PhrogPhlyer

Having flown SAR for 2 years in Japan, I can tell you that it is IMPOSSIBLE to maintain a stable hover over open water without either a crewmember looking down at the victim/boat/etc. and giving calls (Forward, Aft, Port, Starboard, Stop) and/or a hover assist gauge system such as Doppler Hover and Radar Altimeter.

Well done, the reward (flying and hover helicopters) is well worth the effort. Definitely an issue! "Smooth" cyclic (throttle) movement is critical.

There are just so many questions you ask, that I've narrowed into the above quote as a place to start. First, the controls you use do make a difference, and the longer the cyclic (joystick) and collective (throttle) are, the smaller the input for a greater distance of throw. That being said, any sim helicopter can be flown smoothly no matter what controls you use, but with more practice to understand how little input you actually need. Second, hovering in general is a challenge and becomes more difficult as you increase your altitude due to lack of visual references. In both real and sim, I will practice a stabilized no drift hover starting at 5' and increasing in 5' increments of height, to see if I can maintain that hover for 3-5 minutes without any appreciable drift. Good practice, and builds up your visual cues as you gain experience at each 5' level. Don't jump right to 30' and expect a stabilized hover. You will have to develop an outside scan that is not too close, nor too far from the helo. But the wider the view, the better. So much more to be added here that hovering would need a full article in and of itself. Third, You can NOT hover on instruments alone, without very specialized Doppler hover equipment/gauge combined with a radar altimeter. Forth, there is generally NO AUTO HOVER in real aviation. The only exception I'm aware of is the H-145 which has an extremely sophisticated autopilot system with hover mode. But, back to your need, to fly a stabilized hover at 30', practice, practice, and then practice some more. Frustration along the way is a guarantee.

For those who have never had the experience of a full motion sim, I offer two (of many) quick stories... First, I was flying the HH-46 SAR simulator at NAS North Island. I was preparing for getting transferred to the SAR Detachment as MCAS Iwakuni Japan. Making a high wind low visibility approach to a ship to drop off a victim we had just picked from the water (doppler hover was a whole new world). I maneuvered towards the helo deck when we lost all cross wind due to the ships superstructure blocking the wind. The aircraft spun around and descended rapidly to the deck. The last thing I remember was the simulated LSE (landing safety enlisted) waving his arms as we crashed, the simulator made a hard shaking stop, and the full wrap around screen when Bright Red! I knew we had crashed into hell. The other was flying a full motion FA-18 sim at MCAS Iwakuni, as the base DOSS (director of safety and standardization) I often filled the sim seat when someone cancelled their time slot. I was doing some aerobatics over the Sea of Japan when I heard "Guns, guns...Fight's on." in the headset. As I looked around I see an F-16 coming in hot. Needless to say, this helo jock got quite a workout for the next 20 or 30 minutes. When the other aircraft called it off, I asked where he was from. I don't remember exactly, but he was from and Air Force base on the east coast of the US, 1/2 a world away. Only in a sim!

All the above advice is sound, but can and will be a bit overwhelming. To help guide you in more palatable bites, what are you goal/intentions for Flight Simming? Where are you interests in aircraft (modern jet fighters, rotorcraft, smaller general aviation, airliners)? Also what add on controls do you currently have or intend to purchase? And which version of MSFS are you using? Knowing these things will allow for a more focused, and paced approach to you learning journey. And, welcome to AvSim!

Welcome aboard WIlSil !

Just as one does in real aviation. Read the FAA PTSs to understand what the FAA sets as standards you must obtain. https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards

Received email, all good. Thanks!!!

I also had not heard of FSXMissionsHangar.com, however I did create an account, and am waiting for the confirmation email.

As is taught by FAA instructors from day one, Good Aeronautical Decision Making. I believe that a variation of "get-there-itis" came into play. We all have fallen or started to fall for this pressure to complete the mission, as planned, and on time. I can understand what the pilot was thinking. We all as pilots need to work harder at recognizing the internal and external pressures we face. A procedural fix would be that "book number" required runway lengths be actual runway length minus the distance from the threshold to the touch down aiming point (approximately location of VASI or PAPI). In this case: 6725 - 989 = 5282 Now we see that the runway is not an acceptable safe runway if you need 5900 to 6500 feet.

I have landed on EWR runway 29 several times. It is "IMPOSSIBLE" to strike a vehicle on the NJ Tpk if the aircraft is on the proper glide path as identified by visually using the PAPI (3°). This incident has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with any ATC guidance or other communications. This pilot at the controls flew a path below the established visual glide path... PERIOD. Using the Boeing 767 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning document, the required runway length for a 767 400EW was between 5900 and 6500 ft. Rwy 29 is 6725 ft. This is technically an acceptable runway, ASSUMING you have the full length to use. The PAPI is located 989 ft past the threshold. Leaving you with much less available runway. I agree with @SayAgain that the Capt should not have considered Rwy 29, and proceeded to the alternate airport. But I would say that a plane with over 200 tired customers, who just flew from Italy was the deciding factor in his poor aeronautical decision making.

Just found this, def. helpful!

Merry Christmas to all of you and your families.

Cost, compared to VR goggles, probably wasn't a consideration. And VR can not give you the total tactile experience of their DIY sim. I applaud their work, amazing.

As both a real world and sim helicopter pilot I believe THE GOTO site for helicopters is HeliSimmer.com. Along with the rest of the site, his How to Fly Helicopters tutorial is the best out there. https://www.helisimmer.com/how-to-fly-helicopters