Choppers - very poor MS Learning Centre

[barryward12345 0]

Why is that with so many a/c -including the MS default ones - that when it comes to the written word, the presentation is so poor.For example, the Learning Centre articles for the Robinson chopper talks about "torque settings". There is no gauge for torque in the helicopter - only manifold pressure. Is there any tutorial around that does corrrectly describe how to attempt to fly these?Thanks Barry

[Guest fsxmissionguy]

Barry,You are exactly where I was 1 year ago. Very frustrated that I simply could not understand why I was unable to fly a helicopter. I figured it must be the programmers fault!I started reading some stuff here:http:www.hovercontrol.comThere's a LOT of stuff here. What I discovered on my journey towards being able to fly the FSX helicopters is that the first place to begin is just understanding the jargon. You're learning a whole new language that isn't applicable anywhere else, so it uses a lot of words you're just not going to be familiar with.You'll be tempted to search for that 15-minute tutorial that explains what you need to do so that, in 15 minutes of practice, you'll be able to hover and land a helicopter ... sort of like you did with the default Cessna years ago when you first got Flight Simulator.You won't find it.The good news is that, if you put a few days of reading under your belt, and lower your expectations just a little bit about how fast you're going to learn this, you'll gradually come to realize that you can do it.It's worth the journey. I get a LOT of satisfaction out of being able to land the EH101 on the rooftop helipad of a hotel that is on fire.It's a rush, man.

[Guest jshyluk]

Yes, I highly recommend looking at Hovercontrol. Rotary aircraft just don't get the love in the flight models that the fixed wing vehicles do in FSX. We do have a "Rotorheads" forum on AVSIM as well. It doesn't get a whole lot of traffic, but if you post your questions or comments, someone ought to respond in a day or two. Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[Ramasurinen 0]

Barry, I'd say from personal experience that the fastest (not to mention most fun) way to learn to fly a helo in FSX is to have someone teach you in shared cockpit mode in multiplayer. If you know someone who handles helos well that you can connect with definitely get them to teach you that way, it's brilliant. Failing that give me a pm if you like and I'd be happy to help you out. Taught five people to fly helos from scratch in multiplayer shared mode and it's always a riot."Ease off on the cyclic... ease oooff....." ooooof! bang, bang, screech... thud. "Nicely done! Well, we should probably get out and see if we can find the tail rotor." :)-mike

[barryward12345 0]

Thanks for that offer.I am starting to get the feel for flying the Robinson 22. But firstly, after discovering that there is a control knob in the VC for "Rotor trim" - but no way to use it except via clicking that knob (which is very difficult), I have figured out a way to be able to map the action of that control knob to 2 keyboard keys - X and Y ( for me on my system) This is quite valid/realistic as I understand that the R22 does have this control in real life.All you have to do is add this below to the Controls/Standard.xml file and at least you can get some lateral trim on the a/c when you are cruising ( instead of having to fight the #### thing all the time!!:-) ) FROTOR_LATERAL_TRIM_INCXROTOR_LATERAL_TRIM_DECSlowly getting there -- I note that the R22 does not have an AVIONICS switch on the panelRegards Barry

[Guest fsxmissionguy]

Barry,What kind of joystick do you have? I found that the Seitek X52 is excellent for the helos. Nice and heavy, and no self-centering.Any joystick that has heavy self-centering springs should be avoided, as this creates tremendous fatigue as the joystick design fights your attempts at flight.I've also found that using rudder pedals eases long-distance cruising in the helos and relieves wrist fatigue related to rudder control.Cheers,

[barryward12345 0]

Hi KevinI have an old Microsoft stick - it works OK for fixed wing - so I would be a bit reluctant to get a new one just for the helos at this time. I have often though about taking out the springs in this though - if that is possible.But I will look at the Xaitek - thanks for that adviceBarry

[sipos 0]

ya, you just need a good joystick. Set your rudder controls so they are easy to access. And practice. What i do is just use the two top keys on my joystick for rudder control.

[Guest jshyluk]

If you are just starting out, I would suggest that the Bell is much better for rookie pilots (in FSX) than the R22, although in the real world, the opposite is the case. The Bell is heavier and more stable, so you won't get buffeted as much by wind. As well, it's really smooth on the controls, and the cockpit is much simpler, so you can concentrate on flying. I've said it before: it's like flying my house. Jeff Shyluk Assistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[Guest S1mPilot]

I'm partial to the flight model of the HoverControl 412 for FSX.http://64.34.169.161/cgi-bin/ifolio/imageF.../HC_Helicopters

[ryanbatc 12,836]

Except that annoying alpha problem with the rotor blade - where you can see through clouds and autogen....lame

[Guest Calb]

...."I found that the Seitek X52 is excellent for the helos. Nice and heavy, and no self-centering.".....No self-centering ???? I beg to differ. Granted, the tendency is not as strong as most sticks on the market but if you deflect the stick in any direction and let go, it will return to center by itself -- at least the one I tried out in a store about 2 hrs ago did.Cal - CYXX

[Guest NeXTer]

Lots of rotorheads use zip-ties on their X52 sticks to remove the centering. Only takes a min and won't void the warranty. :)