Helicopters

[PRB]

Dang, I think I may be on the way to figuring out these godforsaken beastly devices. It's getting to the point that they are fun to fly, even! I've been crashing these things for years in FS9, where, as I understand it, the helicopter flight rules made them more difficult to fly than in real life. I can't speak to that. All I know is that I could crash them just as easily in FSX as I could in FS9. But lately I seem to be getting the “hang” of it, for some odd reason. I've never messed with the realism settings, always have been “full right”.

There's so many things you have to work separately, but together! :isadizzy: I can now, during the “near hover” portion of the final approach, caress the left rudder pedal to swivel the nose just a smidgen, while arresting the slight rightwards drift with a hint of left stick. I still tend to land with just a touch of forward motion. Makes landing a lot easier. But if I want to land on the back of a cruise ship, I'll have to practice the hover more...

It's all very cool.

[Dain Arns]

You're flying "The Debil" there. :icon_lol:

The default flight dynamics for the Acceleration EH-101 are not very good, IMHO and experience.
It's like flying a Yo-Yo. The R-22 is the same way.

Justin Moore over at Hovercontrol has devised a good set of config files for the default 206.
My recommendation, is fly that instead with the revised configs.

http://64.34.169.161/cgi-bin/ifolio/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Add-ons_-_Revised_Configs_-_FSX&image=FSX_206_update.zip&img=&tt=zip

Working on your hover is better with that set. Remember, focus on a distant spot, work on holding the hover about 5-8 feet off the ground. :applause:

[Kiwikat]

Try the Dodosim Bell 206! :173go1:

Helicopters are fun, but I can't fly them too often without getting bored.

[PRB]

You're flying "The Debil" there. :icon_lol:

The default flight dynamics for the Acceleration EH-101 are not very good, IMHO and experience.
It's like flying a Yo-Yo. The R-22 is the same way.

Justin Moore over at Hovercontrol has devised a good set of config files for the default 206.
My recommendation, is fly that instead with the revised configs.

http://64.34.169.161/cgi-bin/ifolio/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Add-ons_-_Revised_Configs_-_FSX&image=FSX_206_update.zip&img=&tt=zip

Working on your hover is better with that set. Remember, focus on a distant spot, work on holding the hover about 5-8 feet off the ground. :applause:

Downloaded that 206 update. Will try. Thanks!

[Dain Arns]

Try the Dodosim Bell 206! :173go1:

Helicopters are fun, but I can't fly them too often without getting bored.


Bah, you're not doing it right! Fixed wings are boring! Rotorcraft keep you awake! :icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

Flew a medical run, via FSX, from the hospital pad in Sioux Falls to the hometown here last night during the blizzard.
Both helicopters in real life were actually running last night as the highways were shut down and ground ambulances couldn't get anywhere.

Landing into a 40kt headwind with limited 1/4 mile visibility onto a 20ft by 20ft space. That keeps you sharp. :ernae:

[Dain Arns]

Hopefully, "soon", Fred over at Hovercontrol should have the Helicopter Total Realism (HTR) released.
It's a helicopter physics library module that will finally turn the EH-101 flight handling around to something a bit more realistic, well, any others for that matter.
Okay. About as good as you will be able to do with FSX's limitations.
But it will be configurable for any FSX helicopter.

Then you get to experience fun things like vortex ring state, and retreating blade stalls. :jump: :icon_lol:

[PRB]

Oh great! That's all I need now is retreating blade stalls! :icon_lol: Does sound interesting!

[MCDesigns]

Yep, most of my FSX time is in egg beaters, LOL. Try this app you have some guys to fly along with
http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=helitraffic

[Dain Arns]

Probably should mention you want about 55-60% on the torque gauge with the 206 when you advance your throttle (Pulling up on the collective). She'll start to get light. Little left input to the rudder pedals. Let it stabilize, then little more collective to the hover.

Okay, I'll shut up about helicopters now, after this final plug.
Hovercontrol also has some nice scenery in their downloads area for FSX that has practice pads.
They are for Missoula, MT and Hood River, OR.


:wavey:

[Lionheart]

Dang, I think I may be on the way to figuring out these godforsaken beastly devices. It's getting to the point that they are fun to fly, even! I've been crashing these things for years in FS9, where, as I understand it, the helicopter flight rules made them more difficult to fly than in real life. I can't speak to that. All I know is that I could crash them just as easily in FSX as I could in FS9. But lately I seem to be getting the “hang” of it, for some odd reason. I've never messed with the realism settings, always have been “full right”.

