Brianl

I'm learning to fly a real helicopter and I'm using P3D to train between actual flights. I'm now starting to use the radio in the Cabri G2 and would like to follow suit with P3D. I don't want to have to use text inputs to controllers, I'd like to be able to speak to "them" and hear "their" responses. The only way I've found to do this is by using P3D's Multiplayer ATC. I don't want to trouble other people while using the radio (especially when I don't know/trust them). Does P3D provide a simulated audio ATC? If not, can anyone suggest a suitable add-on? Many thanks, Brian

I've had the Reverb G1 for over a year and it's always worked fine. But after a long gap since using it last it isn't working properly. As I've always done, my startup sequence is: PC on (running Windows 10); WMR on; Steam VR on; P3D V4 on and running normally; select P3D's Virtual Reality tab and then click on Steam VR; put on the Reverb G1 HMD; select P3D's Virtual Reality tab then click on Recalibrate Origin. Several months ago when I last did all this everything then worked perfectly. Now the view on the HMD is always straight forward whenever I look from left to right or right to left. The view begins to move as required but after a second or two flicks back to forward. The same thing happens when I move my head from side to side; so I can't lean to the right and look out (and down) through the helicopter's side window at the right skid anymore, instead the right window keeps moving away from me! Just to mention that this doesn't happen when I tilt my head up or down; then the view changes smoothly, as it should. In the early days I had similar trouble using the HMD in a dark room and discovered that this was preventing the front cameras from working; this was easily corrected. But it doesn't sort the problem out now. There have been several Windows updates in the non-use period along with, perhaps, changes in Steam VR and WMR so perhaps I need to alter my old settings. Please can you suggest what to do? Brian

Thanks Wells, that's worth a look. Also, maybe now is the time to accept defeat with the sim. This might be something to add to the lackings list along with g-forces, smells and grumpy controllers. Brian

Yes I've tried that by pressing F1 which should cut the engine - it doesn't. But I can start "autorotation" OK like we do in the real aircraft by flooring the collective, that's not where the problem is. In a real auto the main rotor revs increase with vertical speed. to keep NR in the green you have to raise the collective; if the engine is still running that also repowers the main rotor and the autorotation stops. Same thing happens in the final stage of correction where you raise the collective to setle the aircraft on the ground with the VSI showing zero; if the engine is still running you get engine-induced lift which wouldn't happen in real life. Thanks for trying to help HighBypass.

I didn't expect such a large response to my query. Neither did I expect an almost complete disregard of my question. Nor a complete absence of helpful suggestions. I'm more than a bit surprised. Well, if you lot want to chatter about other things and depart from my original subject matter let me join in. Your responses contained lots of comments about the tiny number of helis that work in sims. You all seem to reckon that sim heli flying is not realistic. Wrong. I've flown several in FS & P3D and a couple have been very lifelike, i.e. the Schweizer 300CBI and the Guimble Cabri G2. I've flown them both at a nearby airfield for the past 4 years and FS & P3D do them justice - apart from autorotation. I'm still hoping for a helpful response or two - Please. Brian

I've searched for an answer/suggestion around the forums without success and am hoping for help here. The general "forum" opinion is that in flight simulation, rotay wing modelling has always fallen far short of fixed wing. I fly a Cabri G2 in real life. I find the MP Design Studio version for P3D works very well indeed and compares to the real thing nicely, except for autorotations. We all know what they're about. The engine fails, lift can't counter gravity, nose drops, main rotor slows down when collective pitch is increased, etc. Real recovery needs quick pull-back on the cyclic followed by immediate full-down collective then careful main rotor RPM control with collective and a final flare to reduce the forward speed and collective up to slow verical speed to zero. This process can be started OK in the sim by pulling back on the cyclic and flooring the collective. But the engine has not failed, as it would have done in reality. So I would need to cut engine power completely to simulate the cause of an autorotation. How? And to reduce main rotor RPM during the rapid descent I would need to increase collective pitch, but if I did this with the engine still running and the governor engaged, I would get an increase in lift! So the autorotation process has failed in the sim. And so it goes on. The consencus amongst flight simmers is that sims don't model autorotation. I think that's true because the flight dynamics involved aren't what's needed in normal flying. I also think that there's scope for getting P3D and my Cabri G2 to behave as expected during an autorotation by changing settings that relate to governor, collective pitch, independent throttle control and possibly others. I've never believed in reinventing the wheel so at this stage I'm wondering if anyone out there has already studied this, especially with P3D and the Cabri G2. I'd be delighted with any ideas that can be offered. I intend to persuade my setup to produce realistic conditions that lead to autorotation and respond realistically to the right sequence of corrective actions. I'm sure I could do this much quicker with your help than on my own by trial and error. All the best, Brian

