The Black Art of Flying Helicoptors

[Guest A321]

Hi all,Well Since reading the latest issue of PC Pilot Magazine, Ive kinda got hooked on fly Helicoptors. Ive always thought that the Helicoptor FDE was messed up, or that there was some kind of secerte to flying them. Ive since learned that infact Helicoptors are very flyable In FS, Im not saying the FDE is perfect but with pratice and the right Controller settings, there is very and I underline very much fun to be had with flying Helos in FS.What ive learnt is that you must have: All realisim Settings Set to fullGyro Drift OffAuto Rudder OffIn the controller settings you must have Sensitivty for all Axis full right and Null Zones again for all Axis Full left, eg No Null Zones and Max Sensitivty.This information I got from the PC Pilot Magazine, but it was written by one of the hardcore Helo Pilots from HoverControl.comI Still prefer Fixed Wing, but, there is something to be said for flying Helicoptors, Its very satisfying when you can fully control them, which I cant at the moment, but none the less, its all good fun right?Well I just thought Id Share this with you guys, and if anybody here as some Helo advice I would love to read it, Thanks :)Jason

[JimBob 0]

I tried to "fly" those things, wrecked a lot of virtual choppers and killed numerous virtual people !!!!! Was reminded of a wise saying ... "Helicopters can't fly, they're just so ugly the earth repels them" !JimBob"Master of the Sr. Moment"

[1mikel151 71]

I haven't read the article, but most at HC would probably tell you realism settings at 1 click down from full as the default bell is rather uncontrollable at full for some odd reason. I have been flying helis since I have been simming and enjoy it more than fixed wing!Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/mcdcvabanner.jpgCalVirAir International

[Sonar5 3]

Hi Jason,I too have been having a bit of fun flying these things too. I also did what Hover Control advised about 1 setting down from full.What I have done is set up a seperate FS9 exe and CFG file so I don't have to go around changing settings every time I want to fly one.Here is what I did which is a tip from another member here regarding seperate startup profiles. I have three I use, since I have reassigned different keyboard commands and such:*******************1) Highlight "fs9.exe," rightclick Copy, rightclick Paste.2) Highlight "Copy of fs9.exe" and rename to helo_fs9.exe.3) Copy "fs9.cfg," rightclick copy, rightclick Paste.4) Highlight "Copy of fs9.cfg" and rename to helo_fs9.exe.5) Right click on desktop shortcut for FS9, Paste a copy to Desktop.6) Right click on new shortcut, select properties, change startupname to helo_fs9.exe, and Desktop Name to Helo_FS9.7) Doubleclick on "Helo_FS9.exe" and configure joystick as desired.Cool Exit FS9.Now when you want to fly a helo, load from the Helo_FS9 shortcut.Problem solved! You can do this as many times as you like, to have as many startup profiles you wish.*****************************I also recommend the Bell 205 package over at HC.Try these out for fun:Bell_205_LCSD.zip over at HC here:(got to the second page and look at the bottom right corner.http://69.44.154.34/cgi-bin/ifolio/imageFo...ads/HelicoptersAnd HC's home base scenery is here: Look for HC2v2http://69.44.154.34/cgi-bin/ifolio/imageFo...oads/HC_SceneryHave Fun,Joe****************Grab My FREEWARE Voice recognition Profiles here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=58334]Cessna 172 Voice Profile[/a][a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=60740]FSD Avanti Voice Profile[/a].You will need the main FREEWARE Flight Assistant program to use it, get it here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=genutils&DLID=39661]Flight Assistant 2.2[/a]

[barryward12345 0]

I had a try at flying the default Bell - and had a bit of fun with it. But I quickly came to realise that I needed proper rudder pedals . The fun stopped fairly quickly having to use a twistgrip controller for the rudder.Barry

[Guest A321]

Thanks Guys For your Responses.Well Of late I have toned the Realisim Settings Right Down i.e they are all Off. I dont know What effect this will have, the Helos are still tricky, but Its much easier to fly it.Jason

[Guest Jimbofly]

