UPDATE 2/12/13Like riding a bike, this takes some practice to use well. I just noticed a few days ago that I didn't have to think about using these pedals. It's finally gotten to be as natural as walking.As I said, well worth getting.The rubber mesh mat that I taped to the bottom is still in place. It's not pretty, but guess what? It's under the table and I can't see it anyway.I use my feet to lift up the edge nearest me and push it away for more legroom when not in use. Reach out with my feet, lift, and pull them closer when needed. I never thought that the rubberized padding would last this long but it did. See the pictures at the top of the product page.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many have written that these are plug and play. To some extent that may be true. BUT I wasn't getting the results that I thought I should be getting.So I did a search for how REAL pilots us rudder pedals and found that FSX had the settings wrong! To the best of my knowledge I have NEVER changed any settings for rudder pedals. And I'm the only one who has access to this computer. Perhaps this is related to flight sticks that let you turn the stick to control the rudder?So do a search of "How to use aircraft ruder pedals". IGNORE flight sim users and read the info from real life airplane pilots. In short, they say that the plane should yaw/turn IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PEDAL THAT YOU PUSH. In other (simplified) words, push the left pedal and the plane should start to turn to the left. Right pedal and it should start to turn to the right. I routinely land without using the pedals so this was never a problem with me.STEP ONE - Read how to use rudder pedals. NO NOT ASSUME that you are a natural born pilot and know how to do everything.STEP TWO - Place the rudders on your desk or a table to adjust/calibrate them. You WILL find this interesting and informative. The toe/differential brakes will need adjusting too.STEP THREE - Put them on the floor and test them. You may want to adjust them again.STEP FOUR - Re-read step one, and then practice using them in different situations. Rudder pedals DO NOT need to be used all of the time. But when you do need to use them you need to use them WITH SKILL. Skill takes time.STEP FIVE - The rudder pedals and ailerons are preset in FSX to work together. You need to un-link them. Go to Saitek's web site to learn how.TIPS:* You can use cheap rubber matting to keep the base from moving on carpeting or wood.* Next I'm going to try a little bit of carpet runner on the bottom of the base. See 6' VINYL LOW PILE for a picture. The best thing to do is to buy a 2 foot section from a local hardware store (they'll cut it to whatever length you want within reason). Just lay the base on the vinyl, outline the base and cut. Then use electrical tape to hold it in place. NOT scotch tape. NOT duct tape. Electrical tape.* If you rub a light coating of white lithium grease on the pedal extension plates (& then wipe any excess off) you can use these pedals like real aircraft pedals by sliding the heel of your feet back and forth on the plates. See my pictures on the main page. By the way, the extensions are SMOOTH., not ribbed as in the picture.* IF THE PLANE VERES RIGHT OR LEFT, with your feet off the pedals, adjust the rudder trim in FSX.OK, it's time for the review.I have, and prefer, the Eclipse Yoke. It has 4 buttons on the front that I use to start each individual engine, levers on the top that I've re-assigned to operate flaps, etc. AND 2 paddles that originally worked as rudder pedals (now the left paddle zooms in, the right zooms out). If money is short, or you just aren't sure that you want to invest much in a flight sim, you can use those paddles. They work fine.But the Saitek Pro Flight rudder pedals are a BIG move towards greater realism. You DO need to set them up properly though. You also need to learn the proper way to use them. I'm still learning. Knowing how they work is not the same as gaining real life skill. I know how to juggle axes and burning torches. I've seen it on TV. But that's not the same as actually doing it. And doing it with skill.I would say that the longer you put off using these, the longer it's going to take you to learn how to use them correctly. Bad habits are hard to un-learn.They are needed for full control of light aircraft. Don't put off getting them.A side note - I wanted one of the more expensive Saitek rudder peddles but I'm glad that I saved my money and bought this one.AMAZON USER LAW #1 - The more someone rants about how bad something is, the less likely it is that they know how to use what they bought.Silly complaints;* The pedals are to close/far. - Look down at the pedals on the aircraft that you like to fly. Look at real pedals on the internet - THEY ARE ONLY A FEW INCHES APART IN REAL LIFE!* These ruder pedals aren't like REAL rudder pedals. - FLIGHT SIMS ARE NOT REAL LIFE! You are sitting at a table or desk. You are looking at a screen. Real planes don't use a QWERTY keyboard!* The center detent to strong/hard to move out of. - Some may have defective rudder pedal sets. My detent is very light, and easy to move out of.* The center detent makes it hard to make precision movements with the redder. - With the rudder pedals calibrated properly the amount of controlled rudder movement at the detent is probably ONE EIGTH OF A DEGREE! Some may have it way out of whack, but mine was perfect in that respect.* They slide all over the place on hardwood/vinyl floors or carpeting. - See my picture about the non-slip pad. It works on carpet just fine and will work on wood/vinyl too. But if you want to crank the knob up on the base try the 6' VINYL LOW PILE idea.END NOTE - The only real con that I can find is about the length of the cord. If you computer is on top of your desk then the cord may be too short.