I'm not sure what has happened to my settings, but I can't get a helicopter off the ground now.I haven't flown MSFS2004 in months, but I purchased a new video card and wanted to see how much it helps when flying helicopters. I am able to fly the fixed wing aircraft with no trouble, so my joystick is working normally as far as I can tell.When I click Fly Now and the game puts me into the cockpit of the helicopter (I tried the add-on Hughes 500, stock 206 and the add-on 222c) and all looks well. The motor is running the rotor is turning and everything seems normal. When I push my throttle forward (the way I was able to lift off in the past) the torque drops and the helicopters (all of them) rotate to the right. This tells me that the collective is functioning but the auto throttle is not maintaining or increasing torque to match the demand required to maintain rotor speed. I checked my settings and they all look normal. What am I missing that has changed since my last flight ?Help ! Grounded at HIO

It seems that there is not much activity in this forum - but I think I have an answer to your question - but unfortunately , it then leads to a question of my own.I have noticed that if I start the sim at a situation where a default a/c has been saved cold and dark (ie with everything turned off) and then select a chopper, the chopper loads with the rotors turning and also with the sound of the rotors. But trying to then fly the a/c does not work . One needs to hit CTRL E to get the system to work. Can anybody please advise why or whether this is normal?Thanks Barry

You might post at Hovercontrol.com where most helo drivers gather and I am sure you will get expert advice. Gary

Hi Barry - Not that it's too important - but is your throttle axis *reversed* for helo flight.I always shutdown *completely* and then save that configuration. The above message is probably dead on - I don't know what causes M$ to have the rotors turning, etc, but the helo is *not* ready for flight.Try shutting everything down and tghen starting from scratch.One one more thing, - for the engine(s) to be fully functional you need to start many helos with about 25% throttle - not idle. Try that as well - and hold down the ignition switch until you see the rpm and torque advance.Good luck!Senior Captain, Pier Glass Aviation

Make sure that your rotor RPM is at the top of the green before you attempt to pick up. Sometimes, the sim starts at less than full throttle. Check the RPM gauge and make sure she's at full RPM. You may have to pull up just a bit on the collective and allow a few seconds for the rotor to spin up to full RPM prior to pulling full power for liftoff. If the RPM is set correctly, check to make sure that the ship is not in an overweight condition. Many of the add-on ships allow you to manipulate both fuel and load, so make sure you are not too heavy for the conditions.