There's so many things you have to work separately, but together! :isadizzy: I can now, during the “near hover” portion of the final approach, caress the left rudder pedal to swivel the nose just a smidgen, while arresting the slight rightwards drift with a hint of left stick. I still tend to land with just a touch of forward motion. Makes landing a lot easier. But if I want to land on the back of a cruise ship, I'll have to practice the hover more...

It's all very cool.


Its funny Dain that you bring this up. I could have used this post last night.


Yesterday, after all my 'ob-stacles' (movie; Oh Brother Where Art Thou), I decided (in the night) to run away to computer game land and ditch my stress. I first turned on Armma2/Demo and tried the Helo learning section, flying a Hughey over to some soldiers, transporting them, and dropping them off. I hit a few things, and hovering was NOT EASY!!!!!!!!!

Controls were opposite to a planes stick. Mind you, I am controlling a helo with a mouse, lol... It was like moving a pendilum weight to cause 'dis-balance' on a hanging fan. Move the mouse back, and it pulls the 'thing's nose up. If you are moving forward and turn right, your ship dives for the ground.

I died a few times in those flights. So I went to FS2004, my sim of choice, and picked the dual rotor 'flying banana'. That went a bit horribly bad. Mainly though, it didnt have a VC and I was sporting my TrackIR hat, so I got in the stock Bell.

After 5 min's of trying to land (hovering all over the place just trying to lift off then land) I finally peaked my stress and turned off FS and went for TV for stress relief.



Man.. Helo's are very difficult.. WAY WAY WAY difficult..



Bill

[krazycolin]

Better get some practice in flying those things... and try it backwards cause IT's coming...

:applause:

kc

[cheezyflier]

Better get some practice in flying those things... and try it backwards cause IT's coming...

:applause:

kc

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s180/cheezyridr/PENNYWISE.jpg

[Dain Arns]

Better get some practice in flying those things... and try it backwards cause IT's coming...

:applause:

kc


OMG! :jump:

'Elvis' is in the building!?!?! :icon_lol: (or Isabelle?)

[Pips]

I can take off and fly the damn things ok. But landing? That's something else entirely! I just can't master the final approach and hover before landing. Always have way to much speed and/or forward motion.

I keep trying, but helo's drive me nuts!

[Wing_Z]

Dial up a 15kt headwind, and land into it, nice and easy.
It'll even look as if you're hovering, and builds confidence.

[Pips]

Ahh ok, good idea. Thanks. :)

[empeck]

You're flying "The Debil" there. :icon_lol:

The default flight dynamics for the Acceleration EH-101 are not very good, IMHO and experience.
It's like flying a Yo-Yo. The R-22 is the same way.

Justin Moore over at Hovercontrol has devised a good set of config files for the default 206.
My recommendation, is fly that instead with the revised configs.


Are there some fixes for EH-101 and R-22 flight dynamics?

[michael davies]

Its funny Dain that you bring this up. I could have used this post last night.


Yesterday, after all my 'ob-stacles' (movie; Oh Brother Where Art Thou), I decided (in the night) to run away to computer game land and ditch my stress. I first turned on Armma2/Demo and tried the Helo learning section, flying a Hughey over to some soldiers, transporting them, and dropping them off. I hit a few things, and hovering was NOT EASY!!!!!!!!!

Controls were opposite to a planes stick. Mind you, I am controlling a helo with a mouse, lol... It was like moving a pendilum weight to cause 'dis-balance' on a hanging fan. Move the mouse back, and it pulls the 'thing's nose up. If you are moving forward and turn right, your ship dives for the ground.

I died a few times in those flights. So I went to FS2004, my sim of choice, and picked the dual rotor 'flying banana'. That went a bit horribly bad. Mainly though, it didnt have a VC and I was sporting my TrackIR hat, so I got in the stock Bell.

After 5 min's of trying to land (hovering all over the place just trying to lift off then land) I finally peaked my stress and turned off FS and went for TV for stress relief.



Man.. Helo's are very difficult.. WAY WAY WAY difficult..



Bill

You need an easier helo to learn with, grab the freeware Alphasim S-55, thats not a plug because I did the FDE, but it was designed to be really easy on new pilots and should be very stable, failing that grab Rick Pipers Sycamore, thats also a very stable helo to fly, the other one is the freeware one previewed here recently, the old FS9 from Greg ?, the FDE is a spin off from the S-55 I did, all of these are piston FDEs and very stable.

You might need to set up your controller as well, make sure all the realism sliders are full right and then with the null zones, make them all left and then pull them right a couple of notches, so your null zone is about 5% and your realism 100%. That will give you the best basis to fly most helos with as thats what most FDE developers use to set them up.