The secret to flying any helicopter is to forget that it's fixed wing, and get into the right frame of mind.As long as you practise find control with the rudder and realise that the helicopter will essentially move in the direction of tilt (ie if you are tilted forward the helo will start moving forward, if you're tilted to the side the helo will start moving to the side, etc).Rudder is key. The rudder control actually controls the tailrotor, which is used for directional control of the helo. When the helo is moving fairly quickly, you can essentially control it like a fixed wing aircraft, and lean into the turn. To get into a hover, you turn so that the helo is essentially pointing in the direction of the wind. You then maintain that heading with the rudder while you drop the power and slowly point the nose upward. What this does is two-fold:1. Dropping the power (not cutting it, mind you) reduces the lift coming from the main rotor. This is necessary when you want to pitch upwards without gaining too much altitude.2. As you slowly pitch up, the helo starts to slow down and as it slows down the additional lift is reduced and so the helo starts to descend. You counter this by pitching up even more.Eventually the helo is moving fairly slowly. It's important that throughout this entire process the nose is kept pointing towards direction of the wind. From here you need to control the collective (throttle on the joystick), the pitch, and the rudder all at the same time. You keep a watchful eye on your airspeed (to practise it's best to hit Shift+Z for an accurate display of your airspeed on the top of the screen) and wait until it drops to only a few knots. Push the stick forward, but not too much. Keep in mind that if you hold the rotor of the helo parallel with the ground, the helo should hold steady.Once the airspeed reaches zero, the helo becomes quite fiddly but as long as you concentrate on keeping the nose pointed in the right direction and you keep the helo upright, the helo should remain stable.When I started flying the FS Bell way back in 98 I thought I'd never get the hang of the thing, and I was all over the place. It took me weeks before I got my first landing without stacking it (I didn't have a rudder control)!Nowadays its like second nature, but that is because I've flown helos for a long time and like anything, mastering the technique requires buttloads of practise. Keep practising and you'll astonish yourself with how quickly you can learn to tame the beast that is the helicopter.James

[Guest Divergent Phugoid]

Another key skill is being able to rub your tummy and pat your head simultaneously and then swap over without hesitation repeatedly :D

[Guest sabresix]

Have been trying the setup as per your instructions but cannot get the program to accept the path you suggested in step #6.Could I impose upon you to forward a sceenshot while in the properties menu showing the startup path.Thanks in advance

[Guest ThrottleUp]

Sonar5 - Hey I find that FS9 .cfg startup-profile creation really interesting! Thanx for posting that :)

[Guest BeachComer]

When Sonar5 said in this step:4) Highlight "Copy of fs9.cfg" and rename to helo_fs9.exe.I think he really meant:"4) Highlight "Copy of fs9.cfg" and rename to helo_fs9.cfg."See if that doesn't help!

[Sonar5 3]

Yep that is a misprint, sorry about that.I had that copied to a text file, and you are correct.At the end you should have a .cfg and a .exe file.I then create shortcuts also on my desktop with the different .exe files.Regards,JoeChoose these instructions and you may want to save them yourself in a text file for future use.*******************Startup Profiles1) Highlight "fs9.exe," rightclick, choose Copy, then rightclick, choose Paste.2) Highlight "Copy of fs9.exe" and rename to helo_fs9.exe.3) Copy "fs9.cfg," rightclick, choose copy, rightclick, choose Paste.4) Highlight "Copy of fs9.cfg" and rename to helo_fs9.cfg.5) Right click on desktop shortcut for FS9, Paste a copy to Desktop.6) Right click on new shortcut, select properties, change startupname to helo_fs9.exe, and Desktop Name to Helo_FS9.7) Doubleclick on "Helo_FS9.exe" and configure joystick or yoke and pedals as desired.************************************Grab My FREEWARE Voice recognition Profiles here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=58334]Cessna 172 Voice Profile[/a][a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=60740]FSD Avanti Voice Profile[/a].You will need the main FREEWARE Flight Assistant program to use it, get it here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=genutils&DLID=39661]Flight Assistant 2.2[/a]

[Sonar5 3]

>Have been trying the setup as per your instructions but>cannot get the program to accept the path you suggested in>step #6.Could I impose upon you to forward a sceenshot while>in the properties menu showing the startup path.>>Thanks in advanceHi Try again with the corrected #4 Instruction. I messed up and you should have a .cfg and a .exe with the same altered name.Let me know if that works for you.Regards,Joe****************Grab My FREEWARE Voice recognition Profiles here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=58334]Cessna 172 Voice Profile[/a][a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=60740]FSD Avanti Voice Profile[/a].You will need the main FREEWARE Flight Assistant program to use it, get it here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=genutils&DLID=39661]Flight Assistant 2.2[/a]