How do you hover the bloody choppers?

[djscoo]

I think using a chopper with forgiving flight dynamics is helpful as well. The Alphasim S-55, now freeware is a great one to start on. I don't know if it is realistic, but it was a really helpful starter for me.

 

[Cirrus N210MS]

[YOUTUBE]UN4a2vUR9sc[/YOUTUBE]

video sound is geting fixed:salute:

 

[PRB]

I install the 'helitrim' gauge in all my choppers. It allows you to use fixed wing trim and lets you ease off on the stick pressure for forward flight

A helicopter trim gauge! Cool, I'm off to look for that one.

You know, in fixed wing planes, there is a lot of variation between a perfect landing and a crash. There are all manner of bad landings you can do and still walk away, so you don't have to learn to be precise. In a helicopter, you either make a perfect landing or you crash, nothing in between! So you have to learn to be precise.

 

[Wing_Z]

Y'know...ALL helicopter landings are controlled crashes!
But I find it's waay easier to land (and hover) into say an 8 kt headwind than none.
I've done the force feedback thing and it does make a world of difference, not to have to lean on the spring the whole time.
But I'm very interested in FS Force...not exactly cheap at $35...Dain what are the advantages, in practice?

 

[Tako_Kichi]

A helicopter trim gauge! Cool, I'm off to look for that one.

I just tried to add a link for you but for some reason it didn't work.

Search the flightsim.com files area for 'helitrim.zip'.

It says it's for FS2002 but it still works fine in both FS9 and FSX.

 

[PRB]

I just tried to add a link for you but for some reason it didn't work.

Search the flightsim.com files area for 'helitrim.zip'.

It says it's for FS2002 but it still works fine in both FS9 and FSX.

Thanks, Larry. I found it at AVSIM. I like it a lot! The one I found at AVSIM, also named helitrim.zip, said, in the readme, that it's only for FSX. Maybe he made a new version, for FSX only.

 

[Lionheart]

I'll have to try that HeliTrim. Sounds like what I have needed for ages.

I use TrackIR and it does help, but I really need to spend more time just hovering. That is an art unto itself. I agree with TeaSea. Throwing the joystick can lessen the tension buildup, but the X-52 is a bit expensive to replace...



Bill

 

[Cirrus N210MS]

[YOUTUBE]5sad6YcFiwY[/YOUTUBE]

more videos to come!

 

[roger-wilco-66]

I'm tempted to quote a "classic" description of helicopter pilots and flying by "Badwater Bill" Phillips:

I think I’m about to retire from flying helicopters. It was fun for
the last 30 years but I’m lucky to be here. This is what I’ve learned
from two thousand hours in Hueys, a few hundred in Robies and about 50
in other things like MD-500’s, Rangers and a Mini-500. It is how a
truly feel:

Anything that screws it’s way into the sky flies according to
unspiritual principles.

You never want to sneak up behind an old high-time helicopter pilot
and clap your hands. He will instantly dive for cover and most likely
whimper...then get up and kick your butt.

There are no old helicopters laying around airports like you see old
airplanes. There is a reason for this. Come to think of it, there
are no old high-time helicopter pilots hanging around airports either
so don’t worry about the above.

You can always tell a helicopter pilot in anything moving, a train, an
airplane, a car or a boat. They never smile, they are always
listening to the machine and they always hear something they think is
not right.

Helicopter pilots fly in a mode of intensity, actually more like
«spring loaded», while waiting for pieces of their ship to depart.

Flying a helicopter at any altitude over 500 feet is considered an act
of boldness and should be avoided.

Flying a helicopter at any altitude or condition that precludes a
landing in less than 20 seconds is considered a cavalier and unsafe
practice.

Remember in a Robinson you have about 1 second to lower the collective
in an engine failure before it becomes unrecoverable. Once you’ve
failed this maneuver the machine flies about as well as a Lycoming
strapped to your back.

When your wings are leading, lagging, flapping, precessing and moving
faster than your fuselage there’s something unnatural going on. You
should not attempt to fly.

While hovering a Robinson, if you start to sink a bit, you pull up on
the collective while twisting the throttle, push with your left foot
(more torque) and move the stick left (more translating tendency) to
hold your spot. If you now need to stop rising, you do the opposite
in that order. Sometimes in wind you do this many times each second.
Don’t you think that’s a strange way to fly?

I commonly call an autorotation my «Anvil-One» approach. If all is
optimized you get a glide about like an anvil in freefall.

180 degree autorotations are a violent and aerobatic maneuver in my
opinion and should be avoided.

For Huey’s and Robinsons: You never want to feel a sinking feeling in
your gut (low «g» pushover) while flying a two bladed under slung
teetering rotor system. You are about to do a snap-roll to the right
and crash.

If everything is working fine on your helicopter consider yourself
temporarily lucky. Something is about to break.

Badwater Bill

 

[michael davies]

I think using a chopper with forgiving flight dynamics is helpful as well. The Alphasim S-55, now freeware is a great one to start on. I don't know if it is realistic, but it was a really helpful starter for me.

Most of AS FDEs are pretty forgiving, too forgiving for many but the S-55 is about the most stable there is, if you cant hover that then, well take up fire eating or something LOL.

Joystick set up is everything, as are forces and null points, realsims sliders need to be max but null sliders need to be about 5%, joystick top should not move more than 1-2" sq, patience is also a virtue, many people expect helos to perform like fly by wire fighters, yanking the stick here and there, take your time ans do things slow and as djscoo says, get a FDE thats stable, then move up to more complex ones when you get better.

Best

Michael

 

[Dain Arns]

Y'know...ALL helicopter landings are controlled crashes!
But I find it's waay easier to land (and hover) into say an 8 kt headwind than none.
I've done the force feedback thing and it does make a world of difference, not to have to lean on the spring the whole time.
But I'm very interested in FS Force...not exactly cheap at $35...Dain what are the advantages, in practice?

Eeep! I don't remember paying that much for it, think I got it for $25 a couple years ago. :redf:
Maybe it was on sale.
Well, I do use it every flight, so I guess it'll like FSUIPC, you get your money's worth.

The profiles create better responses than the generic MS default FF, which is just applied to any/all sim aircraft, IMHO.
Plus FSF adds some additional forces.
I don't know how to really describe it other than "precise".
Plus with the way FSF scales up the forces by speed for example, you get a 'feel' for an aircraft, like something you do in real world.
Also with FSF, the MD500 'feels' light, the CH-53 very heavy.
With the Dodo206 you can feel the lag the real 206 has in its controls.
(Dodo added that with the last update I believe)

On fixed wings the buffeting before stall makes FSF worth it alone.
You can feel gradual onset of the buffeting before the stall.
I don't even have to look at the airspeed gauge, I just bring the nose down and add power now.

Having that 'feel' make a world of difference, to me.
I remember how much easier "Grand Prix Legends" got for me when I invested in a FF wheel.

 

[Sid2008]

Thank you all

Thank you all for your rousing replies. I am going to be practicing my heli flying in Africa. I recently purchased African Airfield Adventures and I do love it.
Thanks again.
Sid

 

[falcon409]

I defer back to my original post Sid. . .I think you now have everything you need to practice, practice, practice, lol. Heli's are a lot of fun to fly. . .mainly because you can get into areas that are totally inaccessible by fixed wing aircraft and that can open up an entirely new world of flight. Enjoy!!:salute:

 

[Wing_Z]

Great thread

and very informative, many thanks.