NEW Nemeth Eurocopter EC-120B in the library!

>>Actually, in many FS helis you cannot take your>>hands of the stick for just the briefest moment without the>>heli going wild. This CANNOT be realistic. Or can it? >>Oh yes it can! First rule of helicopter flying .... NEVER>take your hand off the cyclic. Second rule of helicopter>flying .... NEVER take your hand off the cyclic ... and so>on.>>What FS cannot emulate exactly (yet) is the cyclic pitch>attained when, in a real helicopter, you push the cyclic>forward. In a real heli, the blades angle to give more bite>as they pass over the forward part of the aircraft (or sides,>or back, depending which way you're trying to go) relative to>the pressure on the stick. This mechanism is what makes>helicopter gearing so incredibly complicated (and keeps many>fixed wing flyers well away from them for that reason, LOL). >FS does not model this mechanism in the true sense, but does a>pretty good job I reckon. Yes, you need some forward cyclic>pressure most of the time, but if your helicopter is properly>set up, this should not be too difficult for you to accept.>Hi MarkActually the forward pressure problem is more of a controller issue than anything else. Most controllers are spring loaded to move back to centre when you let go. A helicopter cyclic is not spring loaded so it will stay where you put it and therefore not require forward pressure. The only way to get round this would be to have a special joystick with the springs removed.Helicoptors can be flown hands off (though not for long!), or at least with fingertip control. I have flown this way in both R22's and B206s. Having said that there are a few helicoptor flight aspects that are not generally modelled in FS such as Vortex Ring State (also known as settling with power). This occurs when the helicopter descends too quickly with little forward speed. The rotors begin to enter their own downwash and lose lift.Dodosim have incorporated this and other features in a clever way and they are now working on implementing a correct autorotation by tricking FS. I have been working with Steve Hanley for a while now and I must say I am very impressed with what Dodosim are doing in Heli sim world. It's streets ahead of the default Bell206 and incorporates an accurate startup sequence both in actions required and sounds. I am also very impressed with the flight model of the EC-120B. It actually feels like a helicopter although perhaps a touch too stable.CheersTim