Baby's first helicopter

[Morrigan 90]

Hello!

 

I did search for it, but seems like the similar topics are rather old. 

 

To cut to the chase - I am really intrigued by rotorcrafts and would like to get one for X-Plane. 

Hence two questions. Firstly, as I understand, applying the rudder (anti-tourque) pedals is really important but I don't have rudder pedals. I am using Z axis on my joystick (rotating it). Will it still be comfortable to fly a rotorcraft?

 

Second question is rather obvious one - What payware helicopter do you guys recommend? I am looking for something more complicated than R22, probably something at least size of Bell 407 so I can use it efficiently in FSEconomy. I found a lot of conflicting reviews, so I guess trusting fellow users will be the best choice. 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Ianrivaldosmith 5,317]

I have rudder pedals, and still have NO idea how to fly heli's ha!

[FlyBaby 659]

Hello!

 

I did search for it, but seems like the similar topics are rather old. 

 

To cut to the chase - I am really intrigued by rotorcrafts and would like to get one for X-Plane. 

Hence two questions. Firstly, as I understand, applying the rudder (anti-tourque) pedals is really important but I don't have rudder pedals. I am using Z axis on my joystick (rotating it). Will it still be comfortable to fly a rotorcraft?

 

Second question is rather obvious one - What payware helicopter do you guys recommend? I am looking for something more complicated than R22, probably something at least size of Bell 407 so I can use it efficiently in FSEconomy. I found a lot of conflicting reviews, so I guess trusting fellow users will be the best choice. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I would definitely recommend rudder pedals...

 

I have (and regularly fly) the following:

 

MD-902 Explorer

MBB/Kawasaki BK-117

s-92 Sikorsky

 

I also have the Bell 206 Jetranger III, but I could not get it to fly right so I have stayed away from other helis by the Dev.

 

I have read good things about the Bell 412, so I will pick this up next.

[Janov 2,383]

My absolute favourite is still the BK117 by Nils, you can get it at the .org. Dated, but still awesome. It also has a good working autopilot and stability-augmentation-system, that makes flying it easier for beginners (can be turned off, of course).

 

I also heard that anything by Dreamfoil is always good, although I don´t have any of his helicopters, so take this advice as hear-say ;-)

 

Cheers, Jan

 

EDIT: Oh, and yes, you will need rudder-pedals if you want any sustained success at helicopter flying. A twist-stick will most likely not cut it :-(

[Paraffin 2,197]

Another suggestion here that you bite the bullet, and get a set of rudder pedals. It's very difficult to learn the coordination of cyclic, tail rotor, and collective when two of those things are combined on one controller. Learning to fly helicopters is hard enough as it is, even with pedals!  :smile:

 

I use the Saitek Pro Combat pedals, which I like better than the CH pedals I used previously because they're further apart, have a more comfortable action, and less of a strong detent in the center. You can spend a LOT more for dedicated flight sim pedals, but I think the Saitek Combat pedals are a good middle ground and bang-for-buck.

 

Starting with a larger helicopter model like a twin-engine is a good idea, because they tend to be a little more stable. Another consideration if you're planning on flying a helo in FSEconomy, is that at least two of the available payware models -- the BK-117 and the Bell 412 -- have good autopilots. That opens up the potential to take longer distance FSE assignments without tiring you out. Smaller helos can be fun to fly, but if your hand is on the stick all the time, you'll probably be doing shorter hops and earning less V$.

 

The BK-117 is an older model, but still fun to fly. Very responsive for the size. It doesn't include the new X-Plane popup GPS but it can be added with a user hack. The Bell 412 includes the Garmin GPS by default, and it's a better money-earner in FSEconomy due to the large number of seats. 

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

 

 

 

[Longranger 148]

Well, for the beginning the BK-117 is a good idea. But while the Bell 412 is a bit easier to fly, due to its size, I still prefer the Bell 407. IMHO the best helicopter we have for X-Plane.

[Morrigan 90]

Another suggestion here that you bite the bullet, and get a set of rudder pedals. It's very difficult to learn the coordination of cyclic, tail rotor, and collective when two of those things are combined on one controller. Learning to fly helicopters is hard enough as it is, even with pedals!  :smile:

 

 

Thanks everyone for suggestions so far!

 

As for pedals, it's less about money and more about the required space. As a flight attendant I tend to fly around on a daily basis and it's just hard to fit everything to a reasonably sized luggage

[moss1 11]

Also, the Dreamfoil-B407 is amazing. it also has an arcade setting to make handling her much easier for new pilots. 

Yes, rudder pedals will make life much easier for sure, but understand the limited luggage space. Good luck in your quest Morrigan. :-)

 

Best, Jeff 

[Phantom88 3,282]

Dreamfoil Stuff is great,The Bell 407 is very nice with lots of on the fly options,The R22 is a REAL Challenge to fly well.They should be coming out with a new one in the not too distant future,A Schweitzer 300BI.

[Old_As_Dirt 160]

The CH Products Eclipse Yoke has paddles within it that control rudders. However, it is a yoke and I personally don't use rotor wing aircraft because my setup is yoke, pedals, and throttle quadrant.  The yoke would be a little weird for helicopters and it is still a little big depending on your space, but here is a link:

 

http://www.chproducts.com/Eclipse-Yoke-v13-p-178.html

 

John

[Jimmy RFR 406]

I'm partial to all of the Dreamfoil helicopters, but their R22 is pure heaven.  Simple enough, yet small and agile enough to make it slightly challenging to fly. 

 

Nearly every switch and circuit breaker on it is functional, the sound set is awesome, it's fun to wheel in and out of the hanger, it handles deftly...  it's really one of my favorites.

 

Something to keep in mind with all of the Dreamfoil helicopters is that they're usually part of the 'Daily Deal' rotation at the org.

 

A note regarding the rudder pedals; yes they're nice to have of course, but you can really tone down the flight model on most of the Dreamfoil offerings to the point where they're not totally required.

[yidahoo 365]

X-Plane.org has a series of useful tutorials on how to fly helicopters http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showforum=109

[Paraffin 2,197]

Also, the Dreamfoil-B407 is amazing. it also has an arcade setting to make handling her much easier for new pilots.

 

That's a great model, but in FSEconomy terms it's one less paying passenger seat than the BK-117, and lacks an autopilot. Which may or may not matter, depending on the length of assignments taken. That's the problem with the Robbie R22; just one paying seat and almost no cargo capacity.

 

On the other hand, the cool thing about the FSE game is that you don't have to chase the money. You can choose to fly less-than-efficient aircraft if it's just what you want to fly for fun. Also, the smaller birds are more affordable to rent and purchase/maintain in the game. 

 

[Morrigan 90]

I simply mentioned FSE as a minor factor in my decision making, as I like to have a goal in my flights. By no means it had big impact on my decision.

 

Anyhow, thank you everyone for your help and input, I decided to go with Bell 412 for now, and try to fly it without getting rudder pedals. We will see how that will go

[Jimmy RFR 406]

I own a R22 in FSE, but just for the fun of it.  Just the same as the DA20, Lancair Legacy, Piper Cub, and Globe Swift that I have.  Nothing to do with income, everything to do with fun and a slight sense of purpose / location to fly to.  I fly a Twin Otter to rack up FSE money purely so that I can buy 'toys' in-game. :wink:

 

 

Anyhow, thank you everyone for your help and input, I decided to go with Bell 412 for now, and try to fly it without getting rudder pedals. We will see how that will go

 

Have fun in the 412.  It's very well done, and I enjoy flying it as well!