Try any of those three and you'll probably pick it up a bit easier, many helos out there use stock FDEs and these are generally accepted as being a real hand full for beginners.

Best

Michael

[anatolpopov]

What you masters think about default EH101. Is it good? Do you fly it?

[Matt Wynn]

handles like Cr*p if we're honest as mentioned before it's like a yo-yo...

choppers are fun especially flying above a nice coast and spotting a beach you fancy a lie down at, put in a pedal turn, transition into a hover, and set her down on the beach... i enjoy helicopters, they can get you places the fixed-wing lot can't (and we're not classing V-22 or XV-15 as fixed wing or 'copter)

[Navy Chief]

What you masters think about default EH101. Is it good? Do you fly it?

I don't fly helos much, but I think the default EH101 handles nicely!!

NC

[jetstreamsky]

The Dodosim 206 is the easiest to fly, as it reacts properly albeit it can bite if you do things wrong :isadizzy:

For a simpler and free alternative the recently released
Eurocopter AS332L2 for FSX Acceleration behaves really well.

[Dain Arns]

You need an easier helo to learn with, grab the freeware Alphasim S-55, thats not a plug because I did the FDE, but it was designed to be really easy on new pilots and should be very stable, failing that grab Rick Pipers Sycamore, thats also a very stable helo to fly, the other one is the freeware one previewed here recently, the old FS9 from Greg ?, the FDE is a spin off from the S-55 I did, all of these are piston FDEs and very stable.

All excellent ideas to start with. The old S-51 is a pleasure to fly, Michael.
Thank you. :applause:


Are there some fixes for EH-101 and R-22 flight dynamics?

What you masters think about default EH101. Is it good? Do you fly it?

I think there were some floating around other sites.
Honestly, I only fly those two for Missions, when I have to.
Of the defaults, I still do fly the 206 with Justin Moore's flight dynamics edit on occasion.

[IanP]

The EH101 has a couple of serious bugs in it - particularly the engines spooling up and down constantly.

It's not bad to fly, but a swine to hover accurately and it flies vastly more nose-low than it should in the cruise. I still use it from time to time (more than the obnoxious little R22!) but there are many helos, pay and freeware, that are vastly better than the Accel Merlin.

[Dain Arns]

For a simpler and free alternative the recently released
Eurocopter AS332L2 for FSX Acceleration behaves really well.



Yes, Dirk's Super Puma is very well done, and FPS friendly.
It can found at over Hovercontrol, AVSim, FlightSim.

[Matt Wynn]

yeah i love the super puma, then again i still use the Tom Woods/Mark Adams CH-47... i think i just can't let FS9 go at times :icon_lol:

[Dain Arns]

Mick Posch's H-21C is still a freeware classic for FSX as well:

http://www.mickposch.com/flightsim/fs_freeware.htm (http://www.mickposch.com/flightsim/fs_freeware.htm)

[srgalahad]

I can take off and fly the damn things ok. But landing? That's something else entirely! I just can't master the final approach and hover before landing. Always have way to much speed and/or forward motion.

I keep trying, but helo's drive me nuts!

Helicopters take a gentle touch and constant corrections so you can't fly them like a "tube". No muscle, nothing abrupt and a lot of concentration.
Rudder pedals and a review/change to your control sensitivities are also in order.(It's hard to control pitch & roll while twisting a stiff joystick to handle yaw)

Then change your thinking... slow down but don't get TOO slow - watch the airspeed and get down to 30-40 kts well before you get close and before 2-300 ft agl. Then, from 200 ft down, gradually ease the speed back (collective/throttle and pitch) until you are near the hover at 10 feet and 5 kts - At 5 kts it takes a lot of finesse to handle-- after that very small power/pitch reductions will ease you in without a crunching sound.

Also, until you get used to it, use a heli with wheels instead of skids.. they are a lot more tolerant of forward motion (but some will break if you hit too hard/fast).

Rob

[Pips]

Thanks muchly Rob, that's good advice. I'll give it a whirl! :)

[falcon409]

Mick Posch's H-21C is still a freeware classic for FSX as well:
http://www.mickposch.com/flightsim/fs_freeware.htm (http://www.mickposch.com/flightsim/fs_freeware.htm)
Wow, thanks for that HU Dain. . .I've flown his Pyro ever since it was released. I love doing 300kts in a chopper, ,lol.

[Piglet]

Always wished some one could make an "Air Wrench" for helo's I would make more helo's if I had such thing. That upcoming realism package thing sounds like it would be just the ticket...