Hello,

I am debating which one of these helicopters to purchase. Ideally would like a side by side comparison from folks who have flown both helos and provide who can provide general and in depth impressions. Looking for recommendations on which model has more immersion/realism. I understand both have had recent updates and both are about in the same price range. Thank you for the feedback!

I don't have both, just the 412, but I can point out two differences that may influence your choice:

The 412 has steam gauges, the AW139 has a glass cockpit. The 412 uses the GNS 530 and can be used with the payware GTN750, while the AW139 uses an airliner style FMS. 

Personally, I'm a steam gauge fan and I'm also used to the GPS rather than FMS since I fly only GA and not airliners in the sim. So the 412 was my choice. YMMV on that, and I hope you get some more direct comparisons from people who own both models here.

 

I have both (even though I don't fly helicopters too much- I guess I just hate money). The AW139 is a decent enough addon that has a good amount of detail and is fun to fly. While it clearly uses some default XP gauges/code, I still find it a faithful enough representation of the real thing to be worth its price tag. It's in beta, but I'm not expecting it to get much more than some tweaks and small improvements here and there. 

The 412, on the other hand, is just amazing. The way this thing handles is so incredibly addictive- I don't know what on earth X-Trident did but it feels like you're flying a solid object through the air, just like DCS helicopters (and in some cases, better). That actually makes it easier to fly than most sim helicopters because it behaves in a believable, intuitive way. Unless you have some affinity to the AW139 or strongly prefer airline/VIP flights over military/utility, the 412 is a no brainer. 

Thank you for the input. Much appreciated!

I also have both. The Bell 412 is top notch as avgaskoolaid said. Buying the AW139 would be a mistake. It is unusable as it stands, Almost nothing works and it no longer seems to be updated. Rotobrake dont work, autopilot is bugged,force trim dont work correctly, mfd displays only one page each, there is no modern navigation system implemented only VOR & ADF, the FMC only works for radio frequencies and absolutly not for planning and flying a route, the motor management system is buggy and so on. In fact it is a very beautiful 3D model but completely hollow. I wrote to the developper and the only answer i got was "when did you buy it" and after i answered... nothing.