Thanks MarkDH. When I'm flying the sim aircraft I would like to use the instrument panel displayed as I do in real life. The frequency panel is there and without virtual reality I can easily and quickly change stby frequency with the mouse by clicking L or R on the tuning knobs. Then I can L click on the flip-flop button on the radio to transfer the stby frequency to main on the radio. That's what I want to do with the VR headset on. I really don't want to use a method that's not realistic even though it does the job. Hope you can help. Brian

I've been using a HMD for several months and love it. One thing is very much worse though and I'd like help to solve the problem. Before HMD, handling my radios was easy. To retune the stdby frequency just needed me to hover the curser on the large outer dial and L click to increase MHz or R click to reduce MHz. Same with the smaller inner dial, L click to increase kHz and R click to reduce kHz. Then click on the radio's flip-flops button to transfer stdby to main. In visual reality this still "works" but it's impossible to do in my practice. I have to position the white spot (cursor) over the dials using my head/mouse whilst clicking L or R mouse. I can't keep the cursor steady while clicking because I cannot hold my head steady for long enough. It's the same trying to engage fli-flop. Know what I mean? How does this relate to P3D? I have the full list of keyboard assignments for P3D and nowhere can I see anything about setting frequencies or making the radios flip-flop. If I could spot radio frequency adjust, MHz and kHz, and flip-flop I could assign joystick buttons to them. Where are they on the assignment list? Hope you can help. Thanks, Brian

Thanks kand & DannyR. This now looks hopeful and I will be giving FSUIPC a go. I'm hoping for the best. Flying the real G2 costs >£400 an hour and so my opportunities are limited. P3D let's me do it at no cost which is why I depend on it. I've seen many comments that sim matches real life so badly it's not worth doing. My experience differs; I've now got the sim settings for the Cabri so close to real life that after doing a couple of practice flights using P3D I can go to the airfield and be able to fly the real one almost the same. With trim control that will be perfect. OK, in my lifetime the sim will never match real smells, sound, feel, visuals and g forces. But it will definitely be good enough for me. Thanks for your help, Brian

Hmmm. That's a sweeping statement. Are you being serious or having a laugh? I was hoping for some help here. Brian

Thanks kand. Do you know if this will work in P3D with all helicopters? If so, I'll get it. Brian

The real world Cabri G2 helicopter has a cyclic trim switch that sets trim for pitch and bank. My heli model by MP Design Studio works a treat with P3D. P3D has settings for elevator trim up & down and aileron trim left & right: these key assignments work perfectly for fixed wing aircraft. But I can't make them work on my rotary wing Cabri G2. This is also the case with other helix resident in P3D. This is a great nuisance because without the ability to apply trim one has to maintain a constant force on the cyclic during flight. Please can someone suggest a solution?

Hi all, please can someone help out here - I'm now using WMR and Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR to fly using P3D and after 2 weeks I'm delighted. The res is so good that I can use the instruments completely, from tuning the radio to reading the altimeter subscale - astonishing! Trouble is, although I can go through the pre and post-flight checklists on the helicopter's tablet, I'm having to reach forward so far that it's physically uncomfortable (almost painful!) on my neck. Now it would be just as bad in the real Cabri G2 if I used the on-board tablet, which is why I use a paper checklist in real life. But inside the HP Reverb headset I can't see the paper headset. At this stage I'd like to point out very strongly that this is not a complaint about VR, quite the opposite. But clearly inside the headset I can't see paper checklists or charts without getting neck ache. Please can anyone reveal a solution? I know about FlyInside and would consider buying this. But is it possible to create suitable "views" in P3D? I can create a new window on the flat screen display but it doesn't show up inside the headset. Hope you can help. Brian

Well folks you solved it. Marcus suggestion worked when I next encountered the problem. And when I open the blinds now to let more light in, Patraeus suggestion prevents the problem. Many thanks to both of you. Brian

Thanks Patraeus and Marcus, I'll do what you suggest when I get home. My real desktop is usually quite dim so that my view of the display isn't spoilt by sunlight through the blinds. And I never use the reverb controllers, don't need them for flight sim. There's nothing on my desk, the desk top is plain grey with nothing on it but the monitor; I can well believe that the cameras are struggling to follow my head movements. I'll let you know what happens. Brian