Which is the best FS20 helicopter controller?

[dogmanbird 269]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:49 PM, peloto said:

Which is the best helicopter controller?, I fly them with a gamepad very well and precise but I am thinking to buy by first time a flight joystick like this...

Ideally, you want;

- a stick that remains where you leave it without it returning to centre but also doesn't drift/sag, and has no centre deadzone

- rudder pedals that don't re centre themselves plus have no centre deadzone

- something that can double as the collective (can be possible with a regular throttle)

- and most important thing imho is making sure none of the above have any stiction. Precision flying requires constant tiny movements of all controls nearly all the time if flying slow and low. Unfortunately none of the off-the-shelf controllers, even the expensive ones, are perfect without some modification and re greasing with damping grease as most have some stiction. The collectives that can be bought generally require adding a counterweight so you can release the tension of the clutch, resulting in less stiction 

a heads up - not all sticks and rudders can have the centre deadzone completely removed, even if the software says deadzone is at zero or off. This mainly applies to the sub $300 aud devices.

As far as the stick/cyclic, the one Espana Pete mentioned is pretty good value. It's relatively inexpensive, has a decent clutch system to prevent the stick drifting once you disengage the springs, and has been confirmed that you can completely remove the centre deadzone using their software. Because the grip is light weight, you won't need much clutch friction to stop the stick sagging, and therefore will help minimize stiction. 👍

If you decide to re grease any of the controls, after doing a lot of experimenting myself, I'd suggest pg44a grease rather than the venerable 767a grease, because of it's extra damping and how it feels. Clutches also won't require as much tightening. Use it conservatively as a little bit goes a looong way and will still give a hydraulic feel

Edited December 25, 2022 by dogmanbird

[peloto 213]

Even in a helicopter is more needed the Force feedback that moves the physically stick to the correct position while you trim it, and when you release the trim the heli recover the central position suddenly, and you don´t know what real position the stick has, to maintain it physically and not to have undesired heli movements.

[IanDurston 1]

You will never look back if you bite the bullet and buy the Puma helicopter all in one set of helicopter controls. I have all the other controls mentioned in previous replies and you can get them all to work of a fashion but none are as realistic as the Puma kit. I have over 10,000 hours real world helicopter flying so can speak with some experience of the real thing and have spent many frustrating and wasted hours and much money getting a realistic experience in the simulator. This Puma set up ticks all the boxes.

[conundrum 49]