I'd like to try helicopters

[jcomm 5,890]

I haven't it for sure, just my experience Tony... I bought that nice Dreamfoil 350, tested a few more freeware offers, and gave up on helicopters in XP10, as much as I did in fs9, and skipped in fsx... 

[Poppet 703]

Sorry,  didnt read the first post properly,  only X-Plane. 

[jcomm 5,890]

Elaine,

 

the DODOSIM 206 was the best offer there was for fs9. Never bought the FSX version though... Does it work with FSX:SE ?

 

I found it very good by that time...

[Poppet 703]

 

 

In terms of equipment, well I only have a Saitek X52 Pro

 

And these work well on helicopters,  i take it you would use the left stick as a throttle,  for any plane/heli yes? 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/X52-Pro-Flight-Simulator-Controller/dp/B000LQ4HTS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435235977&sr=8-1&keywords=Saitek+X52+Pro

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saitek-Flight-Controller-System-Joystick/dp/B00030GSJY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435235977&sr=8-2&keywords=Saitek+X52+Pro

[jcomm 5,890]

Tony, 

 

sorry for diverting the OP subject, but I also installed back my old x52 Pro after selling the x55 Rhino ( I actually prefer the feel of the x52, even with all of the optional springs that come with the x55 ).

 

I also bought back rudder pedals - this time the Saitek Combat Pro :-)

 

But!  My old x52 Pro is half functional. The joystick unit itself only has the roll / pitch and twist axis plus the 3 frontpanel rocker switches working. All other button will all lit up and block the joystick if I try to operate them :-(

 

I thought about replacing the 6 pin male-male  PS2 cable, but have read many threads of people who did the same to no avail...

 

Have you got any clue on how to fix it ?

[tonywob 4,768]

 

 

And these work well on helicopters,  i take it you would use the left stick as a throttle,  for any plane/heli yes? 

 

Yep it works fine, but you will likely need to play around with the sensitivity settings in X-Plane. You'll find yourself using it much more than you would for just the throttle on a fixed-wing, and it lacks the full range needed, but has been good enough for me.

 

 

 

Have you got any clue on how to fix it ?

 

I was actually going to suggest replacing the PS2 cable as well, this very well might the problem. Mine is already starting to be twitchy and sometimes certain controls lock up and the only way to get them back is to twiddle around with the connection. It's my fault for being rough with it, I'm also on my second TrackIR after stepping on and breaking my first one :(

[jcomm 5,890]

 

 

I'm also on my second TrackIR after stepping on and breaking my first one

 

Ooops!  That hearts!!!!! 

[KingGhidorah 209]

Poppet, go over to the hovercontrol website, and you can download a set of higher definition cockpit textures for the Dodo. It really cleans things up and gets rid of the blurry labels.

 

@Jose. Get the Warthog. Get the Warthog. Get the Warthog. Get the Warthog. You love flight simulation. You love helicopters. You love P-51's. Get the Warthog.

 

[Jimmy RFR 406]

 

 

I thought about replacing the 6 pin male-male PS2 cable, but have read many threads of people who did the same to no avail...
Have you got any clue on how to fix it ?

 

I had the exact same issue on my x52.  There were other issues, however, so at that point I just scrapped the x52. 

 

My x55 has separate USB connections for the stick and the throttle however, and works great.  It also can run with no spring at all, which is sorta good for helicopters, since it removes any sort of center detent, at the expense of needing a very fine touch. I've thought up a few ways of creating a damper for the stick, but if I had time to complete even half the ideas I think up.... ^_^

[jcomm 5,890]

@KingChidorah: I'll show your post to my wife :-)

[Paraffin 2,197]

I'm a big fan of the helicopters in X-Plane. They may not have as true a flight model as DCS, but the fact that I can fly FSEconomy assignments in and out of interesting scenery and challenging weather makes up for it.

 

I strongly advise getting rudder pedals if you can manage it. The cyclic "throw" is much shorter on a gaming-type joystick than the real thing, which makes it twitchier to control. It really helps to have tail rotor under your feet, so you can focus 100% on cyclic control with your right hand. I've used the CH pedals in the past, which are okay, but the Saitek Pro Combat pedals I'm using now are better. 

 

When I was learning, I found it much easier to fly the larger/heaver helicopters like the BK117... one of the older X-Plane models, but still a classic. My current favorite is the Bell 412 by X-Trident, which flies well, and has a lot of cool systems to manage. Both these models have trim force release and autopilot for those longer trips, and the Bell 412 was just updated with the X-Plane Garmin 530 GPS.

 

It may seem counter-intuitive to start learning on a more complex twin engine bird like these, but the weight and stability actually makes them easier to fly when you're starting out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KingGhidorah 209]

Flying copters on a pc is such a mental game. When I got the Huey a while back, I was trying to get better at hovering, and I just had reached a wall where I wasn't getting any better. Having used the Dodo before, in FSX, I wasn't completely horrible, but I wasn't doing great either. Then I figured out that if I stopped consciously thinking about it so much, and occupied my mind with some simple mental task, like some subtraction, or even singing myself a little song, that the death grip went away, and instead of thinking about doing it, I was just doing it. So then when I would finally remember that I was flying a copter, I would realize that I had been hovering over the same spot for a minute or two, so much better than before. It's strange how that worked, but it did. So many more aspects of helicopter flight that I need so much more practice at, and I continue to do so, but at least I feel like I have fundamental control down pretty well now.

 

I still have some mixed feelings about whether I should try out X-plane if only for the sake of helicopters. I don't know. I kind of want to, but I also sort of feel that between the Huey, the Hokum, and the Hip in DCS, that I might have enough copters for now, and more than enough to learn as it is.

[Poppet 703]

 

 

Poppet, go over to the hovercontrol website, and you can download a set of higher definition cockpit textures for the Dodo. It really cleans things up and gets rid of the blurry labels.

I joined up alright, its a pretty good site.   Dodosim is great,  ill be getting some of them HD textures,  thank you

[Jimmy RFR 406]

 

 

I still have some mixed feelings about whether I should try out X-plane if only for the sake of helicopters. I don't know. I kind of want to, but I also sort of feel that between the Huey, the Hokum, and the Hip in DCS, that I might have enough copters for now, and more than enough to learn as it is.

 

Well, I have DCS purely for flying helicopters, and while it is indeed a decent platform for simulation, I actually found I got far more satisfaction out of FSX with the Dodo and the Cerasim models, purely because I have more to enjoy in terms of scenery and destinations.  After all, once you overcome the challenge of flying, you then need to have something to look at outside of that huge window.  ^_^ 

 

I'd been on the fence regarding X-Plane for quite some time, always curious about the helicopters.  The Steam sale finally tipped it over to an impulse purchase, and I'm very glad I did.  I'm enjoying the Dreamfoil R22 as much as anything I've ever enjoyed in FSX, and I'm enjoying the scenery quite a bit as well.

[KingGhidorah 209]

True, true, flying over all those bland Russian style appartment buildings and chimneys gets old after a while, but there is nothing quite like sawing collumns of trucks in half with miniguns, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzoomp!, or seeing the plexiglass shatter all around you as you go head to head with a Hind!