I'm doing a come back with helicopters in FS. The last helicopter I piloted was the Dodosim in FSX. I have flown also with the Huey and Mi-8 in DCS. And now I'm preparing for the release end of June of the Mi-2 by Digital Aeronautics. Initially I found the stock helicopters too easy to fly, like you can make them hover without ever touching the joystick... and then discovered the options in Controls Assist... Man, the rotary wings flight models has much improved in FS...

Unfortunately I don't have a force feedback joystick anymore, and I use a spring joystick, the TCA Sidestick Airbus, which admitedly is not ideal for piloting helicopters, but anyway... Below are my settings in FS2024.

I am looking for advice, in terms of settings or other, to fly helicopters in the best conditions. Thanks.

In my opinion the most needed controller is a proper set of rudder pedals. The VKB pedals are the best for 'copters. The bars move up and down not forward and backwards. Keeping the input non zero is just a matter of a little more pressure down on one side. Instead of pushing and pulling which is tiring and cause people to limit the time of their flights for that reason.

VKBSIM US

T-Rudders Mk.V Rudder Pedals (US)

T-Rudders Mk.V Rudder Pedals (US) This item ships from the U.S. and does not incur any import fees. Recommended for all flight (or space) simulation users who prefer a set of rudder pedals with a smal

Yeah thank you, I had that model indeed but I don't have it anymore... Great advantage is that it does not slip on the ground like other models and additionally you press and not really push the pedals, which avoid a counter force that push you back if you are on a wheeled chair 🤣

Generally, all cyclic moves should be extremely small and very gradual.

Using a short stick requires reducing the Sensitivity by quite a bit.

If you’re just getting back in to helos, really whack that sensitivity until you get comfortable. Later on, reduce it as you get better at very fine control movements.

The key with helos is learning to stay ahead of the helo. And if you’ve fallen behind, how to get back ahead.

Another challenge in helos is there’s no instant gratification as with fixed wings. You’ve got to practice, practice, practice.

Once you can get into a reasonably stable hover, next step is learning to hover taxi. And it WILL be “taxing” at first! 😂

Finally, remember that even tho the physical controls look almost exactly the same as in an airplane, they have entirely different effects on a helo.

P.s., yes, helos will hover, but they still carry a LOT of momentum. I.e., they don’t stop in a dime, and in fact take quite a bit of time to slow down.

This series of videos is one of the best I’ve ever come across for helo simulation instruction. Bonus is that it focuses on a helo that’ll be quite similar to the Mi-2 for MSFS:

pss: Pss: You do NOT need a force feedback stick for helos (very nice to have, but not at all necessary).

Many thanks mate for those reminders 😀

I'm also just starting to learn the helicopter ropes after having some very positive experiences with the Search and Rescue missions. I had made my 3rd career mode company for SAR but the plane missions would never spawn; maybe 2-3 at a time max, and I'd chew through them with a Draco very quickly. Decided to get the chopper certifications and low and behold, there's literally hundreds of Helicopter SAR missions now, I feel like I've unlocked another 200 hours of content/things to do with that alone.

To that end, started getting serious about updating the hardware. My pedal set is actually from a G29 racing wheel, its an automotive 3 pack, but the pedals are all axis, not buttons, and the clutch and gas pedals actually work very similar to the set posted above (in that you're pressing down, not back and forth). Not realistic, but has definitely saved me some coin - Until I get a proper set, I'm doing the career mode missions with the Tail Rotor Assist on, but everything else off. This lets me focus on things like proper trimming, speed, etc, without crashing and losing rep. In Free Flight, all assists off for practice.

I do want to upgrade to the VKBs but I'm going to first get the Moza AB9 stick to replace my T-Flight HOTAS from 20 years ago. The AFB seems like the lowest cost stick that allows for Force Trim as it would work IRL - the stick is not spring centered and will stay where you set it. I've read from others, this isn't super important as not every chopper has Force Trim in the first place, so if this matters to you, I'd read up on it. I've also seen a few people modding the T-Flight stick with ABS piping to make it longer, and longer = more sensitive, so there's options even for cheap center spring sticks to perform well.

I despise the T-Flight throttle however - it has a large indent in the middle for no good reason and it really messes with trying to hover and hover taxi properly. I am replacing it with a PC Handbrake for racing sims - I'll try and find the link but someone on the MSFS forums has a whole tutorial on how to set it up to mimic a collective, with options steps on replacing the grip with a twist throttle handle from an e-bike. This option is about 100$ CAD vs the 300-400$ or more that some online shops are asking for a more realistic looking collective.

Edited Friday at 01:54 PM2 days by Kristofski
Corrected Moza Model

I started to focus on helicopters more and more, and it is a rewarding, but long journey. I do just fine with the Thrustmaster Airbus stick, old CH Pedals and a logtech throttle. Now, MSFS has a tendency to be extra twitchy, and that hits helicopters even harder. Gentle inputs and finding the right sensitivity settings is key. This is where the higher end setups really do shine I'm sure.

My advice:

-You have to learn the real world characteristics of helicopters first. There's lots of good real world insruction, and check out some good msfs heli youtube channels. You've got to understand the basics of what is happening and why, otherwise you'll just be chasing the controls and not learning. Belatu42 is a real world pilot who has great videos. P Gatcomb isn't all heli, but he has a lot of good intro videos. Matthew Crawford is good, just don't get discouraged by how easy they make it look. They mostly use higher end controls, plus most of them have real experience.

-Get your controls set up for helicopters specifically. There's many videos on how to do it. It is collective, cyclic and torque pedals, not the usual airplane controls.

-Find one heli and stick with it. For default, the Cabri is pretty good, as is the R66, otherwise there's tons of payware options. One of the best helicopters is the Taog hanger MD500, but that is a hotrod in real life, and not exactly an easy one to learn on. Find something and just keep picking it up and putting it down over and over until you get the feel of it, then start trying to do more and more. When it comes to airplanes, I can pick up and fly just about anything, but helicopters all have their own different feel. Repetition is key. I would just start at a big empty runway and spend 30+ minutes just trying to lift and hover. Just be ready that this will take time.

I don't like recommending addons, especially with helicopters. I know I started buying every heli out there and wasting a lot of time and money.

-Learn trim and especially force trim.

-Patience, patience, patience. I could buy any airplane addon this weekend and figure out how to fly it pretty easily, from fighters, to tube liners to GA (not including the systems, but just the stick and rudder flying). Helis will take a lot more time, but are a lot more rewarding. It was hours before I could keep the Taog's MD500 even stable, but now I can handle it fairly well. It was humbling for sure.