Any H145 pilots in the house? 😛

(or you all just as lost on this topic as me? 😀)

Edited March 8, 20233 yr by Virtual-Chris

18 minutes ago, Virtual-Chris said:

Any H145 pilots in the house? 😛

(or you all just as lost on this topic as me? 😀)

I own it but never fly it any longer as it's the only Heli I've ever flown that has literally put me to sleep whilst flying it😂    (if anyone needs a cure for insomnia... The H145 is the answer)

As I recall they had pretty good documentation.. I assume you've looked though it?    If not the best thing to do would be join their Discord...  you'll probably get the answers you're looking for in minutes there.

So an interesting find… I was watching a video of a real life H145 pilot in Finland, who also does some H145 flying in the sim. In the video of his sim flight, as soon as he lifts off and the bird starts to rotate and drift, he says “I forgot to put this into Arcade Mode” 😂

I assume he’s referring to the cyclic and rotor assist features in the assistance menu. 

I thought that was interesting coming from a real world pilot. My take away was that he feels the helicopter is too unstable in the sim without the assist features enabled. Perhaps that’s due more to the control limitations most of us have vs the flight model. Dunno. But it made me feel better flying with the assistance enabled. 😛

17 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

My take away was that he feels the helicopter is too unstable in the sim without the assist features enabled.

I'm pretty sure the video you're referring to is this one. He's not saying it's too unstable, but that in real life it's very stable in a hover close to the ground like that, so for that phase of flight arcade was a better match to the real thing.

He also goes on to say later most of the pilots he knows have the stability features switched on all the time because it gives them a chance to focus more on things like flight ops, safety etc. So there's nothing wrong with flying it in the sim the same way. That said, I think the HPG145 is still fun to fly with assistance off.

Are there any word not allowed-friendly guides on recommended X56 bindings for helicopters? (Preferably not Discord…)

1 hour ago, CapnCrunch said:

I'm pretty sure the video you're referring to is this one. He's not saying it's too unstable, but that in real life it's very stable in a hover close to the ground like that, so for that phase of flight arcade was a better match to the real thing.

He also goes on to say later most of the pilots he knows have the stability features switched on all the time because it gives them a chance to focus more on things like flight ops, safety etc. So there's nothing wrong with flying it in the sim the same way. That said, I think the HPG145 is still fun to fly with assistance off.

Yeah, exactly... around the 17:20 mark he says "the real helicopter is much more stable to fly and hover".  Is there an actual "Arcade Mode" or is he just referring to the assistance features in the sim menu?  As I said above, I'm sure the real controls make things easier than a stubby joystick and cheap sliding pedals that I use. 🙂

I never got through the whole video as it's very long so thanks for pointing out his other comments on this.

BTW, "fun" is not the word I'd use when flying with assistance off... "challenging" or "frustrating" pop to the top of my mind 😛

Edited March 11, 20233 yr by Virtual-Chris

Helicopter flying is someyhing very special. Without a theoretical backround it is difficult to understand what's gong on. I can highly recommend the "helicopter flying handbook" from FAA.Gov. Very informative, very detailed and the download is for free.

Also free (included in the sim) is the Cabri. The simulation of the flight model is of course not perfect but really good and way better than the Bell. Best basis to lern helicopter flying (in the sim) if you have mastered the theorie and without extra investment. 

The H145 is a high sophisticated "automat". Beside other important things is this a reason for the hugh success IRL. If you understand how the AFCS / SAS works, the H145 is one of the "easiest to fly" helicopters, in the sim and IRL. I would not recommend the Arcade mode as it removes the torque (tail rotor). As recommended in the H145 handbook and IRL - use SAS. 

 

Best regards, Detlef

  

 

 

 

2 hours ago, stratone said:

I would not recommend the Arcade mode as it removes the torque (tail rotor)...

 

What is this "Arcade mode"? Is that a thing? I've never seen "Arcade Mode"... Or is it just a term for something else?

Edited March 11, 20233 yr by Virtual-Chris

1 hour ago, Virtual-Chris said:

What is this "Arcade mode"? Is that a thing? I've never seen "Arcade Mode"... Or is it just a term for something else?

I'm sure someone will correct me if thing have changed, as i haven't flown it for ages, but in the H145's settings (accessed through the flip out tablet) there are/were FM options for Arcade or Realistic.

I presume (as i never actually tried it) the arcade mode adds extra stability and reduces/removes torque so no footwork is needed.    If your serious about learning to fly helis then just go full realism and put up with some potential frustration in the beginning.    Arcade modes and assistance just slow down your rate of learning imo.

Edited March 11, 20233 yr by The Moose

1 hour ago, Virtual-Chris said:

What is this "Arcade mode"? Is that a thing? I've never seen "Arcade Mode"... Or is it just a term for something else?

H145 User Guide (in your install folder: hpg_airbus_h145):

"The H145 has 2 unique gameplay modes selectable from the Aircraft page on the tablet. There is an additional failure mode when the AFCS systems are not engaged, at which time your selection will be ignored and only the AFCS Fail flight model will be available."

Not sure they have it in the last exp. build, I'm using build 340.

Of course only for MSFS, not IRL ...., and check the recommended MSFS settings (also in the user guide).

Best regards, Detlef

11 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

"challenging" or "frustrating"

Yep, for anyone just starting to learn helicopters in the sim that will happen. It gets easier the more you practice (or, if you practice).

As with all things MSFS, you can take a pretty deep dive and get proficient. Or you can enjoy it the way that suits you best. There's nothing wrong with using settings that make your flying more enjoyable if that means easier. The reason I like high realism settings is that they took time to master and they make you "fly" the helicopter every step of the way.

Edited March 11, 20233 yr by CapnCrunch

14 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

BTW, "fun" is not the word I'd use when flying with assistance off... "challenging" or "frustrating" pop to the top of my mind 😛

Switching on the autopilot is great for any long cruise segments. Other than that, I like the AP off for lots of hands-on heli flying.

While it might be heavily automated, the H145 is the only currently available helicopter that I have any affinity with, so I have dispensed with autopilot functionality in favour of supposed realism.

The AirlandFS external flight module for helis makes any rotary wing aircraft that hasn't been updated to take full advantage of SU11 a lot more lively. However, within the module you can select a realism slider from 0% (total novice) to 100% (professional). After a few flights at 80%, I am now on 100% realism. Though I'm very much still learning about the intricacies of helicopter flying.

Combined with the HPG Action Pack expansion, there's plenty to give me a challenge every time I fire up those Safran Arriel 2E engines.

5 minutes ago, F737MAX said:

The AirlandFS external flight module.....

Is there a good Airland profile for the H145 now?    

20 minutes ago, The Moose said:

Is there a good Airland profile for the H145 now?    

Don't know if it's "good".
The profile comes as part of the H145 installation. Make of that what you will.

2 minutes ago, F737MAX said:

Don't know if it's "good".
The profile comes as part of the H145 installation. Make of that what you will.

Ok, just found it after digging through the folders, thank you!   I was completely unaware that they were shipping a profile with the heli these days.