I don't know what's the matter with me

LouP

LouP

Flight Sim Junkie
Lately I find myself strangely attracted to flying helos. :isadizzy: I tried them once before but nadda. They are messy, don't fly straight and can be all over the sky. But I am having a blast with them lately, even though I am crashing on half my flights :engel016:. I was even searching the internet today for a collective to buy but with no luck (so if you find one for less than $500, let me know).

LouP :kilroy:
 
Lou, Don't worry - be happy...

Like any other safe psychosis, the desire to fly a fling-wing-thing is relatively harmless and often shoould just be tolerated and managed :icon_lol:

By FAR, the best, most benign and simplest to adapt-to heli is the Freeware Alphasim S-55 -- by far! it will almost hover hands off ( hoping you have rudder pedals - twist sticks just don't cut it for any helo) and thus you learn to manage the often contradictory flight dynamics of a helo.

The other two I recommend highly are the Bell 47 (Bell4740.zip + updates and repaints) and the new Bell 412 (bell_412_ER_2009.zip).

have fun and remember that there are other crazy people who do the same thing.

Rule #1 GENTLE on the controls!
Rule #2 -see rule #1

Rob
 
Look for the AS 350 by FSPainter - it will be tough to find, but worth it...
It is one of the very few flying-uglies I tolerate in my FS...
 
I dabbled in helis for a couple years before getting my pedals, and had gotten used to the twist stick. However, get the pedals if ya don't have 'em, because it'll get really wild and fun re-learning to fly them.

Now, a couple years into flying Helis on-and-off with the pedals, I can handle it just fine.

I like your rules Galahad; very helicopter-ish. :bump:
 
There's a Sikorsky HO3S-1 (by Greg Pepper I think) that I can usually fly without crashing. For the USN guys, this is the helo flown by Chief AP Mike Forney in The Bridges at Toko-Ri. I had it in CFS2 as well as FS2002 and was able to land on moving carrier decks. A newer HO3S package by Baldy is available here at SOH, I want to d/l that and give it a try. :)
 
I am working on an update of Greg Pepper's S-51/HO-3S. I have the MDL revamped to give full reflective texturing, Michael Davies took the flight dynamics for the helo to a whole new height...the S-51 now flies as sweetly as the Alpha Sim S-55 (complete with nearly hands off hover).

I totally agree that the Alpha Sim S-55 is a sweet helo to spend time in. It is the first helo that I have actually enjoyed flying in a sim.

OBIO
 
Helo pilots after a while, develop a swagger when they walk...
One thing that added hugely to my helo experience was a convincing soundtrack.
I added a payware soundtrack to Owen Hewitt's B206 from Turbine Sound Studios:

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h200/CHARL_photos/?action=view&current=Bell206.flv

This was made before Youtube's excellent stereo was available, but you'll get the idea.

Edit: they don't seem to have it on their site any more, however there are some other good freeware renderings too.
 
Very nice Wing_z. Looks some of my moves as of late but I am not trying and usually do not recover. Actually I think I am starting to get the hang of it (a bit) I see why a collective is so important now (got to find one). I actually took off and hovered in the HC Bell 412 tonight. :jump:

LouP:wiggle:
 
srgalahad said:
. . . . .( hoping you have rudder pedals - twist sticks just don't cut it for any helo) and thus you learn to manage the often contradictory flight dynamics of a helo. Rob
Click to expand...
Now now srgalahad, I suspect there are plenty here that have tamed many a helo with a throttle quadrant and a light touch on a "twist stick" as you call it. I realize that isn't the way it's done in real life, but it also shouldn't be stated as such that they just don't cut it for helo's because it was my Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick w/Twist grip that allowed me to finally control those beasts and turn them into pussy cats. It's very gratifying to be able to finally hover taxi, do a stationary hover and turn 360 degrees and settle back to terra firma with a feathers touch all with that dreaded twist stick.

As I eluded to above, it isn't correct for those purests in our midst that require rudder pedals to mimic as "real as it can get" flight and I know there are many. I happen to enjoy the twist grip, for me it's both a case of what works for me sprinkled with a bit of limited finances, but I can say for sure that after years of doing it this way. . .yes twist sticks do cut it for helo's.
 
If you have a HOTAS controller like the X-52, you can reverse the throttle axis to simulate (sort of) pulling up on a collective.

The only way I can manage one of those flying eggbeaters is to turn the main reallism slider down to near zero. With that done, I can at least hit a landing spot the size of a football feild!:isadizzy:
 
I have a nice set of Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougars (stick and throttle) sitting on top of the Ferret cage...just waiting for me to hit the lottery so I can afford a set of foot peddles to go with them. Until that day, I will be doing all of my flying, including helos, with my Siatek ST 290 Pro with twist grip. I do pretty well with this stick...there's nothing that I have not been able to crash...heck, I even sank the Titanic with it.

OBIO
 
I have the Hughes 500D by Bjorn Buchner set as my start up aircraft ( helo ).

I do a lot of EZ scenery work and it's handy to have it loaded and take a quick flight to look at my new creations rather than slewing around.

But the Hughes/MD500D & MD500E by Peter and Tamas Nemeth are also favorites.

Pete.
 
Oh my giddy Aunt...
Now that's real commitment, well done LouP.
Note the creases pinched in the chair cushion, eh?
 
I love the whirly birds!! That's me in the door of that UH-1N in my advatar (HMLA-167). I this love fly my Nemeth CH53, brings back LOTS of memories; some good, some not so good!
 
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