modded RCS pedals. There's also a Logitech WingMan Strike Force 3D stick in my possession, but it currently awaits some gimbal work.
However, there's a big problem when it comes to IL-2. I have the Force-Controlled Cougar mod, which is meant to replicate a proper F-16 stick feel. The stick barely moves, and it's reading the force you're applying, not the stick deflection.
That's not a bad thing at all...at least for Falcon 4.0 and other modern jet sims. For IL-2, though, it's just not the right type of stick at all.
Hence why I have that Strike Force 3D stick-as a complement specifically for IL-2 and the like, as well as an introduction to force-feedback. Unfortunately, Logitech engineered the gimbals in such an insanely idiotic fashion regarding how the pots are coupled to them-move the stick along only one axis, and you still get movement in the other axis because of play in the pots. It's something that I could probably fix, but I need some linkages and a small metal shaft to actually make the fix.
Of course, now we've got the Logitech G940, and Thrustmaster's being a tease with this HOTAS Warthog product. (Yes, I know about the Saitek X65F, but that's like my modded Cougar in terms of stick feel and thus undesirable for IL-2.)
Oh, almost forgot: TrackIR 4 Pro. I simply cannot do without it now-it's that important. Free up that hat switch for better things, like guiding X-4 missiles or something!

I would think, yes.
I think it is safe to say that IL2 has earned it's place as the best WW2 online air-war
simulator ever created. (yet) Therefore:
- Any older joysticks would have been taken into account when making the game.
- Any newer joysticks would have to make SURE their joysticks work with IL2.
Joystick:
Have been using the standard Saitek x52 for 2 years.
I've been playing on average about 20 hours a week.
The positive:
The joystick has spoled me royally when it comes to the number of buttons.
I have mapped every single function of IL2 to the joystick and could never
go back to a joystick with just 2-3 buttons. My only option presently is another
x52, or the Logitch g940.
The negative:
Unstable sensors:
The sensors have started becoming unstable/ jittery. (fluctuating 5-10%)
Saitek support this could be solved by cleaning the sensors.
Random recalibrations:
Sometimes my x52 recalibrates itself to the position I'm holding. Meaning if I'm pulling
up hard and the joystick recalibrates. The joystick will be fully deflected, but the plane
goes straight. If I then release the joystick back to it's centre, the plane will pitch forward.
I still heartilly recommend the x52, as an EXCELLENT joystick for someone who is just
starting his/her aviation-addiction.
But make sure to return the x52 AT ONCE if you get this problem, it will cause you to blow
a fuse eventually. ;)

does anyone use Pinnacle Game Profiler?
it supports well... everytig. so i wonder if anyone tried IL with X360 pad or SixAxis
i got myself this app for christmas and i thik it rocks hard (i use X360 wireless pad)
you can use your pad as pad/keyboard/mouse.
hey - maybe it's good idea for new thread - links to profiles (for pinnacle app) for GOG games

I use a Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X and, other than me being totally hopeless at Il-2, it works magnificently, is well built and it is a bargain at ~30 euros.

Un-necessary with IL-2. This sim can already detect all of the X360 gamepad's controls, as any flight sim worth its salt has to have good DirectInput support, and, if possible, you want to use DirectInput axes/buttons.
The aircraft and their flight models are rather twitchy for twiddlysticks, though. You'd definitely benefit from a full-size joystick if you find it's your type of game.

thx for info! i played il-2 before i bought X360 pad for my lap.