Augusta 109 Now Available

[Guest Aidi]

Howdie Folks,Some of you maybe aware of the latest addition to helicopters for Fs2004. Alan Devins and his team have just released a superb Augusta 109. Pop over to www.hovercontrol.com and get your copy.If you are a helicopter nut, then you will be wowed by this model.. its really 1st Class. RgdsAidihttp://www.vfr-flightcenter.com/avsim_sig.jpg

[Guest jlynch]

It's an awesome software package. Just tried it out, and I'm very impressed. Very well done.

[kaydub 3]

For those who know: What are its strong points? Is there any tail rotor response? How does the flight model in fs9 compare to 2k2? Just wondering, I haven't flown choppers recently. Keith

[Guest daveg4otu]

This is a fantastic and very complex model.Not only does it look great but it flys very nicely .So far only spent 30 mins with it - I think it may take some time to find out all about it but I am very impressed.Many thanks to the builders for a really excellent helicopter.Only one word of warning to those on dial-up ,it is 30+ mb and will therefore be a long download - but worth the wait.Dave

[Guest DanielBu]

Wow I like it a lot. Thanks to all the who made it!Looks gorgeous. The animated passenger is fantastic! I wonder how they did that. Oh and flies well, too ;)The only thing is that it seems a bit stiff for a heli, but I've never flown a real one ;). I'd expect it to level off, when you let go of the stick, but it keeps the bank angle.-Daniel

[kaydub 3]

Daniel: Could you provide a little more detail? I mean what is "stiff" about it? I can answer the question about letting go of the stick. Helicopters are unstable compared to fixed wing aircraft. With a stability augmentation system, (SAS, a quite expensive enhancement available on the more costly models), a helicopter is somewhat stable. Letting go of the stick in a bank never results in a return to level attitude. With SAS, the bird will be slower to go out of control. Without it, depending on the model, total loss of control happens pretty quickly. That's assuming, of course, that you are not employing an autopilot. Keith

[Guest Lindy]

The "animated passenger" must be present only in FS09.... I haven't seen anyone in FS2002....or maybe I'm just using the wrong version (of the helo). Some folks (me among them) have discovered an issue with the nose gear. It collapses easily, sending up a shower of sparks! Not everyone experiences this though. But if you do, there is a workaround. Go over to the HC forums; one of the threads there has the answer. You need to amend the craft's config file. It's very easy....... even I did it. For me, using FS2002, I couldn't get the gear to operate. Plus I missed the turn indicator (with the little ball). So I had to modify my A-109 config file to replace one of the two Attitude Indicators with a turn indicator and put in Antti's gear gauge instead of the default one. Now when I fly in VC mode, I can raise/lower the gear plus I have a working turn indicator. I still need to learn the GPS. It's an FS09 GPS.... will it even work in FS2002?-Lindy :-rotor

[Guest Aidi]

>For those who know:>> What are its strong points? Is there any tail>rotor response? How does the flight model in fs9 compare to>2k2? Just wondering, I haven't flown choppers recently.>>> KeithThe strong points are...well everything! It looks great, flies great (imo) the animation is very detailed, pitch on the main and tail rotors, animated collective pitch, pilot, passenger, doors and horizontal stabilizers, and excellent retractable landing gear. The sound file is also excellent with both startup and shutdown sounds.The only thing i could think that could possibly be added is an autopilot. I guess we were spoilt when Antti developed the AP for his Dauphin last year.. and those of us who fly heli's enjoyed tinkering with it. But in the same breath, isnt have the challenge of flying a heli learning how to fly it hand on!!Alan and his crew have put together a super package... equal to lots of payware out there these days... Well done to you allRgdsAidihttp://www.vfr-flightcenter.com/avsim_sig.jpg

[Guest daveg4otu]

AidiThe autopilot is fitted but I haven't been able tio get it to work in all the varieties - it certainly works okn in the caribinerie model and the Italian military one .Wouldn't work properly in a couple of the others. Edit:: After a bit of fiddling about it now seems to work in all versions- just a bit fussy when first engaged sometimes.Dave

[Guest daveg4otu]

LindyPerhaps you can point me towards the HC thread - a visit there to all the forums found nothing and the collapsing gear is a problem.I had assumed first that it was me being a little heavyhanded but it seems that even a " featherlight" landing can collapse the gear.Still a great helicopter.Dave

[Guest gizmocat]

Try this :-http://www.hovercontrol.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ik...t=ST;f=1;t=1654Note, the "blue link" will not work, you need to copy the whole line into your browser.BestsMartin

[Guest daveg4otu]

Thanks Martin- all done.Dave

[Guest Lindy]

Thanks Martin for fielding that one for me and helping Dave out. I was glad to hear it wasn't just me that was having trouble with the nosegear. But I think it's strange, some have difficulty and others do not. Oh well.... I've adjusted my config file and now it works like a charm. (I was going to leave it 'as is' and practice but decided I didn't need the extra frustration...lol) Now if I can get an answer to my question: DOES the FS09 GPS in the A-109 work in FS2002? If yes, then I'll eventually figure out how to use it. If no, I'll try to replace it with the default FS GPS. -Lindy :-rotor

[Guest DanielBu]

Sorry for not replying earlier Keith, but I don't visit this forum too frequently.Well, considering the whole weight of the helicopter pulls at the rotor, I would expect the heli to level off when you're in a bank and let go of the stick...because the center of gravity shifts to the opposite side of the banking direction. That is assuming the aircraft is in forward motion, which seems to stabilize helicopter flight ;)But again, I'm not a real life pilot. -Daniel

[kaydub 3]

Daniel: Well, of course, this makes intuitive sense. It works more that way in fixed-wing aircraft because there aren't the spinning forces which affect helicopters. One example is gyroscopic precession, where the result of a force applied to the spinning rotor occurs 90 degrees in the direction of rotation away from the location, (point), of the applied force. In other words, if you push up on the front of the spinning disk, the side 90 degrees from the front reacts to this force. In a nutshell, even taking the time to change a radio setting in forward flight usually requires that you hold the stick with your knees to keep from going all over the place. Keith PS How is the tail rotor response on the new 109?