Helicopters… in 2022 !!!

[jpc55 185]

1 hour ago, MediaHypeTrain said:

This thing is great.

I downloaded the latest version, and this is what I am seeing now in this build. It look like a reflection in the wind screen. 🙂

 

[HPG 403]

Update 0.62 is available now from Flightsim.to and contains the following:

- Updated skid strut textures
- Lighting kit installed and updated
- Copilot moved back in their seat to a more realistic position
- Windshield glass now working in rain (no rain droplet effects)
- Doors no longer open at start, also no longer bound to beacon light
- Many flight dynamics improvements, including transitional lift and ground effect
- Better keyboard and controller support, you can now use your defaults mappings for engine and propeller controls - please note that rudder hotkeys and split-axis rudder are still not supported
- Upgraded glass cockpit displays (still very basic, but now includes flight planning, nearby, direct-to, radio/transponder control, synthetic vision, touch map with route, airspeed starting at 1kts, dual compass)
- Various other bug fixes and improvements

This build contains fixes supplied by @zangeeef#5195, @JD3 (ChrisPiAviation)#9004 and of course our very own @Crispy136#4207!

Help our team out with a 5 star rating on Flightsim.to!

 

[jpc55 185]

1 hour ago, MediaHypeTrain said:

Update 0.62 is available now from Flightsim.to and contains the following:

This is what i am seeing now.

I can't THANK ALL OF YOU ENOUGHT for all the work that everyone has done on this!!!!!!!!!!! 

[pmb 5,139]

I tried my first steps but without success yet. In most cases I find the helicopter already taking off after pressing Fly Now (and usually flying backwards). I read I should "exercise (move up and down) my throttle and propeller axis when loading into the game", which I tried. But what means "when loading into the game"? The game load starts with a black screen, than comes the World Update stuff, next the World map where I select plane and weather etc., than I press Fly Now the first time, now follows loading of the situation and plane ending with  the takeoff airport with being shown where I have to press press "Fly Now" again.

Can any kind soul tell me at which point I will have to move Throttle/Propeller (in my case on the Saitek TPM). I found a few clips on Youtube but none on the exact startup sequence

Thanks and kind regards, Michael

[mikegrr 109]

I'm having trouble with a similar problem. I mapped the throttle axis to the propeller controls, but it seems extremely sensitive when just taking off. Just a slight move of the slider gives a big jump and conversely just a little move of the slider easing the propeller causes a fast drop.

Is there a gauge that indicates how much propeller or rpm is being used? This would be a big help.

[jimcarrel 688]

2 hours ago, mikegrr said:

I'm having trouble with a similar problem. I mapped the throttle axis to the propeller controls, but it seems extremely sensitive when just taking off. Just a slight move of the slider gives a big jump and conversely just a little move of the slider easing the propeller causes a fast drop.

Is there a gauge that indicates how much propeller or rpm is being used? This would be a big help.

you might be thinking about this all wrong. The throttle (manipulated with the propeller control in sim) is for the engine, on the chopper it can be turned down to idle when on the ground. The collective (generally operated by most sim users with the Joystick throttle) is called collective because it collects the torque from the engine (after you have increased power with the throttle (the propeller control), does that make any sense to you? When starting , you have the throttle (propeller control) turned down, once started (contol-e) let it run a bit then increase the throttle (prop control) then pull collective to go up  * I'll add one more thing. after starting, sometimes if you don't move the throttle and prop control a little, the sim can't decided which controls which. (from experience)

Edited March 8, 2021 by jimcarrel

[dogmanbird 269]

I thought the collective gets it's name from applying rotor pitch collectively (equally to all pitch control arms), not just to a particular position in the cycle (ala cyclic)?

does anyone know if we can fly with manual throttle (disable governor)? I love watching some of the old heli cockpit footage of the cattle herding with everything manual, or those flying the huey with the gov off

 

PMB -  keep throttle and collective low, and as soon as "fly" appears, quickly press fly and then immediately max out your throttle and collective together until you're sure you are maintaining height. If I turn them up to max before I press fly, I go up then fall to the pavement. Once into a flight you can land and take off as per normal.

Lovin' this freebie 😄

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by dogmanbird

[dogmanbird 269]

 

Does anyone have any DIY collective control ideas? I've ordered some stuff to try and build one from an ebay USB handbrake, E-bike throttle and Arduino Leo. Gee's the commercial ones are pricey

Although the music is a bit dramatic, and we might still be a way off having the physics in the addon, this is a nice vid demonstrating vortex ring killing rotor lift, and how to get out of it quickly 

It's very young, but to me it feels like MSFS has just been rebirthed. Exciting 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by dogmanbird

[jpc55 185]

8 hours ago, dogmanbird said:

Lovin' this freebie 😄

As  am I!!!!

In the latest build, (62) I found that they remap the control so that the collective is now in throttle position. When I start the sim the rotor blades are turning slow, so I found out that moving the pitch and mixture levers just a nudge, that the rotor blades would spin up to flying speed. I'm at this time running my grandsons old computer. (We built him a new one running a i9 8500k with a 3080 video card, he is not a flight simmer.) It is running a i7 7700K at 4.2gz with a 1070 v. c. I added a 1000 watt P.S; a 2tb m2, a 500gb SSD,  and 2x16 for 32gb and it is running adequate enough for me at this time. 🙃

Edited March 8, 2021 by jpc55
no edit

[jpc55 185]

I just touched down at KBUR to refuel. I find that as long as I keep it at around 6o kt. or under its flies buttery smooth, but when I start to get to much above it I start to get micro stutters then stutters get worse.  This is definitely a bird for exploring! 🙃

Edited March 8, 2021 by jpc55
added a word

[HPG 403]

Hope to have a nice update for everyone uploaded before the weekend.

Huge stuff like being able to change flight models on the fly, FADEC and new custom sounds.

[dogmanbird 269]

That sounds awesome, thank you.

 

[dogmanbird 269]

Parts arrived and I've spent a few days experimenting. I think it's remarkable that these USB handbrakes can be manufactured and sold for around $100 AUD with a heavy duty clamp. Production costs must be so low. I bought a second to use as a handbrake.

It's not the prettiest thing, but it's super rigid and smooth.  I tried to use as much of the handbrake parts as I could. 

I've used the rear plate (plate with big circular cut-out) as a drag control to add adjustable friction to the collective movement

The  microprocessor that comes in the USB handbrake is a Pro Micro Arduino Leonardo running MMjoy2 and has a hall sensor board attached. I separated them so I could place the sensor where I needed to, and currently just gaffa taped into place. I moved the magnet onto base of the main pivoting arm. I modified mmjoy2 to add extra analogue inputs for the throttle and eventually a button box

The throttle is an e-bike throttle control ($12 AUD). It has a hall sensor and two magnets inside. I dismantled and removed the spring and handgrip. I pushed a piece of PVC pipe onto it and added a nut/bolt for some adjustable drag

I've left the alloy bar quite long to add a counterweight at the rear if needed once the button box is attached

I've got some other brackets on order to replace to the temporary rusty ones

I have nothing else to compare to, but it's a lot nicer to use than the hotas. There's no slop, flex or dead zone

Questions;

-  I've currently got about 35 degrees of movement for the bar. Is this typical for a heli?

- What buttons would be the most useful for a button box on the end?

Thanks for any advice. 

 

[dogmanbird 269]

MHT has put up an update of the heli for those interested (v0.75)

https://flightsim.to/file/8970/airbus-h135-helicopter-project