Teach me how to fly Helicopters please!

[Jenks]

Something else you may want to consider... start with a helicopter that has more forgiving handling. Some of the really nice helicopter models are very twitchy and trip over their own skids quite easily.

I suggest Deane Baunton's Huey - and there are RNZAF paints available. It is really easy to handle when airborne and has very forgiving landing characteristics. Probably unrealistically easy to fly, but it is fun!

Good luck

[ZK-Brock]

I'm no heli expert, but the FS2004 default whirlies seem harder to control than the FSX ones. I'd say go for an easier model.

[Charl]

After the twist stick:
Owen Hewitt's Bell 206 here:
http://64.34.169.161/cgi-bin/ifolio/ima ... =&bool=and
and this HUD/panel to make it much much easier:



I don't even have the original filename it's been on my system so long, but perhaps one of the other rotary wingers can identify it.
The blue wind vane and radio altimeter alone are worth it; hovering into even a slight headwind is waay easier. and knowing when the skid is about to plop down makes the difference between a Landing and Not a Landing.

[chopper_nut]

I first started flying choppers in sims in the good ole days of FS98. I find that the best way to learn is to just practice and practice some more. One tip that Im not sure wether anyone has mentioned here is to have the sensitivities set to the max. It doesnt sound right but it is important. With lower sensitivities you tend to start over correcting and then you are in a world of s**t! I actually find that the defult R22 in FS9 is probably the best training helicopter around at the moment. Its twitchy and unforgiving, If you can fly that, you can fly anything. Also setting the weather so that you have about a 10kt head wind for take off helps you to hover.

[creator2003]

realisum should be like this but with one change ,GENERAL slider back 1 notch yo 99%

and sensitivty like this

any other settings you are wasting your time ,choppers to learn in any from hovercontrol.com,sc300 by jordan moore or the md500d custom are some of the best not to forget the 412bell also by jordan ,others nemeth bro AS350
hope this helps

[Timmo]

I fly mostly choppers in FS9/FSX and would say the choppers (especially the R22) flys a lot more realistically in FSX than FS9....

I get by with a cheapish joystick that has a small throttle wheel on the top and a small rudder wheel on the front left (index finger controls rudder, thumb controls throttle.....it has no centering spring on the rudder which is OK when flying choppers but can be a pain when flying fixed wing)

As said, turn up your realism settings and turn off your dead zone...its easier to make minute/small adjustments than larger ones...far more accurate and you can move the controls more times per second (if that makes sense?)

Also, make sure your frame rates are high....nothing worse than trying to maintain a nice hover with 5 fps.

The other thing i would suggest is to get an idea of how the controls interact on a chopper and how control inputs in one axis affect the movement in other axes. (Ie. Raising the collective will require more anti-torque as well as cyclic input)....Doing some reading on Helicopter aerodynamics would help but just practicing would also help: Watch what happens when to the turn coordinator when the collective is fully raised (Yaw), find out what you need to do to counter the primary effect (Anti-Torque in the direction of the ball) and see what the secondary effect is (roll....countered by cyclic).....do this for all the major controls.

Once you have a good idea of what you need to do when each control is used, you can then start using the controls proactively with each other I.e. when raising the collective, automatically countering the torque with the torque pedals etc (as opposed to reactively- Input, wait...watch to see what is happening to the A/C, secondary input etc...watch....etc)

The R22 has a low inertia rotor system and a responsive piston engine so it is very quick to react to your control inputs...a bit like a sports car i guess. One of the downfalls of a low inertia rotor system is if the engine quits: you need to react very quickly to dump the collective and keep rotor RPM up...

The 206 and AS350 have compartively high intertia rotors and slower reacting turbines so to fly them requires more fore thought (i.e. raising/lowering collective earlier)....a bit like drving a light truck after a sports car (R22). The advantage of a higher intertia rotor system is of course if the engine quits the blades are going to keep spinning longer giving the pilot a bit more time to react...

Anyway...this is turning into a novel. Keep practicing and learn to use control inputs pro-actively.

(oh btw: If choppers only fly because the earth repels them, then the earth must repel fixed wing a/c even more as they stay in the air better!

[SUBS17]

That would be why I found FS2004s FM too sensitive I must remember that next time.

[ZK-Brock]

One thing I can recommend is to get a book out from your library. I did this yesterday afternoon, it's helped me chop around so much better.

[Codge]

I thought I'd replied to this but obviously not! It is such a common question and I've replied to it alot on different threads and places.
I learnt by perseverence on the R22 with a standard joystick with no pedals or twisty. Once I bought the Saitek Cyborg Evo (twisty) I was cooking with gas! I now have CH pedals as well.
Once you have a twisty stick make sure your settings are right and get in the R22 and practise. When you've done that practise some more, after that do some more practise, you get the idea.
I was teaching my daughter to ride her BMX with out training wheels, all I could do was explain what was what and tell her to practise. She wasn't very impressed when I told her she would and could expect to fall off a few times, but that she must get straight back on and keep going!
No-one can teach you to fly the FS Helo's. You teach yourself and that is done by spending time (lots of it) doing it.
Hovercontrol does offer some good tutorials and that and there are some tips you can pick up here and there but without the practise you won't know what they're getting at in the tips anyway!
Without a twisty joystick you can do those skid landings quite well but tail rotor control really is a must.
I got my Cyborg new from Harvey Norman for $100 but you can most likely get one cheaper from Trade Me.
Then you can turn Auto Rudder off in the settings and it'll make your fixed wing flying more realistic too.
Jimmy seemed to pick up Helo flying pretty fast, I suspect he had a bit more experience than he let on, but I think he may well be a 'Natural' pilot anyway!
Interesting advice from Christian, (Use a wheel off a car game?) well I can't really comment, other than say if you want realistic get pedals and 2nd choice a Cyborg or similar twisty stick but, well it takes all types! And he can't hover remember, I can with my Cyborg in the R22 and the Bell 205, 206. I love Dean Bauntons Huey, that sound is a bottom smacking feeling of raw power, you really feel like you're somebody in that thing! OK so to recap- Practise,practise ,practise,practise ,practise,etc...etc...etc... and one day you'll go yes I'm hovering, I'm really doing it and no-one in the house will understand just what a huge accomplishment this is and fail to share your excitement! Well it's lonely at the top is all I can say there! Don't forget to practise! ther is no easy way, it's just like learning a musical instrument, you cannot cheat, you have either put the work in or you haven't.
Good luck, and don't give up. Stephen (There needs to be a Helo smiley!)

[SUBS17]

hahaha I find it hilarious when people call them helicopter drivers we had one guy come up to us at the fieldays and ask if we were the helicopter drivers one of our pilots responses was "sorry we only fly the helicopter none of us are qualified to drive them that requires a whole different license" we all cracked up laughing and a few minutes later the same guy who had asked the question started laughing you can tell we have a sad sense of humour lol those four days were the hardest days to get thru because within arriving at the fieldays you would be in fits of laughter.

Thats probably from terms such as Viper Driver, Eagle Driver, Hornet driver etc