Finding a controllable helo (for a non-expert) was darn difficult in FS2002. I eventually settled on:- Bell222b - Devins- New Apache - Graham & Brendan- AS 365N3 'Heli-Link - Aerospatiale Dauphin' - Pankkonen- Mi-24D Hind - Ito- Sikorsky S-61 Evergreen - Dave Hardcastle.Any hints to shorten my search in FS2004?I like to land on rooftops, frigates & carriers.Anyone tried the Payware Cobra?Vrystaat

Hover on over to Hovercontrol.com. They currently have the best collection of helis available. Also if you browse through their Downloads section or do a Search, you should be able to find Steve Hanley's reconfigured flight model for the default Bell (FS2004). This little gem will give you a slightly more realistic and stable Bell 206 as well as some great sounds. Technically, the Bell 206B is one of the best training helis on the market, and Steve helps bring that stability to the Bell found in FS.If you really enjoy flying helis and want to 'do it right', you should really check out Hovercontrol. They have terrific on-line training, a forum, all the downloads plus a great group of people.Good luck.-Lindy :-rotor:-wave

Hey Lindy, you getting paid for all this advertising ? ;) Couldn't agree more with what you said though.Bests

I find this post a little silly, your realism sliders and joystick setup make the flight model more than the actual airfile. the default bell 206 is probably the best heli to handle. If you crank up the realism, it is almost impossible, turn it down all the way and it is an arcade game!I fly 2 clicks down from full and have no null zone in my joystick - practice, practice, practice!Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/PBTMCa.jpgCalVirAir International VACougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviation[link:www.cgrmtnhelos.com]Cougar Mountain Helicopters

"fly 2 clicks down from full and have no null zone in my joystick - practice, practice, practice!"Looks like you still need a little practice! :)I agree, the helis do seem "impossible" at first- It may take a 100 or more hours before you can fly with any kind of authority.The truth is you need some understanding of how helicopters actually fly, or it will never feel right. I learned to fly radio-controlled helicopters, and only after maybe 200 hours I was able to fly them from hover to forward flight, and (most importantly), transition back to hover and land.Personally, I like the R22 more than the Bell. This R22 does NO justice to the real thing though. R22's are unbelievably sketchy- The cyclic rattles, and a good gust during taxi will stand the thing on it's head. But there is something cool about a helicopter that looks like it would fit in your garage.