Helifolk seem my sort, and I am determined to grasp that darned default (sluggish) Jet Ranger. I need proficiency to take tests.I've used Hoversafe's tutorials, Hovercontrol's tutorials, joined VATSIM, installed Squawkbox, SBHost, Whazzup, RogerWilco, and it all seems to like me and my computer. I have no trouble connecting and such.Nonetheless, I don't seem to have anybody to play with and can't join in all the reindeer games. :-( What I'd like to do first, is eavesdrop within VATSIM to get a feel for the place before making a fool of myself on a short hop. I am a real-world SEL pilot but I have a long-expired medical with no plans to renew because of physical disability. Can anyone suggest a point of on-line beginning for me? I seem to have all the tools but no direction.

Hi, theres a number of ways you could go about things.You could go online at Hovercontrol, they have servers for members (I don't think they use any ATC type services), and from what I can tell, they are quite laid back and friendly... so if your looking to fly with other people and get tips and advice to improve your flying, this would be the way to go.If your already quite proficient at flying the helis, and want to make the whole experience as real as possible, I'd suggest joining one of the Helicopters VA's that use VATSIM, that way you get a focus for your flying (assigned flights, route structures, etc), damn near real world ATC services, and the backup and support of your VA.I'm sure there will be others here who can recommend (plug!) the VA's they fly for, and you'll probably take a look at the one on my sig; VertiGo do fly online, but it's not mandatory, therefore you may well find yourself flying helis alone (eg, unless pre-aranged, not a high chance of all of us been on at the same time!), we take quite a laid back approach to it all, and you chose the flights from a stock set, as opposed to been assigned them. So if you want an online dedicated heli VA, I hear Metro helicopters are very good, and they fly exclusivley on VATSIM (I think!). I'm really not sure about others (that doesn't mean I don't recommend them, I've just never had any dealing with them) but others you can look out for are Cougar Mountain Helicopters, Fox River Helicopters, CalVirAir International; can't think of any more, but I'm sure I've missed a few!Anyway, best of luck!CheersAlun

If you are looking for an environment to learn online flying without others laughing at you, and very willing to help, I recommend Hover Control. We have several members that use our servers frequently, especially on Sundays. You have to be a member to access the servers, so go ahead and register. If you need some help you can post for an Instructor Pilot to meet you online, and we don't laugh at anyone, we remember all too well what our first flights were like. While we have no formal ATC at this time, myself and other staff members do take turns running the Tower at KMSO. The reason we're not in the Tower more frequently is we enjoy flying more.Keith

Mike,Even if you haven't got totally to grips with helicopter flying, I still highly recommend going online at Hovercontrol, as Keith said, they are a friendly bunch, and they won't laugh at you. I feel that the site, and the concept, was set up for people exactly like yourself, who are just getting into flying helicopters in FS and are looking for advice, tips etc. I'd also post your "I'm Lost" post in the main general forum, as there is a lot more traffic through there.All the bestAlun

Hi Mike. After reading your post above (BTW, great livery on that Renegade!!) I dropped in over at HC to see if maybe I could help. Unfortunately, I can't... :-( While I have RW installed and SB downloaded (but not installed yet), I don't do any online flying. So I'll second the suggestion you received about reposting over in HC's General Discussion forum. Good luck. I completely understand your frustration with flying the helos. I'm still struggling with learning to hover longer than 2 or 3 seconds and it seemed to take forever before I was able to actually land without crashing 9 times out of 10.-Lindy :-rotor:-wave

Hey Mike, great advice from Alun, Hovercontrol has a good setup for online flight. My VA uses helis in our ops and I am also a pilot for Cougar Mountain Helicopters. We have several real world heli pilots on staff and can help if you need it, any questions you have please stop by the CMH forum or drop us an email and we'll do all we can to help!Stick with it, the default bell is a good one to learn with, as Lindy can attest to, she has come a long way and is very determined!Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpg

Two wonderful replies. Thank you.Alun, I much appreciate all your tips and your invitation to join your VA. I remember your speedy reply and kindness when I feel ready for that.Keith, I have joined HC (HC437MI) have student pilot status and have completed the Certified written. I posted an "I'm lost" in the training forum a couple days ago no one has commented yet. More chatter here. ;-)Thank you. I will continue practicing at KMSO. I went hunting for the injured skier in my Renegade. Found a ski lift and lodge, and landed at the base in a nice lake. When I get a helo by the tail, I'll go back.Mike

Mike: Good to have you with us, my friend. Don't sweat the medical, you won't need it here. I am a RW pilot as well as a simmer, and as one of my cohorts indicated, there are many folks who will be more than willing to help you. Let me suggest that you go ahead and work with HoverControl. They have an excellent program and friendly instructors. Sometimes a little 'one on one' helps to smooth out the rough spots. :)(I have both a HoverControl and a HoverSafe rating, so I think either school will work for you.) One thing I would suggest is to not try and make the sim too realistic until you get the hang of it. Many folks try to make it very realistic by putting all their sliders at max, but it isn't really necessary. The sim is fairly realistic with them on the left side, and you can move them up as you progress or as you prefer.You should set your control sensitivities up pretty high, however. I set the ailerons about two clicks left of full, my elevator one click left of full (you need a bit more elevator due to compensating for the length of the helicopter- that is the longest axis), rudder pedals a bit above halfway, and throttle at full. Make sure that your controls are set to zero '0' null settings. With a helicopter, you need the input right now, and you don't need any dead areas in your controls to set up a lag.I hope these few tidbits will help you, and when you visit HoverControl, tell 'em ol' Rexbo sent ya!!! They are fine folks over there.......Good luck with your flying!!!

Thank you Rex.Good info, a great helpful spirit, and a valuable sharing. Nice web page, too ;-)Mike

Thanks Mike: If there's ever anything I can do to help.....let me know....